work and pump - making it all work...

Written by Kirsten Berggren (PhD, fab scientist and pumping babe!) for us babes,– check out her website : www.workandpump.com - thanks Kirsten!

Kirstens Top FAQs on going back to work:

1.How can I tell my boss I’ll need pumping breaks when I come back?

First, the facts: when employers support breastfeeding mums, they save money. Yes, you’re taking breaks all day for about a year, but here’s what your boss gets: you and your baby cost less in health insurance –you miss less work – because your baby is healthier. You are a better employee – because you feel supported by your boss, and are (statistically, anyway) less likely to quit. So – go into the conversation with these facts in mind. You don’t have to rattle them off, but just knowing that you help the company’s bottom line by breastfeeding can help you feel better about asking.

2.Second, know the law that protects you.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2004/en/si/0654.html

-a copy of this legislation dropped in your boss’ box may be enough! But when it comes down to it, just ask for what you need. A private (non-bathroom) space and a few breaks each day. You can say you need to “express milk to feed the baby” if you don’t care to have your boss and the word “breast” in the same room. Tell your boss it’s a limited time benefit that’s being supported by more and more companies.

3.How much milk do I need to leave for my baby?

It depends. An average baby between the ages of 1 and 6 months takes in about 25 ounces per day. But remember, “average” means some take more, some less, but one ounce per hour is a reasonable starting point. Factor in the time your baby is sleeping and not eating at night, and usually about 12-15 ounces is more than enough for a 9 hour separation. Let your baby help figure it out – the end of a feeding should be determined by the baby, not the amount of milk left in the bottle. And really, the daily amount doesn’t change in the first 6 months – it just seems like it because they sleep longer at night, so need to eat more when they’re awake.

4.How can my childcare provider support my breastfeeding?

Easy, don’t overfeed the kid! If your baby is fed too much while you’re gone, that’s more milk you have to pump or express.

Give them this fabulous handout http://www.ncsl.org/IssuesResearch/Health/BreastfeedingLaws/tabid/14389/Default.aspx from the Australian breastfeeding association – it explains how to pace (i.e. slow down) feedings, and has lots of breastfeeding-supportive information – written just for child care providers.

5.What’s the best kind of bottle for a breastfeeding baby?

Depends on the baby, there’s no one best choice. Go with the one that they’ll accept, but not drink too quickly from. The most important thing is to stick with the lowest flow nipples you can buy. Why? Because if feeding from the bottle is too easy, your baby may begin to prefer the bottle. He may also overeat while you’re away – meaning more pumping and less nursing time for you – not a good deal. Chances are, your baby will be ready for a sippy cup when you go back to work so this is an option too.

6.How often do I need to pump at work?

Again, it depends. The average is every three hours. But some women can store a large amount of milk in their breasts and may be able to pump only twice a day and express all they need. Others can store smaller amounts, and need to pump more often. However, in both cases, these two things are true – when breasts are full of milk, they tell your body to stop making so much. And, when breasts are empty, they make milk much faster. So, frequently emptying them is the best way to make more.

Her book is available on

http://www.ibreastfeeding.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=61

Summertime boobs

Wondering how youre going to get this feeding thing in public sorted now that half of our lovely little islands nation have stripped down in this heat??

Concerns like pools and leakage, family BBQs, trips to the park and going for a morning jog can have many modest babe cooped up in their home for the whole season. This is not only completely unnecessary, but wasteful! There is no reason to sit out the summer because being in public and breastfeeding are compatible. Promise!

Let's start with the family / friend gatherings and inevitable barbecues. If you are new to breastfeeding in public this is absolutely perfect. Your first time is surrounded by friends and family. Once you are a pro feeding babe you will look back and laugh at how awkward you felt feeding your baby outdoors.

tip for a newly feeding babe at a party in the summer - bring a sling so you can feed sitting on the ground or even standing up - seats tend to be at a premium and you dont really want to collapse on a deck chair while feeding (ok maybe that's just a phobia I have !!)

If the thought of feeding around people still makes you a little uneasy start smaller.

Grab a magazine, a cuppa, your sunnies, a shade, go into your garden this beautiful morning, breathe in that fresh air, breastfeed your little one and listen to the birds sing. That is peace and love, babe.

