If you’re breastfeeding your newborn and returning to work, you may be wondering how you are going to do both. With a little discipline and some planning, breastfeeding after you return to work is a challenge you can overcome.
Josie Kirton, Clinical Nurse Manager and Lactation Consultant at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center has offered some suggestions that are designed to make nursing your child and transitioning back to work easier.
1. Before going back to work, speak with your supervisor about your plans to breastfeed. Discuss different types of schedules, such as starting back part-time at first or taking split shifts.
2. Many Lactation Consultants recommend that breastfeeding moms join a breastfeeding support group to talk with other mothers about breastfeeding after your baby is born and how they transitioned back into the workplace.
3. Jamaica Hospital provides a lactation support program for employees. If your company does not, ask about private areas where you can comfortably and safely express milk. The Affordable Care Act (Health care reform) supports work-based efforts to assist nursing mothers.
4. Ask the lactation program director, your supervisor, wellness program director, employee human resources office, or other co-workers if they know of other women at your company who have breastfed after returning to work.
If you have any questions regarding breastfeeding your baby, you can call Jamaica Hospital’s Lactation Consultant at 718-670 4200 for answers to FAQ’s.
All content of this newsletter is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions on this page. You must never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment based upon any content of this newsletter. PROMPTLY CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN OR CALL 911 IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.