Breastfeeding and back to work [Archive]

Elaine

October 2nd 03, 10:27 PM

Ok, I'm 13ish weeks pregnant with my first, so I might just
be borrowing trouble here... I'm applying for (and have a
decent chance of getting) a full time job. Currently I work
part time, and our plan had been for me to essentially stop
working when the baby was born.

Taking this job would mean going back to work fairly soon
after the birth. 6 weeks is standard maternity leave, although
I could take an additional 6 weeks of FMLA, or 12 weeks of
halftime FMLA.

The job would be good for me in many ways, but I have some
concerns.

1) My baby needs to recieve nothing other than breastmilk,
straight from the tap or EBM, for at least the first 6 months.
Formula of any kind is pretty much strictly forbidden. My
husband and I both have pretty severe reactions to dairy
and soy.

2) My baby deserves an extended breastfeeding relationship,
and I am currently unwilling to do anything that would
artificially shorten that relationship. The ideal would
be at least 3 years.

So my question is, how much damage am I likely to do to
my milk supply and to the breastfeeding relationship if
I decide to take this job, and return to work either
full time at 12 weeks or half time at 6 weeks?

I would be able to pump as needed in the office, and
I would be able to visit the baby a few times during
the day, but each visit would take about 30 minutes
of travel time.

Elaine

Circe

October 2nd 03, 10:36 PM

"Elaine" > wrote in message
...
> So my question is, how much damage am I likely to do to
> my milk supply and to the breastfeeding relationship if
> I decide to take this job, and return to work either
> full time at 12 weeks or half time at 6 weeks?
>
FWIW, I returned to work part-time at 6-8 weeks post-partum with my first
two and then ramped up to full-time by about 12-18 weeks. Neither of them
received a drop of formula. The first was weaned at 3y2m, the second at
2y3m, and I actually tandem nursed them for 14 months. I had no milk supply
problems whatsoever with pumping for #2 because I was tandemming during the
time I pumped and so had more supply than I really needed for the baby. It
was a bit trickier with #1, especially at around the 9 month mark when I
seemed to develop some pump resistance. I learned I had to pump first thing
in the morning and once at work instead of twice at work to get enough for
him. Weird, but it worked.

That said, there aren't any guarantees. I seem to respond well to the breast
pump, but some women don't even when they have a more than adequate supply.
There's no reason to believe, absent additional information, that you won't
be able to provide your baby with plenty of EBM, but it's certainly harder
to WOH and pump than to be home and just nurse on demand. That's not an
argument against working, though, just a fact. (With #3, I became a
full-time work-at-home mom, and it was a whole heck of a lot nicer than
having to schlep and pump.)

Good luck and HTH!
--
Be well, Barbara
(Julian [6], Aurora [4], and Vernon's [18mo] mom)

This week's special at the English Language Butcher Shop:
"She rose her eyebrows at Toby" -- from "O' Artful Death", by Sarah Stewart
Taylor

Daddy: You're up with the chickens this morning.
Aurora: No, I'm up with my dolls!

All opinions expressed in this post are well-reasoned and insightful.
Needless to say, they are not those of my Internet Service Provider, its
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fight. -- with apologies to Michael Feldman

Larry McMahan

October 3rd 03, 12:31 AM

I would think that you would have a pretty decent chance
if you were able to wait until 12 weeks before going back
to work. I also think it would be even better on you
if you could nurse, say on you lunch break.

Good luck,
Larry

Elaine > writes:
: Ok, I'm 13ish weeks pregnant with my first, so I might just
: be borrowing trouble here... I'm applying for (and have a
: decent chance of getting) a full time job. Currently I work
: part time, and our plan had been for me to essentially stop
: working when the baby was born.

: Taking this job would mean going back to work fairly soon
: after the birth. 6 weeks is standard maternity leave, although
: I could take an additional 6 weeks of FMLA, or 12 weeks of
: halftime FMLA.

: The job would be good for me in many ways, but I have some
: concerns.

: 1) My baby needs to recieve nothing other than breastmilk,
: straight from the tap or EBM, for at least the first 6 months.
: Formula of any kind is pretty much strictly forbidden. My
: husband and I both have pretty severe reactions to dairy
: and soy.

: 2) My baby deserves an extended breastfeeding relationship,
: and I am currently unwilling to do anything that would
: artificially shorten that relationship. The ideal would
: be at least 3 years.

: So my question is, how much damage am I likely to do to
: my milk supply and to the breastfeeding relationship if
: I decide to take this job, and return to work either
: full time at 12 weeks or half time at 6 weeks?

: I would be able to pump as needed in the office, and
: I would be able to visit the baby a few times during
: the day, but each visit would take about 30 minutes
: of travel time.

: Elaine

Elaine

October 3rd 03, 04:07 AM

In article <OS0fb.4966$hp5.283@fed1read04>, Circe wrote:
> Good luck and HTH!

Yes, that helps immensely. I think I just needed some confirmation
that it can be done. I don't expect it to be easy, but frankly,
I don't expect breastfeeding to be easy, or working full time
with an infant in the house to be easy. I'm just shooting for
possible. When the time comes we'll figure out if I do better
working or at home.

Thanks again.

Elaine

Elaine

October 3rd 03, 04:16 AM

In article >, Larry McMahan wrote:
> I would think that you would have a pretty decent chance
> if you were able to wait until 12 weeks before going back
> to work. I also think it would be even better on you
> if you could nurse, say on you lunch break.

I assumed that visit implied nurse, but yes - nursing at
lunch would be easy, and I could probably squeeze in once
or twice in addition to that, although the timing would
need to vary some. In a pinch (out of EBM or similar) I
could go over at essentially any time to nurse. My hope is
that my baby would learn to spread out daily feeding some,
and feed more at night. Fewer bottles, less pumping, more
skin to skin contact.

12 weeks is pretty unlikely. I suspect it will be 6-8 weeks
home full time, then 4-6 weeks half time, then full time.
That leaves me 2 more weeks of leave for days when kidlet
really needs me *there* for one reason or another.

Elaine

Irene

October 3rd 03, 02:25 PM

Elaine > wrote in message >...
> In article >, Larry McMahan wrote:
> > I would think that you would have a pretty decent chance
> > if you were able to wait until 12 weeks before going back
> > to work. I also think it would be even better on you
> > if you could nurse, say on you lunch break.
>
> I assumed that visit implied nurse, but yes - nursing at
> lunch would be easy, and I could probably squeeze in once
> or twice in addition to that, although the timing would
> need to vary some. In a pinch (out of EBM or similar) I
> could go over at essentially any time to nurse. My hope is
> that my baby would learn to spread out daily feeding some,
> and feed more at night. Fewer bottles, less pumping, more
> skin to skin contact.
>
> 12 weeks is pretty unlikely. I suspect it will be 6-8 weeks
> home full time, then 4-6 weeks half time, then full time.
> That leaves me 2 more weeks of leave for days when kidlet
> really needs me *there* for one reason or another.
>
> Elaine

You've gotten some pretty good advice so far, but I'll add that since
you are thinking of going back to work early, you'll want to start
pumping relatively early too (maybe 3 weeks post-partum?) to help
build up your stash.

