When my daughter was only 4 months old I was presented with a career opportunity I'd been working towards for quite a few years.
I was torn between spending every precious moment with my little miracle and achieving a personal goal.
When I decided to take on the role in a freelance capacity I came up with another dilemma..
..
What about breastfeeding! I knew I wasn't ready to give that up, but I couldn't exactly take her to work.
THE BREAST PUMP! (One of the best inventions ever!):- I would suggest investing in an electric breast pump.
Before doing so I asked around friends etc about pumps and while most of them owned a manual one, they also all said they wish they'd bought the electric one.
They do cost about twice as much, but I can say it was a good investment.
My husband tried to talk me out of it, but when I suggested if he was going to help me do it each day, there was no more discussion.
PRACTICE PUMPING:- Before you get back to work - it's important your baby will actually take a bottle, so practice for a few weeks prior.
(Possibly even a month) Pumping can get a little taking used to for you and the baby, so don't rush it - take your time and make sure both of you are happy.
There's no point going back to work when your baby is upset, it'll only stress you and the bubba out.
You also may want to start letting other family members or friends feed the child, so they don't freak out the first day you're not there.
STOCK THE FREEZER:- Some of us don't have as much milk supply as others so start pumping and freezing some milk in the weeks prior to going to work.
This way you won't stress out trying to make sure there's enough for when you're out.
Pumping milk works far better when your body is relaxed!!!!! I used little "Glad" containers to store my milk in the freezer as they also had little markings on them for how many milliliters are in each.
Friends of mine use ice cube trays (make sure they have covers) or some just have heaps of spare bottles, but that can be a bit expensive and I think just makes extra cleaning - and who needs that! APPROACH THE BOSS:- Clearly state to your boss that you will be expressing milk numerous times during the day.
Tell them honestly how long this will take and talk about an appropriate place for you to do this.
It's not exactly nice to sit in a toilet cubicle for half an hour at a time pumping milk, so I advise find another spot if you can - maybe an office where you can lock the door for privacy.
You don't have to, but I found it helpful to tell some close colleagues in my office about my expressing too.
I was surprised to find how many other "career women" had done it before and I also got a few tips for good spots and times to do it in our office.
WEAR APPROPRIATE CLOTHING:- I realized pretty quickly that I had to wear the right clothes.
Even though I was expressing in a locked office I didn't want to put on a whole wardrobe if someone came knocking or needed me urgently.
So wear clothes you can access your breasts easily.
Also REMEMBER to wear your BREAST PADS.
There's nothing more embarrassing than to have a co-worker point out wet patches on your top! MAKE SURE IT'S THE RIGHT DECISION FOR YOU AND YOUR BABY!:- Do all the right preparation and have a go, but if it doesn't work out for you then that's OK! You may love the mental stimulation or extra money being back at work brings you and that's great, but if it stresses you or the baby out then back off and reassess your situation.
There are other options such as introducing formula feeds or negotiating your work hours/situation.
Maybe you could work from home some of the time.
Personally, what I thought was my dream job didn't turn out so perfect in the end, so I ended up starting my own business from home.
I'm glad I had a go, but now I wouldn't have it any other way!