Breastfeeding Success is a Matter of Planning and Preparation

SIOUX FALLS (March 1, 2010) - If you're pregnant and plan to be a working mom, you'll soon have two full-time jobs. You need to give 100 percent on the job, yet you want to do all the right things for your baby.

One of those "right things" is breastfeeding. "Most women today know that breast milk is best for their babies," said Kathy English, board certified lactation consultant with the Avera Breastfeeding Center at Avera McKennan. "Most new moms want to breastfeed, but they often don't see how they can do it."

Plenty of research shows the value of breastfeeding. Breastfed babies get fewer colds or respiratory infections like RSV, as well as fewer episodes of upset stomach or diarrhea. It's impossible for babies to be allergic to breast milk as opposed to formula. Breastfeeding delivers lifelong health benefits such as a decrease in childhood cancers, diabetes and obesity. Breastfed babies also have optimal brain development and increased IQ scores. Plus, breastfeeding saves over $1,000 a year in formula costs alone, let alone saved medical expenses. For mothers, breastfeeding burns calories so it's easier to lose pregnancy weight gain, and decreases cancer risks. It also provides you with a unique bonding experience with your baby that no one else can enjoy.

Pediatricians recommend breastfeeding for the first year of life, yet 80 percent of new moms in South Dakota return to work. Breastfeeding as a working mom is not difficult - it just takes more planning, preparation and know-how in order to be successful, English said.

The best time to plan for breastfeeding is when you're pregnant, English said. Start by taking a breastfeeding class, preferably along with your partner. Find out if your employer is supportive, and if there is a clean, private room where you can pump milk at work. Find a daycare provider who's supportive of breastfeeding. "Start building a support network, and putting the pieces together when you're still pregnant, so you can feel empowered to carry through with your decision," English said.

Once your baby is born, spend the first week just enjoying your baby and learning to breastfeed. Let the baby drive his or her own feeding schedule, and breastfeed whenever your baby wants to eat. Take things one day at a time. "Your baby at birth is not the same baby you'll have at six weeks," English said. It's easy to get discouraged early on, especially with shifting hormones, lack of sleep, physical recovery after childbirth - and lots of advice from people who mean well, but may lack current knowledge about breastfeeding.

After a week, you can begin pumping breast milk. You'll need a hospital-grade pump that mimics a baby as closely as possible in cycles and suction. Any other type won't be sufficient for working mothers, English said. Hospital-grade pumps can be purchased or rented, but the cost is still significantly lower than formula.

Usually, a week-old baby eats on one breast and is full, so you can feed and then pump from the other side, and start building a reserve of milk in the freezer. "We call it money in the bank," English said. Pumping after your baby has eaten will encourage more milk production.

Wait until the baby is about three weeks old until introducing a bottle of expressed breast milk. Have dad or grandma give the baby a bottle, so he gets used to someone else feeding him with a bottle. Then, after going back to work, it's a matter of pumping milk at work at the times your baby would ordinarily feed, and storing it properly.

"Reverse cycling" is common in breastfed babies. They may develop a pattern of eating very little as daycare, and take in most of their calories when they're with mom.

"Over and over again, we've heard working mothers say that it's worth it to breastfeed," English said. For one thing, it gives you a connection to your baby while at work. "It's not easy to go back to work and leave your new baby with someone else," she said. "Working mothers who breastfeed can know that they're doing something for their baby that no one else can do. It's a gift you can give your baby that lasts a lifetime."

To learn more, go to www.AveraWomens.org and click on Pregnancy and Birth.