Any advice for continuing to breastfeed while working as a nurse?

RN1982 · Aug 7, 2008

Most hospitals should have a room where nursing mothers can pump their breasts. I know that the hospital where I used to work had one. Maybe you can pump in the bathroom and store it in small containers in a thermos lunch bag in the refridgerator in the employee breakroom? Just a possibility. Have you started pumping and storing milk?

RN1982 · Aug 7, 2008

From what I've read milk is more plentiful in the morning when you get up, so feed the baby and pump before work.

clairebearrn · Aug 7, 2008

Hi. First of all congrats! (ou should be proud of yourself. It is completely possible and your work should provide you a place to pump. I worked while breastfeeding...sometimes 8, 12 and 16 hour shifts. I pumped at 9, 12 and 4 (when working 12 hours). I pumped in a bathroom at work..in the 8th floor (it was all lonely...and scary but private!). I split my one hour break into two. At 9 I would pump for 15 minutes and at 12 I would pump for thirty minutes. I would also eat while pumping. Make sure you have a good pump, a medela pump in style, which allows you to pump in less time. Any questions please feel free to pm me! Good luck and congrats...

ps. for those when it is busy...just take at least a five minute break and run to the bathroom and pump for the five minutes so you're supply doesn't go down! :)

kiszi, RN · Aug 7, 2008

You may need to pump pretty frequently at first to get a good supply. But in time, you may find you're making more than enough. I work 8 hour shifts and have a 6 month old. I used to get to work early, pump before my shift, and once more on my lunch break. I would occasionally pump before bed as well. I was making more than enough milk to give him breastmilk exclusively for the first 3 months or so. Recently I stopped pumping at work and only pump once a day before leaving for work, unless my little one wakes up early to feed. :wink2:.

We supplement with formula and the boy's eating a lot of solids now, but he still nurses at least once a day. Remember, some breastmilk is better than none! Good luck with your new job, I hope everything works out ok!

:heartbeat

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Aug 7, 2008

Woot for you for breastfeeding your baby!!

One trick you might try is starting now (or soon, anyway) pump one breast while feeding baby on the other. It may take a day or two but your body will soon get the idea to pump up the production, as it's a supply/demand thing. By the time it's time for you to start work, you'll be comfortable with the pump, your body will be producing lots of milk, and you'll have a supply built up. All good things.

You might give the manager a call and ask how other employees have managed taking breaks to pump. Lots of hospitals have a pumping room, or if there's an empty patient room, you may be able to use it. If you don't want to call the nurse manager, you might see if the hospital has a lactation consultant (if they have OB service, they probably have an LC) for some guidelines on pumping at that particular place. When I was nursing my son, our LC hooked me up with equipment for our hospital pumps so I could leave mine at home.

Last, please don't beat yourself up if you find it's not working for you for whatever reason. I reached a point (postpartum depression played a part, I'm sure) where I valued myself on any given day according to how much milk I produced. That's not healthy, and please don't fall into that trap. You are not your milk supply. You are doing the best for your baby now, and if it ends up that you for whatever reason have to supplement w/ formula, that does not make you a bad mother!!

Sorry for that sermon. Congratulations on graduation, and wishing you the best in your new job as well as with your new baby. :)

northshore08 · Aug 7, 2008

Reaching back 10 years....I was working 12hrs in ED when I had my son.

We had a room in L&D we could use, and the floor would let you use one of their medela pumps. (I bought my own pump attachments.) For once in my life, I really used my 15 minute allotted AM and PM breaks along with my 30 min lunch to pump. I breast fed for about 3 months before the supply really began to dwindle. I tried to time it regularly, but it was not easy to do with our patient load.

I believe my biggest problem was not drinking enough fluids. Hands down, I think if I had been more consistent with fluid intake, I would have been better off.

proudmommy2 · Aug 8, 2008

Thank you for all your suggestions, advice, and sharing your personal experiences! :nurse:

ShellyNC · Aug 8, 2008

Hi, I currently pump at work for my 7 month old son. I work in a Nursing home. I use any empty patient room that is available. Providing it has been cleaned and sanitized. I bring my own towel and I use a disposable pad which my pump sits on. I have a Pump in Style so I store the my breast milk in the cooler. It works out great. However I have been walked in on a few times. They end up more embarrassed than me though. I am very busy most of the time. But I make sure I take my breaks, even if it's just to pump and eat a snack. On occassion i don't get a chance to pump but not often. My supply is good so one missed pumping doesn't affect it. I plan on pumping until he is one. Afterwards i will just nurse when he wants.

I pumped with my daughter also and used empty offices when available but usually ended up in the bathroom, I learned alot from that. I now stand up and make sure I take my breaks in a more sanitary place and everyone knows why. I don't get any slack about it.

Good luck and bless your babe and your pump! :yeah:

NurseyBaby'05, BSN, RN · Aug 8, 2008

Ditto what one of the above posters said about remaining hydrated. That's of major importance.

Take your breaks. If you would get flack, keep in mind that smokers always seem to get their smoke breaks, so don't feel bad.

I always used to chart while I pumped. That way I was "working" and was still able to use my lunch break for eating. It also forced me to sit down and chart; which I'm ordinarily pretty bad about.

Sometimes if I hadn't been able to pump enough during the week, dh would bring ds one time during a 12 hour shift and I would nurse him in an empty conference room. We only live about 10-15 min away. It would stretch whatever I had pumped.

That brings me to my last point. After the you and the baby have a decent handle on nursing, start pumping right away. If you can squeeze one pumping session a day for the last three to four weeks of your leave, your frozen supply should have a great start. You may not get a lot at first, but that's okay. My bf hounded me and hounded me and I should have listened to her. Learn from my mistake.

Good-luck. It's certainly doable. If I could do it and I hated pumping, anyone can.

Congrats on the baby, by the way. :bby:

PICNICRN, BSN, RN · Aug 8, 2008

Don't forget to go to your OB unit or NICU and ask them if you can come to their unit and pump! We have a few pumping rooms and we meet lots of mommies from other units who come to use the pump rooms. Nice and quite, dimly lit, even music.... very relaxing and sure beats the toilet!

oh and CONGRATS on the new baby!!!

Bree124, BSN, RN · Aug 8, 2008

I started back to work when my youngest was 5 weeks old, and managed to EBF and pump for 9 months while working 12 hour shifts (although not in nursing). I did catch some flack from my manager when I would say I needed to take a break (they were truly horribly about breaks), and usually would only be able to get away once per shift to pump. I would be reeeeally sore by the time I headed home, but I would nurse the baby for as long as he wanted to nurse and usually started feeling better.

I usually pumped in the bathroom while eating my lunch. (gross, right?)

Good luck! You totally can do it!