Relish it. See? A breeze.. we told you!

So now you have the outdoors mastered and are loving it - how about that upcoming holiday - pools and beaches, bikinis,.... hmmm. This setting can be downright terrifying, especially for the newbie. Not only do you worry about modesty options as you eye up your string bikini, but you worry how the hell the breastpads are gonna get in there...

Just remember one thing for starters..people who are out on a beach or at a pool are really not paying attention to you.

You probably feel like a huge spotlight beams directly down on you everytime you go to feed in public, while everybody holds their breath and stares, absolutely appalled at what you are about to do. In reality, the insecurity is yours! it smost likely that nobody around you will notice or care. When you relax, you feel less self conscious and you'll soon notice no-one even notices. Oh, and did I mention the virtues of a string bikini? easy peasy for feeding! So if you are of the small breasted variety of babe, youre sorted. PLUS, breastmilk doesnt make a big stain on a bikini like it does on clothes, so who needs a nursing pad, right?

So when you are at the pool or beach, garden barbecue. wherever you may find yourself in this lovely weather... nurse with pride and if somebody happens to notice all the better. You are helping change our culture for the better. And don't worry about the leakage, you won't be swimming around with a streak of milk in your wake, I swear.

Nursing in the summertime is beautiful, convenient and healthy. You don't have to carry around formula, bottles and sterile water. Food for your baby is always ready, always the perfect temperature and always perfectly mixed. And all this with zero clean up required. So enjoy your summer of breastfeeding babe, a whole world of lovliness awaits you!

And then..........

The objective was to get the baby latched on and feeding within the first hour – we had read this was the best time to start breastfeeding, baby alert and one plus one equals two. Some babies do not want to nurse in this first hour. A couple of my sons were not interested. I would try and latch them on and they would just not oblige. This doesn’t mean anything. It just means they are not ready to do this.
Imagine you are suddenly placed on a new and bright planet. You need time to acclimatise, squint around and work out what is going on in this new and loud place.
Your baby is the same! A small human being. I have always found that keeping that trying to keep the lines of communication (yes babies do communicate with their bodies) helps us as mothers to understand the cues.
The size factor is always an interesting one, after our baby has arrived we keep looking at them and wondering how that baby was inside us. Then we look down at what was just a pregnant body, look at the slightly (or more than slightly) less than taught remains and loose our body image all over again.
As with any part of our body, it takes a while to go down! Keep up the positive body image – your body is natures best piece of engineering and design.

In The Beginning................

Every woman has different expectations of labor and birth. No matter what choices you make or what beliefs you have – your baby will be born. Again, there are loads of books about birth so choose the ones that suit you and take out of them what you will. Never feel judged by others’ experiences as yours’ are unique to you.
As the post birth hormones flow through our newly mothered body a lot of primary stuff happens.
The first feeling from a primary perspective is SHOCK. Birth is a trauma which I will define as a life changing experience.
The next item on the agenda is imprinting. I watched with fascination a wildlife programme about zebras, they all looked the same from a striped perspective to me. The narrator then explained that after birth a mother zebra physically shields her baby from the rest of the herd so it can imprint her markings in its brain. WOW.
Well that’s what we want to do too. We check out our baby for the required amount of fingers and toes (yes we do!) and then need some quiet time to imprint. This is my baby, I am your mother. I remember many years ago being told my baby would know my smell so I went off and stocked up on peach smelling products as I wanted him to know that smell – silly me didn’t realise it was my own smell not that of the deodorant I used! Ah well, I lived and learned.
Some mothers, after birth, need some time and space to get to grips with the reality of what they have just experienced.
We have been told that we are supposed to feel immediate love and bonding. Some do but just as many do not. This doesn’t mean that there is anything psychiatrically or psychologically wrong I promise. Its getting over the numbing shock of what you have just experienced. Just look, count those fingers and toes, and very importantly touch. We can see with our fingers and grow love towards our new baby with our hands. The skin is a very important neurological receptor.
Our usually alert new born is a great starting point for our journey through motherhood. Some look upon their baby as gorgeous, others do not. You don’t have to look at your baby and say he is beautiful, you can look at your baby and say he’s mine! Or he’s ours!

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