Returning To Work? Yes, You CAN Continue To Exclusively Breastfeed!

by Wendy Armbruster Bell
(How a Nanny and a Good Breastpump Can Help You Reach Your Personal Breastfeeding Goals)

As the end of your maternity leave fast approaches, nursing mothers have a number of choices to maintain their breastfeeding relationships with their babies. This holds true no matter how long your maternity leave will be or if you have chosen to return to work early on your own accord.

If you are fortunate to live fairly close to your place of employment, your nanny can bring your baby to you at work for as many feedings as desired. This is especially beneficial when you first return to work as it is a transition for both you and your baby. The sustained contact will be good for both of you emotionally and will facilitate your letdown as well as help to maintain your milk supply as you both adjust to the new routine.

Remember to discuss your breastfeeding and/or pumping schedule with your employer prior to your return to work so that there are no surprises for either of you. It is also a good idea to return to work on a Wednesday or Thursday so you have a short first week. Finally, plan a dry run of your morning routine, including the drive to work, before tackling the Real McCoy. This will do wonders for your stress level on that first day of leaving baby.

Following is a typical schedule that can be adapted to suit (based on a baby that is 3-6 months old):

6:00 am: Wake up, get ready for work and eat a healthy breakfast.
7:00 am: Wake and nurse your baby.*
8:30 am: Leave for work.
9:00 am: Arrive at work.*
11:00 am: Nanny brings baby to work to nurse.
12:30 pm: Eat a nutritious lunch.
2:30 pm: Nanny brings baby to work to nurse.
5:00 pm: Leave work for the day.
5:30 pm: Arrive home, eat dinner.
6:00 pm: Nurse your baby, then bed time/bath time routine for him/her.
7:00 pm: Put baby to bed.
8:00 pm: Prepare for you work day tomorrow (pack your lunch, plan tomorrow night’s dinner).*
10:30 pm: Wake baby to nurse if he/she is not sleeping through the night yet. If baby sleeps through, you may want to pump then off to bed.

* The asterisks in the schedule indicate prime times for additional pumping if your nanny is unable to bring the baby to you for whatever reason (e.g. you are out of town on business or your baby is ill). If you will be pumping at work even once per day, you may want to invest in a hands-free pumping bra so that you can still answer emails or take phone calls while pumping. Make sure you have a comfortable chair to sit in, a footrest to raise your knees to parallel while sitting (so that you don’t hunch over) and if you have problems with letdown, a picture of your baby or an article of clothing that smells like him/her. Remember that you should wait 4-6 weeks to introduce a bottle to your newborn to reduce the chance of nipple confusion.

If you don’t have an office with a lock on the door, then you will also need to find a private room that you can use for nursing and/or pumping – and try to avoid the restroom! Approach your employer to set-up a lactation room. You can pitch him or her on the benefits of having a breastfeeding mother on staff. Never mind the extensive long-term health benefits. In the short-term, research shows that:

• breastfed babies are sick less often and when they do get sick, then aren’t as sick
• breastfed babies are less likely to have ear infections, colic, diarrhea and other childhood illnesses
• babies who are breastfed are 10 times less likely to be hospitalized during the first year
• nursing mothers have a lower incidence of postpartum hemorrhage
• nursing mothers enjoy a decreased risk of iron-deficiency anemia (delayed return of menstruation) and the longer the mother nurses, the stronger this effect

Therefore, because you and your baby will be sick less frequently, your employer will benefit from reduced sick days and in turn, increased productivity from you!

After your baby starts solids at around age 6 months, whether this is before or after you return to work, he/she will be taking less breastmilk. If you do not live close enough to work to warrant having your nanny bring the baby to you, you may choose to pump during the day and breastfeed first thing in the morning and at bedtime as well as on the weekend. Your nanny can feed your baby one bottle of expressed breastmilk in the afternoon (2:30-3:00 pm) and you will still successfully maintain your supply. These types of arrangements along with an open mind, flexibility and support will help you reach your personal breastfeeding goals.

Speaking of support, a lack thereof is one of the top reasons for the extreme decline in breastfeeding rates after moms leave the hospital. The best thing you can do is to keep the following in mind:

• breastfeeding is not “instinctual”, both mom and baby need to learn how to do it
• if you are having difficulties, ASK FOR HELP from your Public Health Nurse, Doctor, Midwife, Doula, Lactation Consultant, La Leche League Leader, friend or family member
• there appears to be a learning curve for the first 6-7 weeks postpartum – if you can persevere until then, you are usually home-free
• resist the temptation to give your baby formula – as little as one feed per day can cause your supply to diminish – keep a small stash of breastmilk in the freezer instead

Following is a schedule for a baby that is 6 months or older:

6:00 am: Wake up, get ready for work and eat a healthy breakfast.
7:00 am: Wake and nurse your baby.*
8:30 am: Leave for work.
9:00 am: Arrive at work.*
12:30 pm: Eat a nutritious lunch.
2:30 pm: Pumping break.
5:00 pm: Leave work for the day.
5:30 pm: Arrive home, eat dinner.
6:15 pm: Nurse your baby, then bed time/bath time routine.
7:15 pm: Put baby to bed.
8:00 pm: Prepare for you work day tomorrow (pack your lunch, plan tomorrow night’s dinner).*
10:30 pm: Wake baby to nurse if he/she is not sleeping through the night yet. If baby sleeps through, you may want to pump then off to bed.

