World health experts acknowledge that breastfeeding your baby for at least one year is best. While most women do want to do what is best for their babies, studies report a sharp decline since the 70’s in both the number of women who breastfeed their babies at all and the length of time they do it. As more mothers work full time, breastfeeding baby for an entire year poses quite a challenge. Luckily, there are some innovative and useful new ways to meet this challenge.

Pumping Milk

Many women are wary of pumping and wonder how they’ll ever produce enough milk. However, a woman’s body is amazing – if you increase the demand for milk through pumping, it will be only a matter of days before the breasts supply more milk to meet that demand. Once a routine is established, the breasts will produce the perfect amount of milk that baby needs.

Another great concern for working mothers is pumping milk at their place of employment. Let’s be realistic, you cannot and should not have to pump milk in a bathroom stall – in order to produce milk you must relax. You’ll need a quiet, private area with a chair and electrical outlet. Some employers have pumping rooms for working moms, while others do not. However, almost all 50 states have laws that stipulate women have the right to an adequate space to pump their milk at work. If you feel you need support in approaching your employer about this, contact a breastfeeding advocate, such as La Leche League representative, and you’ll most likely be able to work out a suitable arrangement with your employer.

There is a wide variety of pumps to choose from, and you’ll want to make your selection carefully. Some pumps are designed for stay-at-home or work-at-home moms who are only separated from their baby on occasion. These pumps are usually manual, and only pump one breast at a time. Working moms should splurge a little and buy a double, electric pump with a carrying and storage case. This will allow you to transport everything together and makes milk collection and storage a breeze.

Storing Milk

Once you’ve collected all that milk, you’ll need to know how to store it. In general, the rules are:

• You can store it at room temperature for 4 to 8 hours.
• You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 or 3 days.
• You can store it in the freezer for up to 2 weeks in a freezer compartment located inside the refrigerator or for 3 to 4 months in a freezer that’s self-contained. Also, it’s very important that you never re-freeze milk. Once milk is thawed it must be used within 24 hours.

General Tips

• Preferably before you return to work, pump milk and stock pile it in your freezer. This will give you extra in case you experience a stress-related shortage as many women do near the end of a busy week.
• Pump the most in the morning – your milk supply is greatest at this time.
• Look at a picture of your baby while pumping; this will increase your milk flow.
• Keep milk you’ve pumped at work in a mini cooler, so you make sure it will stay fresh until you get home and get it to baby. Many professional grade pumps come with a cooler case.
• Never microwave your milk – this changes its chemical make up.

To locate the breast pump user’s manual for the model you own, visit the ManualsOnline Library.