 Luckily, years ago when it was time for me to return to work
following maternity leave, my boss's wife was a nurse and had worked
in labor & delivery and in the infant nursery...and was a
breastfeeding mom herself. So he (my boss) was very open and even
encouraging when the subject came up. But even in positive situations
breastfeeding and pumping can still be a somewhat awkward subject to
bring up at work.
I would suggest just being straight forward, offering as much
information as is needed or desired, but not overloading if the other
person isn't interested in hearing all about breastfeeding. Be
prepared to mention how much healthier babies are who are breastfeed
... but don't 'preach' to an unenthusiastic audience - they may begin
to tune you out.
Have a 'plan' in mind before you bring the subject up, but be
flexible. Be ready to explain how long it should take you to pump, how
often you will need to pump, and how you will schedule this so that it
doesn't take away from your regular work schedule. Such as pumping on
'coffee' breaks, or splitting up your lunch hour to pump twice a day,
or whatever you think would work best for you. If your office allows
cigarette breaks, but you don't smoke, mention that the time you don't
spend (or haven't spent) doing that over the years could probably more
than make up for the time you will spend pumping.
I wouldn't make a big deal of it, unless it proves necessary...just
approach the subject with the attitude that it is your right, that it
won't interfere with the workplace, and that there's not really a
question of not being able to do it.
You'll want to word things so it sounds natural to you - something
like, "I plan to breastfeed my baby, and will need to pump milk
for him twice a day (or three times or however often). This will
probably take about 15 minutes each time, and I'm willing to use my
regular break time to do it. As I get more used to pumping, it'll
probably go even faster."
It may seem odd, but some men seem to be more understanding than women
when it comes to breastfeeding. Maybe they're just too embarrassed to
object? I've found that using the terms 'nursing' instead of
breastfeeding, 'mother's milk' or 'my milk' instead of breastmilk,
'pump' instead of 'breastpump', etc. sometimes helps ease some of the
tension.
Here are a few link to informational and 'inspirational' articles on
working & breastfeeding:
Working Mom's main page
Dr. Jack Newman's
What
to Feed the Baby when the Mother is Working outside the Home
Please note, these are my thoughts and opinions
only. I am not a medical expert. Please use this message as a starting
point for your own information gathering quest ... and consult your
own doctors for specific medical advice.
Best Wishes!
- Elaine
|
Breastfeeding
Working
Mom