(I started 2 days/week at 8 weeks, though had ds in the office with me
for the first two weeks, since I hadn't set up daycare yet. Went to 3
days/week at about 6 months, then 4 days/week at about 18 months.)

Good luck! And of course, the issues will become clearer once the
baby is here - keep hanging around here and you'll be much better
prepared, but also be prepared for lots of new questions once the baby
is here.

Irene
mom to Thomas 7/01 (still bf)
#2 EDD April 04 (similar to you!)

Mary W.

October 3rd 03, 03:03 PM

Elaine wrote:

> 2) My baby deserves an extended breastfeeding relationship,
> and I am currently unwilling to do anything that would
> artificially shorten that relationship. The ideal would
> be at least 3 years.
>
> So my question is, how much damage am I likely to do to
> my milk supply and to the breastfeeding relationship if
> I decide to take this job, and return to work either
> full time at 12 weeks or half time at 6 weeks?

FWIW, I went back to work full time at 12 weeks. I respond
great to a pump, and had an ample supply. I had no trouble
(except that DD hated the bottle, which led to alot of night
nursing). She nursed until 26 months, and I strongly encouraged
her weaning.

> I would be able to pump as needed in the office, and
> I would be able to visit the baby a few times during
> the day, but each visit would take about 30 minutes
> of travel time.

I never did this, although some women do it very successfully.
Me leaving was always really hard on DD, so I wanted to
keep that to once a day (and still is, so I never visit her
at daycare unless I'm willing to bring her with me when I
leave!). Plus the time it would have taken for me to get
home, nurse her and get back to work would have had
to be made up at the end of the day. I preferred getting out
of work at a decent hour. You'll figure out what works
best for you and if you don't respond to the pump well
you may need daytime feedings to keep up your supply.

You'll likely do best with a double electric pump (The
purely yours or the pump in style are good bets
although there are other pumps out there). The pumpmoms
yahoo group is a great resource.

Good luck!

Mary

Irrational Number

October 4th 03, 05:32 AM

Elaine wrote:
>
> So my question is, how much damage am I likely to do to
> my milk supply and to the breastfeeding relationship if
> I decide to take this job, and return to work either
> full time at 12 weeks or half time at 6 weeks?

I returned to work full time at 12 weeks and so far
it's worked out very well.

> I would be able to pump as needed in the office, and
> I would be able to visit the baby a few times during
> the day, but each visit would take about 30 minutes
> of travel time.

I pump 5 times a day (leave home at 6:45 am, pump
every even hour, leave work at 4:30 pm, get home
at 5:30 pm). I get about 20 oz. in those 5 times.
Pillbug drinks 17 oz. a day via the bottle by nanny,
so I can freeze some extra milk, too.

Nursing during the day is not practical for me. Pillbug
nurses twice in the evening, twice at night, then a
final time around 5 or 6 am before I go to work.

It's only been 3 weeks so far, but I think it's
working well. I'll be popping my head in, so you
can follow my progress as the months go by. ;)

-- Anita --
Pillbug, 4 months in 8 days!

--
SUCCESS FOUR FLIGHTS THURSDAY MORNING ALL AGAINST
TWENTY ONE MILE WIND STARTED FROM LEVEL WITH ENGINE
POWER ALONE AVERAGE SPEED THROUGH AIR THIRTY ONE
MILES LONGEST 57 SECONDS INFORM PRESS HOME CHRISTMAS.

October 4th 03, 10:49 AM

Elaine,

It is hard to say. If you have a hard time with bf like I do then
working while bf in the first 3 months is impossible. My baby was
just about glued on for the first 3 months. Plus, some people cannot
pump enough to work full time without using supplement, so it's really
hard to say if this can work the way you'd like it to or not.

You could always take the job hoping it will work out and quit if it
doesn't.

I had to go back to work at 9 weeks with my first, and milk supply is
not the only reason you don't want to go back to work. It is hard to
leave a baby.

KC -
Buy, rent or rent-to-own a Whittlestone Breast Expresser at:
http://www.alittlestore.com

Elaine > wrote in message >...
> Ok, I'm 13ish weeks pregnant with my first, so I might just
> be borrowing trouble here... I'm applying for (and have a
> decent chance of getting) a full time job. Currently I work
> part time, and our plan had been for me to essentially stop
> working when the baby was born.
>
> Taking this job would mean going back to work fairly soon
> after the birth. 6 weeks is standard maternity leave, although
> I could take an additional 6 weeks of FMLA, or 12 weeks of
> halftime FMLA.
>
> The job would be good for me in many ways, but I have some
> concerns.
>
> 1) My baby needs to recieve nothing other than breastmilk,
> straight from the tap or EBM, for at least the first 6 months.
> Formula of any kind is pretty much strictly forbidden. My
> husband and I both have pretty severe reactions to dairy
> and soy.
>
> 2) My baby deserves an extended breastfeeding relationship,
> and I am currently unwilling to do anything that would
> artificially shorten that relationship. The ideal would
> be at least 3 years.
>
> So my question is, how much damage am I likely to do to
> my milk supply and to the breastfeeding relationship if
> I decide to take this job, and return to work either
> full time at 12 weeks or half time at 6 weeks?
>
> I would be able to pump as needed in the office, and
> I would be able to visit the baby a few times during
> the day, but each visit would take about 30 minutes

> of travel time.
>
>
> Elaine

Shannon and Joe

October 4th 03, 05:53 PM

I returned to work part-time at 12 weeks post partum, and switched to full
time later on. My DS never had a drop of formula. If you can start back
part time, then graduate up to full, it would probably be easier on you.

I found that pumping less often got me more milk, but I know other people
have the opposite reaction, so experiment to see what goes best. Make sure
you have a really good double pump - I used a Medela Lactina that I left in
the office, just bringing back and forth the horns and hoses.

Begin pumping a few weeks before you go back to build up a freezer stash.
Don't start bottles too soon, so you don't sabotage your supply. We started
bottles at 10 weeks, to get him used to being bottle fed at daycare. Expect
a bottle strike, so it doesn't surprise you. Be prepared to try everything.
We thought the Avent system would be so great, until DS didn't like the
nipples. We ended up with Nuk orthodontic.

Your would-be workplace sounds pretty pumping friendly - that's a plus!

As for visiting to nurse, I thought of doing that, but my departure were
really hard on DS, so it was actually more peaceful not to. We made up for
it at home. Make sure your partner or spouse is as committed to this as you
are, so you're getting the proper support at home.

Repeat to yourself daily - I can do this, I can do this, I can do this!

Best of luck, and don't feel shy about hanging out here. There's lots of
help to be had!

Shannon and Joseph 11-15-99, weaned about 9-2003.

