When people ask me what was the hardest thing about having a baby I rarely think of the lack of sleep. Actually, I don’t even remember those sleepless nights. I don’t think of the hundreds of diapers I had to change, the loads of laundry I had to do, or the stress of not knowing enough about raising babies. But I do remember breastfeeding. I look back on it, thinking how much work it was and how much it used to stress me out. I remember the first days in the hospital when my nipples were horribly sore. I constantly complained to the lactation nurse to get me a stronger medication. The baby seemed so little and while she was trying to figure out how the whole sucking process works, I had to learn how to hold her appropriately to help her eat.

I remember trying so hard to make it all fit through the first couple of weeks, until things finally settled down a bit. I tried feverishly to pump and store milk so I don’t have to worry about running out of it once I go back to work. In all honesty, whoever said that breastfeeding comes naturally, seriously lied. For me, breastfeeding was definitely the hardest part of having a child. And yet, for thousands of years women have raised babies, feeding them in the comfort of their breasts. Why did I have such a stressful time with it? Was it because I had a choice?

Well, things didn’t get any better when, after 16 weeks, I had to go back to work. I was determined to breastfeed my baby and was lucky enough to work for a company who supported that decision. But while the company supported it, many of the people I used to work with couldn’t care less. Breastfeeding in the corporate world is quite the challenge. I quickly figured out that if I didn’t come up with a strategy and stick to it, my breastfeeding experience wasn’t going to last very long. And so I did, with the successful outcome that my daughter was breastfed until the age of 8 months. When my son came along, the transition from breastfeeding at home to pumping at the work place was so less stressful, that I could actually call the experience enjoyable and rewarding.

The strategy I developed obviously worked for me. I hope it does for you as well. If you agree that breast milk is the best food for your infant, here are 10 tips to help you make the transition from maternity leave to work as successful and as stress-free as possible. A word of warning, since the blog is supposed to be fairly short, I will not elaborate much on every step. Email me if you would like to see the full 6 page step by step guide and I will send it to you.

A Month Before Your Baby is Born:

1.      Successful return from a maternity leave begins before your baby is even born! This is one of the most critical parts of your strategy. If you know you will be breastfeeding for some period after coming back to work, start by blocking your calendar in advance of your leave.

2.      Know where you will pump when you go back to work.

While On Your Maternity Leave:

3.      Be armed with the best tools in the trade – go for the best pump you can possibly afford. You really should not be trying to cut corners when choosing a pump. The reality is this: if you do not have a pump that will assist you and support you in the collection of milk, you will either spend the money on a second pump that will do a better job or you will quit pumping mainly because your experience will be unpleasant and frustrating.

4.      Have a goal of how long you are aiming to breastfeed. Don’t go back to work without knowing how long you want to pump for.

5.      Prepare for your return by pumping and storing from early on.

6.      Have a support network.

7.      Have some herbal supplements handy to help you fight the battle. As I mentioned earlier, your milk supply will go down once you go back to work. Just about any mom you ask can testify to that one. But there are ways to fight the battle and herbal supplements are one of them. You need to be real careful with those though, because they may cause an allergy to you or your baby. Just like with any other herbal supplements, the majority are not approved by health and medical organizations and they may or may not work for you. Definetely consult a lactation specialist before taking anything, as well as your pediatrician.

8.      Maintain a healthy diet. Continuing to eat your fruits, veggies and milk is just as important when you breastfeed as when you were pregnant. Obviously you can’t wait for the extra weight to fall off you as soon as possible, but now is not the time to be gong on a diet.

Back At Work:

9.      To tell or not to tell. Are you worried that you boss will wonder why in the world are you missing for large chunks of time? The dilemma of whether to tell your boss or not is huge – after all, breastfeeding is very personal. But if this will remove your manager from getting on your case all the time, it might be worth the conversation.

10.  Grab a magazine or a good book. Use the pumping time as an opportunity to relax from the stress

I hope this gives you a great start at returning successfully to work and continuing to breastfeed. Again, email me for the full guide, if you are interested.