Many people are under the impression that a live-in nanny is out of reach financially; however, if you do the math, this choice is actually quite affordable compared to group daycare, especially if you have more than one child. Remember, there is also the option of arranging a “nanny share” with a friend, family member or co-worker.

As with many “seemingly” insurmountable challenges in life, one day you will look back on your choice to maintain breastfeeding after your return to work and say, “It was a bit of a challenge initially, but soon it was just another routine. I did it and it was absolutely worth it!”

Wendy Armbruster Bell is the Founder & Creative Director of Snugabell Mom & Baby Gear, creators of PumpEase hands-free pumping supports. When she is not helping thousands of breastfeeding Moms around the world pump hands-free and in style, she and her husband Mike are busy raising their two young daughters in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. She has been featured on Cool Mom Picks, Parents TV, Breakfast Television, Celebrity Baby Scoop and was named a Top Mompreneur for 2009 by The Mompreneur Magazine. Wendy can be contacted at wendy@snugabell.com or toll-free at 1.866.963.SNUG (7684).

Pump Ease and Snugabell are also proud to be sponsors of the Mommy News & Views Blogiversary Celebration! Please visit the Review and Give-away of Pump Ease Hands-Free Pumping Support in our Blogiversary section.

Did you work while breastfeeding your baby? What were your experiences pumping or breastfeeding at work? Please share any tips that you have with our readers by leaving a comment below.

Blogiversary Celebration – Pumpin’ Pal – CLOSED

We seem to be on a breast-pumping theme here in my blogiversary this week! Today’s post is about a GREAT company called Pumpin’ Pal! If you are not familiar with Pumpin’ Pal, you can see the features that we did on them a few months ago here and here. Pumpin’ Pal is a company founded by a mom (Shannon O’Donnell) who thought “there has to be a better way!”

And come to find out – there is a better way and Shannon and her partner Jon
Gillian found it!

The problem: When pumping, most women end up with sore shoulders or a sore back because they tend to lean forward while doing it to make sure the precious liquid gold they are collecting goes into the collection bottles and down the front of their shirts!

The Solution: Well, Pumpin’ Pal has found a way around this. They have ANGLED flanges – yes, a very simple concept – but extremely novel and EXTREMELY useful! Now, you can pump sitting back and avoid all of the discomfort and pain typically associated with pumping. And best of all – the Pumpin Pal angled flanges work with ALL breastpumps – so you can use them no matter which type of breast pump you are using! The flanges come in three different sizes too – so there is something for every mom – no matter what size you might need – and all three sizes work with your current breastpump!

In addition to these wonderful, “life saving” flanges, Pumpin’ Pal also has the smallest, most economical hands-free pumping device on the market – and again, it can be used with any breastpump! It is a hands-free pumping strap that doesn’t need sizes to fit properly – you just put it over your head and adjust the straps – and hook up your pump – it’s that easy! Watch the video below for a demonstration of how easy and how convenient the Pumpin’ Pal hands-free strap and angled flanges are.

Well, lucky for us, Pumpin’ Pal is a part of our blogiversary celebration! And they have offered to give one lucky Mommy News & Views reader a Hands-Free Strap, a pair of Super Shields (your choice of size), and Air-Dry Accessory Bag. That is a complete set-up for any mom to pump hands-free without getting any back-pain!! So if you are pumping, know someone who is pumping or think you might be pumping in the near future, you need to sign up for this give-away!

To be entered into this contest please tell us your funniest pumping story by leaving a comment below. If you haven’t had your baby yet or haven’t pumped yet, then tell us what you like best about these items from Pumpin’ Pal – This is MANDATORY in order to be considered for a prize.

But you don’t want just one chance to win do you? How about a few more! You can enter for extra chances to win this pumping prize by doing any of the activities below. Just be sure to come back here and leave us a comment for each one – letting us know which ones you completed.