"Elaine" > wrote in message
...
> Ok, I'm 13ish weeks pregnant with my first, so I might just
> be borrowing trouble here... I'm applying for (and have a
> decent chance of getting) a full time job. Currently I work
> part time, and our plan had been for me to essentially stop
> working when the baby was born.
>
> Taking this job would mean going back to work fairly soon
> after the birth. 6 weeks is standard maternity leave, although
> I could take an additional 6 weeks of FMLA, or 12 weeks of
> halftime FMLA.
>
> The job would be good for me in many ways, but I have some
> concerns.
>
> 1) My baby needs to recieve nothing other than breastmilk,
> straight from the tap or EBM, for at least the first 6 months.
> Formula of any kind is pretty much strictly forbidden. My
> husband and I both have pretty severe reactions to dairy
> and soy.
>
> 2) My baby deserves an extended breastfeeding relationship,
> and I am currently unwilling to do anything that would
> artificially shorten that relationship. The ideal would
> be at least 3 years.
>
> So my question is, how much damage am I likely to do to
> my milk supply and to the breastfeeding relationship if
> I decide to take this job, and return to work either
> full time at 12 weeks or half time at 6 weeks?
>
> I would be able to pump as needed in the office, and
> I would be able to visit the baby a few times during
> the day, but each visit would take about 30 minutes
> of travel time.
>
>
> Elaine

zeldabee

October 4th 03, 08:33 PM

Irrational Number > wrote:

> I pump 5 times a day (leave home at 6:45 am, pump
> every even hour, leave work at 4:30 pm, get home
> at 5:30 pm). I get about 20 oz. in those 5 times.
> Pillbug drinks 17 oz. a day via the bottle by nanny,
> so I can freeze some extra milk, too.

Do you actually *work* when you're at work? Sorry if that sounds sarcastic,
it's just that I'm going back to work in about 4 more weeks, and I can't
imagine being able to pump so often--it'll be a struggle to pump 3x a day
at work. (I really hope I can keep up, I'll do my best, but I'm
apprehensive. I can rarely pump more that 2 oz at a time.)

--
z e l d a b e e @ p a n i x . c o m http://NewsReader.Com/

Irrational Number

October 4th 03, 08:53 PM

zeldabee wrote:
> Irrational Number > wrote:
>
>>I pump 5 times a day (leave home at 6:45 am, pump
>>every even hour, leave work at 4:30 pm, get home
>>at 5:30 pm). I get about 20 oz. in those 5 times.
>>Pillbug drinks 17 oz. a day via the bottle by nanny,
>>so I can freeze some extra milk, too.
>
> Do you actually *work* when you're at work? Sorry if that sounds sarcastic,
> it's just that I'm going back to work in about 4 more weeks, and I can't
> imagine being able to pump so often--it'll be a struggle to pump 3x a day
> at work. (I really hope I can keep up, I'll do my best, but I'm
> apprehensive. I can rarely pump more that 2 oz at a time.)

5 times is a lot, but it feels more like me taking
a 10-minute break every two hours. (There are people
who take more smoking breaks!) I practiced at home
for 2 weeks with the nanny here, so I pump for 8 minutes,
then walking to the bathroom and washing up takes
2 minutes and I'm done.

The first pumping session at 8 am usually gets me
between 5-7 oz. Each session after that averages
between 3 to 4 oz. I don't get any more milk after
pumping for 8 minutes, so I don't even try anymore.

-- Anita --
--
SUCCESS FOUR FLIGHTS THURSDAY MORNING ALL AGAINST
TWENTY ONE MILE WIND STARTED FROM LEVEL WITH ENGINE
POWER ALONE AVERAGE SPEED THROUGH AIR THIRTY ONE
MILES LONGEST 57 SECONDS INFORM PRESS HOME CHRISTMAS.

Emily Roysdon

October 4th 03, 09:20 PM

Elaine wrote:
> Ok, I'm 13ish weeks pregnant with my first, so I might just
> be borrowing trouble here... I'm applying for (and have a
> decent chance of getting) a full time job. Currently I work
> part time, and our plan had been for me to essentially stop
> working when the baby was born.

OK, I'm going to be the lone voice of dissent here (so what else is
new?) and say, if you *could* stop working when the baby gets here, why
would you go back at all? I realize that there are some families where
both parents *must* work, or the father/other parent must be the SAHM,
but if that's not the case, why rush back to work, and full-time at
that? I'm not trying to flame you, but babies are only little once, and
if you have the chance to be with your precious bundle full-time, why
not do it?

Emily

Phoebe & Allyson

October 4th 03, 09:29 PM

Emily Roysdon wrote:

> if you *could* stop working when the baby gets here, why
> would you go back at all?

I would go crazy home all day long. I need the stimulation
that I get from work. That said, I'd have a hard time
working full-time, either, and Caterpillar is home with
Allyson while I'm at work.

Phoebe :)
--
yahoo address is unread - substitute mailbolt

Phoebe & Allyson

October 4th 03, 09:59 PM

zeldabee wrote:

> Do you actually *work* when you're at work?

Here's my schedule on days I work more or less a full day,
bearing in mind that I can come and go as needed. I also
pump at my desk with a hands-free bra, so I've only got
about 5 minutes of set-up / cleanup at work.
7am - nurse and I get up
7:30 - pump for ~ 20 minutes, then clean up. I usually get
about 2-3 ounces total, assuming I've been nursing on just
one side all night.
8:00 - nurse from the other side
9:00 - arrive at work
11:00 - pump until I get tired of it. Sometimes I can get
as much as 4 ounces from both sides combined, but that takes
a long time (more than 20 minutes, maybe 40 minutes).
2:00 - pump until I've gotten 3 ounces (maybe half an hour).
4:00 - pump for 20 minutes. I normally don't get more than
1-2 ounces.
5:00 - leave work
5:30 - arrive home and nurse

So I can pump about 12 ounces when I'm gone for 9 hours.
Caterpillar usually eats 10 ounces, either split into 3 or 4
snacks, or as a big bottle at 12:30 and a big bottle at
3:30. If I couldn't work while I pumped, I couldn't get
more than 4 hours of work done in a day.

Phoebe :)
--
yahoo address is unread - substitute mailbolt

Elaine

October 4th 03, 10:14 PM

Emily Roysdon wrote:
> OK, I'm going to be the lone voice of dissent here (so what else is
> new?) and say, if you *could* stop working when the baby gets here, why
> would you go back at all?

In no particular order:
1) If I don't work, and my husband loses his job, we're stuck. I've
been out of my primary industry for more than a year, and every
month I lose more skills, and become less employable. With this
job, either of us could make ends meet on a single salary.
2) We can survive on my husband's salary, but we would need to be
more frugal than we are now and our retirement accounts would suffer.
3) I don't like the person I become when I spend a lot of time around
the house.
4) I'm not particularly fond of housework, and would need to pick
up a larger share of the chores if I were home full time. We would
also be giving up a lot of the luxeries we currently enjoy like
buying pre-made applesauce instead of canning our own.
5) We live several thousand miles from our nearest family, and don't
have many friends in the area. We're moving across the state line in
the next couple of months, and won't know anyone there. I'm sure I
could find a local mom's group - but once a week contact won't keep
my mind from turning to mush.
6) It's likely that our children will inherit either our food
intolerances or the asperger's syndrome that runs rampant through
my husband's family. Either of these would make public school
difficult. It would be nice to have the financial wherewithall
to make homeschooling vs private school not a purely financial
decision.

