Picture this: You are holding your sweet baby while looking at your phone. Suddenly you realize that in exactly one week you will be back to work from parental leave. Panic starts to go through your body. You are worried that your baby will not have enough milk while you are at work.
Then, you start to doubt yourself. Thinking thoughts like, “Why didn’t I start pumping sooner?” “Will my baby be hungry?” or “Will I have to switch to formula?” So many thoughts, worries, and questions run through your brain.
While this feels scary, I promise you can do it! Here are a few tips and tricks on how you can prepare to go back to work as a breastfeeding parent:
Create a plan
- Start by making note of what time your baby eats each day – this will help you know how many bottles you will need to prepare for your baby. This will also help whoever is watching your baby, so they have a better understanding of baby’s schedule.
Figure out how much milk your baby is drinking at each feeding
- If you are not sure how to calculate this, here is a good formula to figure that out:
Your baby’s weight x 2.5/8 = the number of ounces per feeding
Example: If your baby weighs 12 pounds, you would multiply 12 x 2.5 = 30. 30/8 = 3.75 ounces per bottle.
Note: Keep in mind that this is the average. Some babies might eat a little more while others might eat less. But, since you aren’t seeing how much milk is coming out when you are nursing, this is a good gauge.
- Think about how much milk you’ll need for your baby when you are away. Let’s say you are going to be away from your baby from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Because you know when your baby eats, you know that your baby will eat 3 times while you are away. If I use the example above, you will need 11.25 ounces total (3.75 ounces x 3 feeding times) while you are away from your baby.
- Start preparing. Don’t worry about trying to have multiple weeks of milk prepared. If you have at least 2 days’ worth of milk, you are doing good! Also, remember while you are away you need to be pumping every time your baby would feed, meaning that you are pumping for the next day while you are at work.
If you have any more questions about breastfeeding, please feel free to reach out to one of our Family Support Navigators at navigation@familyfutures.net. We are here to support you!