1) Become a fan of Pumpin’ Pal on Facebook.
2) Blog about this post or our Blogiversary Celebration in general! Help us to tell other new moms about all of our great give-aways this month and into November! Be sure to come back here and leave a comment with a link to your blog post so that we can find it!
3) Spread the word! Tweet about this post and link back to it – be sure to include @MommyNews in your tweet and a link back to this page, and leave a comment here with a link to your tweet (you can do this once per day during the contest).
4) Spread the word some more! Post about this contest on facebook and tell all of your friends about it! (you can do this once per day during the contest)
5) Don’t have a blog, not on facebook or twitter? No problem, we want you to have extra chances to win too – so go ahead and send an email to any of your pregnant or nursing friends. Be sure to cc: us on your email (blogiversary@mommynewsblog.com) and leave a comment here too! We promise not to add anyone to any mailing lists unless they specifically request to be added.
6) Purchase any item in our Boutique Store - and leave a comment here with the last 4-digits of your order number. You will get 4 extra chances to win for every purchase!

That’s it! Lots of ways to win a great selection of pumping accessories from Pumpin’ Pal!! This contest ends 11/21/09 at 5 PM. All entrants will be verified and must complete the mandatory entry before completing the ‘extra’ entries. Invalid entries will be disqualified. This contest is open to any mom – anywhere – world wide!!. Winner must respond to email within 48 hours or we reserve the right to choose another winner.

Blogiversary Celebration – Pump Ease Hands Free Pumping Support – CLOSED

Pump Ease is a company who has taken the BORING out of breast pumping! They manufacture (in Canada!) beautiful, colorful, super spectacular hands-free pumping supports for moms who are pumping. If you have pumped even once, you know what a pain in the “you know where” it can be to hold the breastpump flanges or “horns” in place while pumping. It is boring, tiresome and you always have to scratch your nose right when you can’t move your hands away! Having a hands-free way to pump is ESSENTIAL! Especially if you pump on a regular basis – but even for moms who pump sporadically, hands-free is definitely the way to go!! I personally worked and pumped at work for 15 months with my son and if I hadn’t been able to do it hands-free, I probably would have given up a lot sooner!

If you haven’t discovered the joy of hands-free pumping – then a hands-free pumping devise should be a MUST-HAVE on your wishlist.

Why do I like PumpEase? Well for starters, the owner, Wendy Armbruster Bell is super nice! And I personally always like to buy from people that I like. But more than – the Pump Ease hands-free pumping support makes pumping fun! With cute hip colors, you aren’t locked away in your office pumping – instead you feel great and get a little chuckle out of which color you choose to take to work with you that day! And anything that can make me smile while pumping is worth its weight in gold!!

In addition to the support bands, Pump Ease also makes these super-cute door hangers for you to hang on your office door while you are pumping. Chances are everyone knows what you are doing and why your door is locked. You might as well have a little fun with it and show them how proud you are to be pumping for your baby!

As part of our blogiversary celebration, Pump Ease has offered to give one lucky Mommy News & Views Reader a Pump Ease Hands-Free pumping support, a refrigerator magnet and a super-cute door hanger. That’s THREE great prizes to one lucky mom ($45 value)!

To be entered into this contest please visit Our Boutique Store and come back here to tell us which Pump Ease color is your favorite and why – This is MANDATORY in order to be considered for a prize.

But you don’t want just one chance to win do you? How about a few more! You can enter for extra chances to win this pumping prize by doing any of the activities below. Just be sure to come back here and leave us a comment for each one – letting us know which ones you completed.

1) Follow Pump Ease Owner, Wendy Armbruster Bell on Twitter.
2) Become a fan of Pump Ease on Facebook.
3) Blog about this post or our Blogiversary Celebration in general! Help us to tell other new moms about all of our great give-aways this month and into November! Be sure to come back here and leave a comment with a link to your blog post so that we can find it!
4) Spread the word! Tweet about this post and link back to it – be sure to include @MommyNews in your tweet and a link back to this page, and leave a comment here with a link to your tweet (you can do this once per day during the contest).
5) Spread the word some more! Post about this contest on facebook and tell all of your friends about it! (you can do this once per day during the contest)
6) Don’t have a blog, not on facebook or twitter? No problem, we want you to have extra chances to win too – so go ahead and send an email to any of your pregnant or nursing friends. Be sure to cc: us on your email (blogiversary@mommynewsblog.com) and leave a comment here too! We promise not to add anyone to any mailing lists unless they specifically request to be added.
7) Purchase any item in our Boutique Store - and leave a comment here with the last 4-digits of your order number. You will get 4 extra chances to win for every purchase!

That’s it! Lots of ways to win a Pump Ease Hands-Free Pumping Support!! This contest ends 11/20/09 at 5 PM. All entrants will be verified and must complete the mandatory entry before completing the ‘extra’ entries. Invalid entries will be disqualified. This contest is open to anyone worldwide!. Winner must respond to email within 48 hours or we reserve the right to choose another winner.