> I'm not trying to flame you, but babies are only little once, and
> if you have the chance to be with your precious bundle full-time, why
> not do it?

If I didn't think that being home with an infant was valuable -
I wouldn't be struggling with this decision at all. As it is, I
don't know if I would go back to work after the birth or not. I
might not know until 6 weeks after my baby is born. I'm hoping
that I know by then.

Elaine

Elaine

October 4th 03, 10:17 PM

In article >, KC wrote:
> You could always take the job hoping it will work out and quit if it
> doesn't.
Yeah, if they offer it to me, that's probably what I'll do. I'll
just feel pretty guilty leaving if it doesn't work out. The team
I would be leading deserves to have a manager around for more than
6 months. I can decide to stay home at any time, but the contract
will require me to give a month's notice, which is a *long* time
if I'm having problems.

Elaine

Elaine

October 4th 03, 10:21 PM

Shannon and Joe wrote:
> Your would-be workplace sounds pretty pumping friendly - that's a plus!

Heh. I wouldn't call it pumping friendly - more pumping indifferent. As
long as the work gets done, and I make it to all my meetings, I don't
think that they much care what I do in the privacy of my own cube.

> As for visiting to nurse, I thought of doing that, but my departure were
> really hard on DS, so it was actually more peaceful not to.

Yeah, I don't know if it would work out to visit to nurse or not.
Possibly it would work early on, and stop working later. We'll
probably play that by ear. Not going over there would mean I
got out of work earlier, which might be a better answer.

> Make sure your partner or spouse is as committed to this as you
> are, so you're getting the proper support at home.

Oh, he is. He's essentially allergic to both milk and soy. Neither of
us is willing to have it in the house because we react to such small
amounts. He's been pretty wonderful so far in the pregnancy - even
when I was so tired I was being worthless around the house.

> Best of luck, and don't feel shy about hanging out here. There's lots of
> help to be had!

Oh, don't worry - I've lurked for years. ;)

Elaine

Phoebe & Allyson

October 4th 03, 10:24 PM

Elaine wrote:

> 5) We live several thousand miles from our nearest family

Not always a bad thing, you know. ;)

Phoebe :)
--
yahoo address is unread - substitute mailbolt

Elaine

October 4th 03, 11:48 PM

Phoebe & Allyson wrote:
> Elaine wrote:
>
>> 5) We live several thousand miles from our nearest family
>
>
> Not always a bad thing, you know. ;)

Oh, I know. My husband corrected me. Apparently it's
more like 1-2k miles. We'd have to live in Japan to be
several thousand. Perhaps that was wishful thinking.

Elaine

Emily Roysdon

October 5th 03, 03:34 AM

Phoebe & Allyson wrote:
> Emily Roysdon wrote:
>
>> if you *could* stop working when the baby gets here, why would you go
>> back at all?
>
>
>
> I would go crazy home all day long.

So would I. That's why I go out places. Perhaps that's not what you
meant, but as a very busy SAHM, I get kind of annoyed when people assume
that we sit at home every minute, staring at the wall. Now that the
kids are a bit older (actually, ever since Noah was about two or so), I
have to decline certain outings and events because it gets way too busy!

> I need the stimulation that I get
> from work.

I always thought that too before I became a SAHM. I worked in child
care for years, and couldn't imagine that "just one kid" could keep me
busy. He found a way ;-)

> That said, I'd have a hard time working full-time, either,
> and Caterpillar is home with Allyson while I'm at work.

I think it's cool that families can find flexible options that work for
everyone. I chimed in here because the OP mentioned she'd planned to
stay home anyway, and no one had asked why she wouldn't continue doing
that. It *is* a totally valid option, and very few people regret it.

JMHO,

Emily, SAHM since 4/4/98 (Noah was born 4 days later) and nary a regret
mama to Noah Joshua (5!) and Rebekah Grace (3!)
http://emily.roysdon.net

Emily Roysdon

October 5th 03, 03:39 AM

Elaine wrote:
> Emily Roysdon wrote:
>
>>OK, I'm going to be the lone voice of dissent here (so what else is
>>new?) and say, if you *could* stop working when the baby gets here, why
>>would you go back at all?
>
>
> In no particular order:
> 1) If I don't work, and my husband loses his job, we're stuck. I've
> been out of my primary industry for more than a year, and every
> month I lose more skills, and become less employable. With this
> job, either of us could make ends meet on a single salary.
> 2) We can survive on my husband's salary, but we would need to be
> more frugal than we are now and our retirement accounts would suffer.
> 3) I don't like the person I become when I spend a lot of time around
> the house.
> 4) I'm not particularly fond of housework, and would need to pick
> up a larger share of the chores if I were home full time. We would
> also be giving up a lot of the luxeries we currently enjoy like
> buying pre-made applesauce instead of canning our own.
> 5) We live several thousand miles from our nearest family, and don't
> have many friends in the area. We're moving across the state line in
> the next couple of months, and won't know anyone there. I'm sure I
> could find a local mom's group - but once a week contact won't keep
> my mind from turning to mush.
> 6) It's likely that our children will inherit either our food
> intolerances or the asperger's syndrome that runs rampant through
> my husband's family. Either of these would make public school
> difficult. It would be nice to have the financial wherewithall
> to make homeschooling vs private school not a purely financial
> decision.

All of the above are valid. I'm not trying to talk you *into* this
choice, which is one only you can make. With the exception of number 6,
we were in the same boat, and it worked out okay :-) Heh, and now I'm
homeschooling.

>>I'm not trying to flame you, but babies are only little once, and
>>if you have the chance to be with your precious bundle full-time, why
>>not do it?
>
>
> If I didn't think that being home with an infant was valuable -
> I wouldn't be struggling with this decision at all. As it is, I
> don't know if I would go back to work after the birth or not. I
> might not know until 6 weeks after my baby is born. I'm hoping
> that I know by then.

I was supposed to go back when Noah was 6 weeks, then 9 weeks, then when
it was time to tell them yes or no, I just couldn't do it. I could not
leave my baby. I don't regret it at all, but we did struggle
financially for a long time. Looking at all the expenses that WOH
entails, I don't think we would have been much further ahead, and me
being the primary child care provider really helped dh excel at his job,
and he has done very well (more than tripled his annual income since
Noah was born.) I know it's a variable situation, of course.

Good luck on the decision,

Emily

Phoebe & Allyson

October 5th 03, 05:46 AM

Emily Roysdon wrote:

> Phoebe & Allyson wrote:
>
>> I would go crazy home all day long.
>
> So would I. That's why I go out places.

