After maternity leave, returning to work is a huge transition for new moms. Add in pumping and it can feel so overwhelming. Now that I’ve returned to work twice and pumped at work for over 10 months between the two kids, I want to share my top pumping at work tips to help with the returning to work transition.
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1. Know your rights.
Returning to work is already so stressful – and then plus pumping is another layer that is difficult to manage. Make sure that you know your rights when returning to work as a pumping parent. And advocate for yourself. You are protected!
Even looking at this link, I realized that some of my rights weren’t protected, but I didn’t even think about it – like ensuring I wouldn’t be interrupted while pumping. The concern I had of a student knocking on my classroom door was HIGH.
2. Pack your bag every evening.
If you’re able to, pack your bag every night before going to bed. This can be a little difficult when you get home and have to wash and dry your pump parts. But it is so nice to not have to get everything together the morning of! Especially if you had a difficult night and you aren’t fully woken up. I have forgotten parts or just my whole pump at home before – Woops! Which leads us to the next pumping at work tip…
3. Have extra parts at work.
Have extra parts and ice packs at work, just in case they get forgotten in packing up! If there’s one pumping at work tip you take from this list, it should be this one!
4. Have a massager/heat pack.
This was a lifesaver especially at the beginning of pumping at work! My pumping schedule as a teacher resulted in me pumping fewer times than my son was eating at the time, so I would get engorged pretty easily. However, bring this massager during my pumping sessions helped so much! Then getting home, feeding him, and using these heat pads relieved so much pain in those first few weeks back to work!
5. Stay hydrated.
Like always, hydration is key! Whenever I noticed my pumping amount dropping, the first thing I focused on was upping my water intake. And boom – next day – much better pump yield!
If you have a low water day, I’ve found that having an IV hydrator that night really gets my body back on track with my hydration – as a teacher, I like the immune support ones so I can take care of two things at once!
6. Bring clothes or blankets that smell like baby.
It’s totally true that having the scent of your baby triggers your body to have a let down! So bring a onesie or blanket that smells like them (and hopefully not spit up or poop!)
7. Look at the cute videos!
Along with the smell, watching videos of your baby or looking at those adorable pictures you took last night also help too! On top of being an easy pumping at work tip, it also helps you if you’re missing baby tons!
8. You don’t have to wash after each pump.
Honestly, the worst part of pumping for me is washing the parts. Despise it. But after each pump at work, I just wiped down my parts with these wipes and then fully washed when I got home. This way, milk wasn’t dropping everywhere and I want spending time at work doing something I strongly disliked doing lol.
9. Wear a pumping bra!!
This might be obvious, but when I started pumping at work, I made the mistake of wearing a regular bra because I thought “I don’t need to pop them out at work, so I can wear a regular one.” Uhm, needed to pop them out to pump – doi. After that one day, I learned quick. I highly recommend investing in a pumping bra as it just helps to have one dedicated to holding the flanges so you can be handsfree to look at the pictures and videos 😉
10. Make sure your clothes are easy access.
Along with a pumping bra, also make sure your clothes provide easy access as well!
11. Relax and don’t rush.
One of the most common things that will hurt your supply is stress. So make sure that when you’re pumping at work, relax, breathe, and don’t rush yourself. You can’t rush nature. As you get the logistics down, make sure you make pumping a break where you aren’t leaving super tense!