Blogiversary Celebration – Easy Expression Hands-Free Pumping Bras – CLOSED

Today’s Blogiversary Celebration features Easy Expression Products - the original hands-free pumping bra! Easy Expression Products was founded in 1998 by Gretchen Penny. At that time, she was a new mother getting ready to return back to work after her maternity leave and she found pumping tedious and was looking for something to make it easier. Her idea for Easy Expression Products was born! In 1999 she received her first patent for the Halter design of her hands-free pumping bras and in 2002 she introduced the Bustier style, which quickly became her best-seller. Just like a lot of momtrepreneurs, Gretchen worked out of her home when she started her business. In 2007, her business out-grew her home and she opened an office outside of her home. She is proud to say that all of her products are manufactured in the USA - locally in Houston TX, just a few short blocks from where she lives!

I have been carrying the Easy Expression Bustier and Halter in my boutique since I opened in 2007. A friend of mine exclusively pumped for her baby when my son was little and she had used one. I love them! The styles are great.


The bustier is the most popular because it is the easiest to use. It has a zipper up the front so you just put it around you and your bra and zip it up, insert your breast flanges from your pump (it works with most if not all pumps!) and you are ready to pump – completely hands free! This is one of our most popular styles of hands-free pumping bra. Just last month, Easy Expression Products introduced a new black colored bustier which is fabulous! And they have more colors coming in the coming months!


The halter is great for a few reasons. Firstly, it is very inexpensive, so anyone can afford it. And if you have a larger bust, it is great because it has a halter that goes around your neck and gives added support to hold up those heavy, milk-laden breasts! The only down-side to the halter is that it has to be put on over your head (no zipper) so it is a little bit less convenient. But for moms on a budget or those who need the added support, it is wonderful!!

I pumped and worked until my son was 15 months old and having a hands-free pumping devise was KEY to my success. My son never had to be supplemented and I was able to keep my supply up despite working long hours and traveling for business. I couldn’t have done it without hands-free pumping. If you are a working mom – or even if you just pump a lot, be sure to take a look at my Pumping Tips Article for great pumping and working tips. It also has lots of tips for increasing milk supply – so even if you aren’t pumping at work, take a few minutes to read it over anyway.

As part of our Blogiversary Celebration, Easy Expression Products has offered to give TWO Mommy News & Views readers their choice of hands-free pumping aparatus. You can choose from the bustier or halter style and you can choose which color (bustier only) and size you’d like.

To be entered into this contest please leave a comment on this post which tells us about your funniest breast pumping story! – This is MANDATORY in order to be considered for a prize.

But you don’t want just one chance to win do you? How about a few more! You can enter for extra chances to win one of these bras by doing any of the activities below. Just be sure to come back here and leave us a comment for each one – letting us know which ones you completed.

1) Visit our Pumping and Working Tips Article and tell us which tip helped you the most.
2) Sign up to follow Easy Expression Products on twitter.
3) Sign up to be a fan of A Mother’s Boutique on facebook.
4) Spread the word! Tweet about this post and link back to it – be sure to include @MommyNews in your tweet and a link back to this page, and leave a comment here with a link to your tweet (you can do this once per day during the contest).
5) Spread the word some more! Post about this contest on facebook and tell all of your friends about it!(you can do this once per day during the contest)
6) Don’t have a blog, not on facebook or twitter? No problem, we want you to have extra chances to win too – so go ahead and send an email to any of your pregnant or nursing friends. Be sure to cc: us on your email (blogiversary@mommynewsblog.com) and leave a comment here too! We promise not to add anyone to any mailing lists unless they specifically request to be added.
7) Purchase anything in our Boutique Store - and leave a comment here with the last 4-digits of your order number. You will get 4 extra chances to win for every purchase!

That’s it! Lots of ways to win one of two Easy Expression Hands Free Pumping Bras!! This contest ends 10/23/09 at 5 PM. All entrants will be verified and must complete the mandatory entry before completing the ‘extra’ entries. Invalid entries will be disqualified. This contest is open to people with US-based delivery addresses ONLY. Winner must respond to email within 48 hours or we reserve the right to choose another winner.

Hands Free Pumping Meets Beauty!

Oh What A Relief It Is!

Breast Pumping While Sitting Back?

We just discovered this great new item that allows you to breast pump while sitting back rather than leaning forward! How wonderful is that! If you haven’t pumped before, you might be thinking “Big deal!” – but for those of us who have been tied to a pump for any length of time, I’m sure your with me. Does your back get achy because you are leaning forward to let your milk drip into the bottle? Wouldn’t you love to lean back and relax and still be able to pump?

Well, Pumpin’ Pal has done it! And we have just discovered it!! the Super Shield Plus angled breast shield that not only allows a mom to sit back while pumping, but also reduces the chance that she will develop plugged ducts, mastitis or other complications. Check out these great items from Pumpin’ Pal today!

Have you used any of the items from Pumpin’ Pal? We’d love to hear how you like them – tell us everything – the good and the bad!!