I've done that, and Caterpillar loves to go out, but it's so
much more work for me, even with a super-portable 4 month
old. The days I'm home all day, I either sit at home and
stare at walls (and we're both cranky by dinnertime) or we
aimlessly wander from store to store for hours on end. Yes,
if I were a full-time SAHM, I'd probably find more stuff for
us to do (like the library storytime or playgroups). But I
hate doing new things that involve other people, and it's a
real (and initially unpleasant) effort.

>> I need the stimulation that I get from work.
>
>
> I always thought that too before I became a SAHM. I worked in child
> care for years, and couldn't imagine that "just one kid" could keep me
> busy. He found a way ;-)

Oh, she keeps me busy. It's just not the same kind of busy.
Again, with a complete change in mindset, I could probably
find stimulating activities for both of us, but it would
take a lot of effort.

> I chimed in here because the OP mentioned she'd planned to
> stay home anyway, and no one had asked why she wouldn't continue doing
> that. It *is* a totally valid option, and very few people regret it.

Agreed. :)

Phoebe :)
--
yahoo address is unread - substitute mailbolt

Emily Roysdon

October 5th 03, 06:09 AM

Phoebe & Allyson wrote:
> Emily Roysdon wrote:
>
>> Phoebe & Allyson wrote:
>>
>>> I would go crazy home all day long.
>>
>>
>> So would I. That's why I go out places.
>
>
>
> I've done that, and Caterpillar loves to go out, but it's so much more
> work for me, even with a super-portable 4 month old. The days I'm home
> all day, I either sit at home and stare at walls (and we're both cranky
> by dinnertime) or we aimlessly wander from store to store for hours on
> end. Yes, if I were a full-time SAHM, I'd probably find more stuff for
> us to do (like the library storytime or playgroups). But I hate doing
> new things that involve other people, and it's a real (and initially
> unpleasant) effort.

Ah, ok, so you're saying that it's too hard for you to be a full-time
SAHM ;-) (j/k) It does take some effort if you're not the homebody
sort or a people person; I had to get past my initial shyness and put
myself out there at a nursing moms group. I hate hearing from people
IRL, "I'd go crazy" or "I could never do that" because of the frequent
inference that they are so much smarter than me and could never handle
such an easy/dull/unstimulating life, and I *have* heard that quite
often. Homeschooling brings a whole new crop of "I could never do
*that*!" comments from people I meet, and people I already know, but at
least I have a teaching degree, so I am spared the "what are you doing
to keep your skills current?" now.

> Oh, she keeps me busy. It's just not the same kind of busy. Again,
> with a complete change in mindset, I could probably find stimulating
> activities for both of us, but it would take a lot of effort.

I found that I really needed the detox after so many years of working
(I'm a bit of a workaholic when I work.) I thought I'd be bored, and
there are of course periods of boredom (there were times like that at
work too), but it was so nice to have time to focus on my baby and the
world outside of a classroom.

>> I chimed in here because the OP mentioned she'd planned to stay home
>> anyway, and no one had asked why she wouldn't continue doing that. It
>> *is* a totally valid option, and very few people regret it.
>
>
> Agreed. :)

:-)

Emily

Phoebe & Allyson

October 5th 03, 04:42 PM

Emily Roysdon wrote:

> Ah, ok, so you're saying that it's too hard for you to be a full-time
> SAHM ;-) (j/k)

Yes! That's exactly it! And I'm not kidding - being a mom
is way more work than working is. :)

> I hate hearing from people
> IRL, "I'd go crazy" or "I could never do that" because of the frequent
> inference that they are so much smarter than me and could never handle
> such an easy/dull/unstimulating life

It would be dull and unstimulating, but because I'm not
smart enough to come up with 101 things to amuse a 4 month
old. :)

Phoebe :)
--
yahoo address is unread - substitute mailbolt

Elaine

October 5th 03, 10:48 PM

Emily Roysdon wrote:
>
> I was supposed to go back when Noah was 6 weeks, then 9 weeks, then when
> it was time to tell them yes or no, I just couldn't do it. I could not
> leave my baby. I don't regret it at all, but we did struggle
> financially for a long time.

Yeah, I don't mind struggling and being otherwise happy - I just want
to avoid struggling and being unhappy. ;)

> Looking at all the expenses that WOH
> entails, I don't think we would have been much further ahead

That's actually a lot of the reason that me staying home with
my current job is a no-brainer. I would be bringing home
somewhere between $20/week and $-100/week trying to work
my current job with an infant who needed childcare. It just
didn't make financial sense.

> Good luck on the decision,

Thanks. :) I was kind of hoping that exclusive breastfeeding
would be much harder than most people have made it sound. I'm
willing to risk a lot of things for this opportunity - but
formula feeding or early weaning isn't really an option.

Elaine

Phoebe & Allyson

October 5th 03, 11:24 PM

Elaine wrote:

> I was kind of hoping that exclusive breastfeeding
> would be much harder than most people have made it sound.

BF (after the first 6-8 weeks, when you'd be home anyhow) is
easy. Pumping can be easy or hard, depending on you and
your baby, and you won't know if it's easy until you're
doing it full-time.

Phoebe :)
--
yahoo address is unread - substitute mailbolt

Phoebe & Allyson

October 6th 03, 04:26 AM

Jennifer from Colorado wrote:

> My mom never needed a pump at all. She could stand over
> the kitchen sink, hand express, and have a bottle full within just a
> few minutes. I'm hoping that talent is genetic. :-)

Might be a selective memory thing, too. I've found that
parents' memory of how easy things were 30 years ago doesn't
correlate well with my experiences. And then they say, "Oh,
yeah, that happened to me, too."

Phoebe :)
--
yahoo address is unread - substitute mailbolt

Dawn Lawson

October 6th 03, 04:45 AM

Phoebe & Allyson wrote:

> Jennifer from Colorado wrote:
>
>> My mom never needed a pump at all. She could stand over
>> the kitchen sink, hand express, and have a bottle full within just a
>> few minutes. I'm hoping that talent is genetic. :-)
>
>
>
> Might be a selective memory thing, too.

Dunno. There's a woman in the LLL group that can do that. She's faster
expressing by hand than with a pump. I'm impressed as I find it near to
impossible to get enough to dab on a scrape, never mind sustain the kid!

Dawn

Sue

October 6th 03, 06:11 AM

Jennifer from Colorado > wrote in message
> OK, what sort of WOH expenses are we talking about? All I've come up
> with are gas and childcare, of which childcare is the biggie as I'd
> probably drive around just as much as a SAHM as I do going back and
> forth to work. I asked DH and he came up with lunches out, but as a
> teacher I bring lunch almost all the time. I only go out to eat 3-4
> times a year.
>
> So, while childcare will take a healthy chunk of my paycheck, it'll
> still make the difference between living on the edge constantly and
> being able to do things like repair the cars.

