Approaching & Educating Your Employer

You'll need to talk about your plans for continuing to breastfeed with your employer and/or your supervisor before you return to work. You don't want to be desperately looking around for a place to pump on your first day back to work, when your breasts are full and you've just realized that the ladies' lounge has no outlets for plugging in your electric pump.


Develop a plan that you think will work for you--when you will pump, where you will store milk, other special arrangements like being able to visit your baby and nurse during your lunch hour. If you know other women in your workplace who have pumped milk for their babies, talk to them about the problems they encountered and how they solved them.

In putting together your plan, consider the following:

• When will you pump? You will need to pump about as often as your baby nurses, every two to three hours. If you work an eight-hour day, this means pumping at mid-morning, at lunch, and at mid-afternoon. If you pump both breasts at the same time, allow 15 to 20 minutes, 30 minutes if you pump each breast separately. You may have to arrive earlier and stay later to make up for time spent pumping.
• Where will you pump? At your desk? In the ladies' room? Can you borrow an office or use an empty room to pump in privacy? (Hang a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door.) The ladies' lounge is a good place if you like company while you pump--and some moms do). If you work in a hospital or medical center, there may be a pumping room near the newborn nursery or neonatal intensive care unit.
• Some workplaces may have a special lactation lounge for mothers who are pumping milk. If you work for a large company that employs many women of child- bearing age, you may be able to convince your employer of the need for a corporate lactation program, which might include a room set aside for pumping, hospital-grade pumps, and milk storage facilities, along with information and support for breastfeeding mothers.
• Ideally, the place where you pump will have an electrical outlet, so that you can use an electric pump, if that is your choice, and a sink to rinse off the parts of the pump that come in contact with your milk. You'll need a comfortable chair and a table for your equipment, your lunch, or any paperwork you might want to look at while you're pumping.
• Where will you store the milk? A refrigerator where you can store expressed milk is handy, though you can substitute ice packs and a cooler.

Present your plan to your employer and ask for support and problem-solving help where you need it. Even though it's wise to begin with a plan, be flexible enough to make the necessary on- the-job changes. Keep in mind your motto: because you know that breastfeeding makes a difference, you will find a way.