Well there are things like clothes (especially if you need really nice
clothes for the job), costs for gas, x-tra money for car repairs (extra wear
and tear on the car), shoes, pump for baby (if you SAH, you might not need
the pump and bottles), lunches if you eat out. As a teacher, do you ever
have to pay out of pocket for supplies for your classroom? These are some
off the top of my head. The biggest one would be if your pay doesn't meet
the day care costs. If I were to work out of the house, I would lose money
by paying day care costs, especially with having three kids. So, it was
cheaper for me to stay at home. FWIW, I work at home so all of these things
don't matter to me.

However, I understand perfectly why some women need/want to work. I have
been a sahm for 11 years. I have worked out of the house on and off, but for
the last five years, I have worked at home. I can't say that it has been the
most fulling thing I have done in my life, but I do think it was important
for our family to have me home. I don't think like Emily does and think all
women should be at home with the baby. I think whatever makes mom happy is
what will make the family happy. Sometimes you just need to work. We would
not make it at all on my husband's salary. I also think it is easier/better
to work when the babies are small compared to when they go to school. I am
not into homeschooling at all (for us) and I couldn't/wouldn't want to do
that. I also don't think that kids in daycare are ruined for life if they
attend one. As long as the child is happy in their envoirnment, then
everyone wins. And with you being a teacher, you get to have a huge hunk of
time to be with your child during the summer and the various other days that
they have off. :o)
--
Sue (mom to three girls)
I'm Just a Raggedy Ann in a Barbie Doll World...

Sue

October 6th 03, 06:19 PM

Jennifer from Colorado > wrote in message > OK,
thanks. I hadn't thought of some of those.

That list was just a general list of things that one might need for work. It
would vary from person to person, but it was a general idea of the expenses.

My mom never needed a pump at all. She could stand over
> the kitchen sink, hand express, and have a bottle full within just a
> few minutes. I'm hoping that talent is genetic. :-) I also have until
> August of 2004 to determine my pump needs.

I got more from hand expressing than I did with a pump. I hope you also have
that talent ;o)

> In many ways, I do think someone should be home with a
> small baby (not necessarily mom, but that seems to be the default).
> However, that's just not likely to work well for us financially. We
> need me to work about 2-3 more years before we can have me stay home
> and NOT be in dire straits if DH gets laid off (again). Darn student
> loan payments. ;-)

Well, imo, as long as the baby's needs are met in a loving and quick manner
and the child is cared for closely to how the parents would care for the
child, then I think it is a win/win situation. The more people that can love
your baby, the better. I totally understand the financial aspect of it
though. It has been an extremely bumpy road as far as money goes for us. I
had loans also and they just got paid off two years ago and I have been out
of school for 13 years. :oP

Good luck Jennifer. I am sure everything will be just fine. :o)
--
Sue (mom to three girls)
I'm Just a Raggedy Ann in a Barbie Doll World...

kirsti

October 6th 03, 07:56 PM

> Taking this job would mean going back to work fairly soon
> after the birth. 6 weeks is standard maternity leave, although I could
> take an additional 6 weeks of FMLA, or 12 weeks of
> halftime FMLA.

Make very sure that you would be eligible for FMLA! In most cases,
the law allows employers to restrict eligibility based on length of
employment. You don't want to take the new job and discover that
because you've worked less that 12 months, you're not eligible to take
leave.

Also ask about short-term disability coverage for some of your
parental leave. This is usually for 6 weeks and can be extended at
the request of your physician. I'll also note that in some states,
any leave covered by short-term disability cannot be counted as part
of FMLA parental leave. So you could take 6 weeks of leave under
short-term disability (usually at 60% salary), and an additional 12
weeks of leave under FMLA. Basically, check into the company policies
and laws in your state.

> So my question is, how much damage am I likely to do to
> my milk supply and to the breastfeeding relationship if
> I decide to take this job, and return to work either
> full time at 12 weeks or half time at 6 weeks?

I planned to return to work at 12 weeks and was really glad I took the
extra time past 6 weeks. My daughter and I had a rough start with
breastfeeding and it took me about 8 weeks to finally get comfortable
with the whole process. If I'd returned at 6 weeks, I'm not sure how
I would have managed everything.

When I returned to work, I worked a 20 hour week my first week back.
Also, when I started back, my husband took 2 weeks off to take care of
the baby. This really eased the transition to daycare for both of us.

I'll also mention that my daughter goes to daycare on site where my
husband works. Which is great because he has the kind of job where he
may end up with a bit of free time during the day and he can pop over
to see her. With my job, any time I took off would be that much later
I'd have to work. In any case, with commute times, I don't see them
for about 10 hours. I do make sure that I'm home when they get home,
and she nurses immediately when she gets home. It's very cute,
they'll come in the door and as soon as she sees me, she starts making
the ASL sign for "milk."

To get back to the breastfeeding/pumping issue, I pumped twice a day
and was able to pump 16 oz. a day with no problem. I just had to make
sure to drink lots of water, and to be very strict about pumping at
the same time every day. I used an Ameda/Hollister Purely Yours pump
with an adapter to pump directly into Avent bottles, which saved some
time. My daughter's daycare follows state regulations which require
that EBM be frozen if it's more than 24 hours old. Since freezing
kills some of the white blood cells in breastmilk, I try to use
fresh/refrigerated milk as much as possible. On Monday-Thursday I
pump into bottles and give her that the following day. On Fridays I
pump and store in the Gerber ziploc-style bags and freeze until
Monday.

I have my own office, so finding a comfortable place to
pump wasn't an issue. You might consider looking into a Whittlestone
or Whisper Wear breastpump depending on your situation. If I were
starting now, those would be the two pumps I would lean towards.
Check with your health insurance provider if they cover breastpumps.
If not, find out if your potential employer or your husband's
employer offer a Medical Flexible Spending Account.

With an FSA, you pay a set-amount of *pre-tax* money each month. My
experience with these has been that they are pre-funded, which means
that even if you haven't paid in the full amount for the calendar
year, you can request a reimbursement for the amount spent at the time
spent. So let's say you know you'll spend $240 for a breastpump. You
open an FSA and pay $20 a month into it. You can actually buy the
pump as soon as the FSA is open and submit a reimbursement request
immediately. The FSA management company will send you a check for
$240, and you'll continue to have $20 a month deducted from your
paycheck for the rest of the year. You may also want to find out if
your employers have FSAs for childcare expenses as well.

My daughter is now 15 months and I've been lucky enough to breastfeed
her exclusively. Around 12 months, I dropped to pumping once a day
and plan to continue pumping through the winter. She had recurrent
ear infections last winter, and I want to keep her drinking breastmilk
as long as possible. I'll probably stop pumping this spring or
summer, but plan to continue to nurse until she's 3-4. I'll also
mention that we co-sleep, and my daughter nurses 1-3 times during the
night, which has also helped maintain my milk production.

And to go off on one final tangent, a few years ago, I read the report
of a psychological study of US couples during the first 5 years of
childrearing. One of the findings the researchers mentioned was that
it was very common, when deciding whether both parents should continue
working, to consider the cost of daycare *solely* related to the
woman's projected income, even if the couple shared all other
expenses equally or pooled their incomes in a common account. The
researchers found it noteworthy that few of the couples took their
combined incomes with both partners working and compared the cost of
daycare against the total combined income.

I believe that's a good point to consider. If you (theoretical
"you" here, not the original poster) consider your combined income to
determine your ability to purchase your house or your car(s), why
don't you consider combined income to determine your ability to pay
for daycare? Just something to think about.

--
kirsti

Elaine

October 6th 03, 11:03 PM

kirsti wrote:
>
>> Taking this job would mean going back to work fairly soon
>> after the birth. 6 weeks is standard maternity leave, although I could
>> take an additional 6 weeks of FMLA, or 12 weeks of
>> halftime FMLA.
>
> Make very sure that you would be eligible for FMLA! In most cases,
> the law allows employers to restrict eligibility based on length of
> employment. You don't want to take the new job and discover that
> because you've worked less that 12 months, you're not eligible to take
> leave.
That's actually a very good point. I had forgotten that you
need to work for a year to be eligible for FMLA. However - I
currently work for the same organization, just without benefits.
So I *think* (but would need to verify) that I'm ok. It's dependant
on how many hours you worked in the 12 months previous.

>
> Also ask about short-term disability coverage for some of your
> parental leave. This is usually for 6 weeks and can be extended at
> the request of your physician. I'll also note that in some states,
> any leave covered by short-term disability cannot be counted as part
> of FMLA parental leave.

The first six weeks would count as disability leave, but it also
counts as FMLA leave. Disability pay hadn't occured to me - but is nice.
Of course, if I decide not to go back, I think I have to pay them for
it.

<SNIP useful stuff about FSAs>
>
> I believe that's a good point to consider. If you (theoretical
> "you" here, not the original poster) consider your combined income to
> determine your ability to purchase your house or your car(s), why
> don't you consider combined income to determine your ability to pay
> for daycare? Just something to think about.

Erm, we don't consider our combined income to determine our
ability to buy a car, or the house we're considering buying. [1]
So maybe that's why I'm having trouble understanding your
analogy, but using combined income to determine ability
to pay for daycare doesn't make sense to me.

In a simplified daycare scenario, you have three options:
1) husband works, wife stays home - no daycare
2) wife works, husband stays home - no daycare
3) everyone works - with daycare

So you look at whatever variable you care about (money,
career advancement, raising your own kids, whatever)
and for each scenario you say "Does this put me ahead
or behind where we are currently? By how much?" and then
you look at the outcomes of all those tests (since you probably
care about more than one variable) and you pick the
option that makes the most sense.

The only way I can see it making sense to consider both
incomes to determine ability to pay for daycare is if
you were examining daycare independent of work status.
That is - either you had the choice between one/both
parents staying home with the baby vs one/both parents
staying home and the baby being in daycare.

It's not so much like using combined income to determine your
ability to purchase cars as it is like trading a car in.
You look at the trade in value on each car, and the value you
get from keeping it - and you pick, or you keep them all. Keeping
them all means you'll pay more for the new car.

Elaine

[1] We actually use estimated take-home of lowest paid partner
assuming the changes in taxes based on that being the sole
income. [2]

[2] Why yes, we are known as paranoid fiscal conservatives,
thank you for asking ;)

Sue

October 7th 03, 02:38 AM

Nan > wrote in message
> I had been planning to quit my job until I unearthed this policy, so
> it's nice to know I can take 12 weeks unpaid leave and decide after
> bubs is here, if I want to go back.
>
> Nan

Nan,

Are you pregnant?
--
Sue (mom to three girls)
I'm Just a Raggedy Ann in a Barbie Doll World...

Marie

October 7th 03, 03:58 AM

On Mon, 06 Oct 2003 20:28:22 -0500, Nan > wrote:

>On Mon, 6 Oct 2003 18:38:06 -0700, "Sue" >
>wrote:
>>Nan,
>>Are you pregnant?

>Yep :-)
>Due on/around April 23.
>Nan

Ohh Congrats!! :oD
Marie

Nevermind

October 7th 03, 04:17 AM

zeldabee > wrote
> Do you actually *work* when you're at work? Sorry if that sounds sarcastic,
> it's just that I'm going back to work in about 4 more weeks, and I can't
> imagine being able to pump so often--it'll be a struggle to pump 3x a day
> at work. (I really hope I can keep up, I'll do my best, but I'm
> apprehensive. I can rarely pump more that 2 oz at a time.)

What I found, and this was confirmed by basically all the other WOH
moms of infants I knew at the time I was working outside the home with
an infant, was that, yes, more time was spent doing stuff like
pumping, but I basically cut out SO much crap I didn't even know I did
before I had the baby. I became incredibly efficient about work. I
used to let people come into my office and chat and chat; after the
baby came, I got good at getting rid of them after a quick moment.
Forget phone calls with DH; we can talk at home. I got uo and left
meetings when the work was done and the chit-chat got started. This
wasn't just so I'd have time to pump. Before kids, I used to be the
type to stay late every night. But once I had a baby, that wasn't
possible or desirable anymore. I did also, though, tend to take work
home with me a couple of times a week, which I never did before kids.
Now I work at home.

Dawn Lawson

October 7th 03, 05:16 AM

Sue wrote:

>
> Well, imo, as long as the baby's needs are met in a loving and quick manner

hmmm....clarify..you mean "prompt" manner?
(sorry, very tired)

Dawn

Sue

October 7th 03, 04:12 PM

>
> wrote:
> >Nan,
> >
> >Are you pregnant?

Nan > wrote in message
> Yep :-)
> Due on/around April 23.
>
> Nan

Congratulations!!!!!

I'm so happy for you. :o)
--
Sue (mom to three girls)
I'm Just a Raggedy Ann in a Barbie Doll World...

kristi

October 7th 03, 10:50 PM

Elaine > wrote in message >...
> kirsti wrote:
> >
> >> Taking this job would mean going back to work fairly soon
> >> after the birth. 6 weeks is standard maternity leave, although I could
> >> take an additional 6 weeks of FMLA, or 12 weeks of
> >> halftime FMLA.
> >
> > Make very sure that you would be eligible for FMLA! In most cases,
> > the law allows employers to restrict eligibility based on length of
> > employment. You don't want to take the new job and discover that
> > because you've worked less that 12 months, you're not eligible to take
> > leave.
> That's actually a very good point. I had forgotten that you
> need to work for a year to be eligible for FMLA. However - I
> currently work for the same organization, just without benefits.
> So I *think* (but would need to verify) that I'm ok. It's dependant
> on how many hours you worked in the 12 months previous.
>
> >
> > Also ask about short-term disability coverage for some of your
> > parental leave. This is usually for 6 weeks and can be extended at
> > the request of your physician. I'll also note that in some states,
> > any leave covered by short-term disability cannot be counted as part
> > of FMLA parental leave.
>
> The first six weeks would count as disability leave, but it also
> counts as FMLA leave. Disability pay hadn't occured to me - but is nice.
> Of course, if I decide not to go back, I think I have to pay them for
> it.
>
>
> <SNIP useful stuff about FSAs>
> >
> > I believe that's a good point to consider. If you (theoretical
> > "you" here, not the original poster) consider your combined income to
> > determine your ability to purchase your house or your car(s), why
> > don't you consider combined income to determine your ability to pay
> > for daycare? Just something to think about.
>
> Erm, we don't consider our combined income to determine our
> ability to buy a car, or the house we're considering buying. [1]
> So maybe that's why I'm having trouble understanding your
> analogy, but using combined income to determine ability
> to pay for daycare doesn't make sense to me.
>
> In a simplified daycare scenario, you have three options:
> 1) husband works, wife stays home - no daycare
> 2) wife works, husband stays home - no daycare
> 3) everyone works - with daycare
>
> So you look at whatever variable you care about (money,
> career advancement, raising your own kids, whatever)
> and for each scenario you say "Does this put me ahead
> or behind where we are currently? By how much?" and then
> you look at the outcomes of all those tests (since you probably
> care about more than one variable) and you pick the
> option that makes the most sense.
>
> The only way I can see it making sense to consider both
> incomes to determine ability to pay for daycare is if
> you were examining daycare independent of work status.
> That is - either you had the choice between one/both
> parents staying home with the baby vs one/both parents
> staying home and the baby being in daycare.
>
> It's not so much like using combined income to determine your
> ability to purchase cars as it is like trading a car in.
> You look at the trade in value on each car, and the value you
> get from keeping it - and you pick, or you keep them all. Keeping
> them all means you'll pay more for the new car.
>
> Elaine
>
> [1] We actually use estimated take-home of lowest paid partner
> assuming the changes in taxes based on that being the sole
> income. [2]
>
> [2] Why yes, we are known as paranoid fiscal conservatives,
> thank you for asking ;)

Hi Elaine,

I'm coming in late on this thread but wanted to offer another vote in
favor of being able to feed/pump exclusively while working full-time,
if that's what you choose to do. I went back after 10 weeks to a very
demanding job but found I was able to take short pump breaks. I
started pumping 4x a day and adjusted it later as my supply varied
(generally down, but at times went back to more pumping sessions to
boost supply). I pretty much just kept a similar schedule to what I
did when I was pregnant, when I needed to take a short break and eat
something every couple of hours. :) After my son started eating
solids, I was able to get by with fewer pumping sessions. I quit
pumping at 14 months, but he still nurses at night and in the morning
(25 months). There are tricks that you can use to pump more/faster--
like getting more setups so you can wash them at night instead of
after each session, massage, etc. that helped a lot-- and having a
pre-made "do not enter" sign in your pump bag!

I second the vote for the pumpmoms group on yahoo. Very helpful and
supportive group of women, and someone there has had virtually every
sort of pumping experience imaginable.
Good luck to you.
Kristi

zeldabee

October 8th 03, 12:01 AM

(Nevermind) wrote:
> zeldabee > wrote
> > Do you actually *work* when you're at work? Sorry if that sounds
> > sarcastic, it's just that I'm going back to work in about 4 more weeks,
> > and I can't imagine being able to pump so often--it'll be a struggle to
> > pump 3x a day at work. (I really hope I can keep up, I'll do my best,
> > but I'm apprehensive. I can rarely pump more that 2 oz at a time.)
>
> What I found, and this was confirmed by basically all the other WOH
> moms of infants I knew at the time I was working outside the home with
> an infant, was that, yes, more time was spent doing stuff like
> pumping, but I basically cut out SO much crap I didn't even know I did
> before I had the baby. I became incredibly efficient about work. I
> used to let people come into my office and chat and chat; after the
> baby came, I got good at getting rid of them after a quick moment.

Part of my problem is that I don't have an office. I'll have to take an
elevator and go to a different floor in order to pump, unless I find an
unused private space nearer to my work area. But there are special rooms
near the nurse's office that are set up specifically for pumping moms, and
that's what I plan to use.

Also, my job isn't the kind of job where I could just close a door if I did
have an office or private space--I'm expected to serve my clients whenever
they need help, even if I'm in the middle of my lunch hour, and a closed
door wouldn't be honored. (I work in advertizing, graphics production--the
future of the free world is often at stake.) So, I don't have much
choice--I have to leave my work area in order to pump. I'm going to have to
be super efficient at it--and I'm hoping that that doesn't lead to my being
too stressed for it to work at all.

--
z e l d a b e e @ p a n i x . c o m http://NewsReader.Com/

Irene

October 8th 03, 11:12 PM

zeldabee > wrote in message >...

> Also, my job isn't the kind of job where I could just close a door if I did
> have an office or private space--I'm expected to serve my clients whenever
> they need help, even if I'm in the middle of my lunch hour, and a closed
> door wouldn't be honored. (I work in advertizing, graphics production--the
> future of the free world is often at stake.) So, I don't have much
> choice--I have to leave my work area in order to pump. I'm going to have to
> be super efficient at it--and I'm hoping that that doesn't lead to my being
> too stressed for it to work at all.

Is there anything work-related you can do while you pump? I often
tried to bring a set of drawings to check while I was pumping, or
work-related reading. Can you sketch while pumping? (I don't know
how much you only do stuff on computer, or if you actually do anything
manually!) Strangely enough, I sometimes found that if I was busy
concentrating on work, I also got better results from pumping!

Irene

zeldabee

October 9th 03, 06:16 PM

(Irene) wrote:
> zeldabee > wrote ...
>
> > Also, my job isn't the kind of job where I could just close a door if I
> > did have an office or private space--I'm expected to serve my clients
> > whenever they need help, even if I'm in the middle of my lunch hour,
> > and a closed door wouldn't be honored. (I work in advertizing, graphics
> > production--the future of the free world is often at stake.) So, I
> > don't have much choice--I have to leave my work area in order to pump.
> > I'm going to have to be super efficient at it--and I'm hoping that that
> > doesn't lead to my being too stressed for it to work at all.
>
> Is there anything work-related you can do while you pump? I often
> tried to bring a set of drawings to check while I was pumping, or
> work-related reading. Can you sketch while pumping? (I don't know
> how much you only do stuff on computer, or if you actually do anything
> manually!) Strangely enough, I sometimes found that if I was busy
> concentrating on work, I also got better results from pumping!

Boy, I wish I could do work while pumping. Then I wouldn't have to pump at
breaks, or make up the time. But the work I do generally involves a lot of
running around, with only occasional sitting (for any length of time). It's
mostly at computer, but not at any *one* computer, IYSWIM. No cubicles, no
privacy. I think the rooms that have been set aside for pumping don't have
computers...but I don't know for sure.

--
z e l d a b e e @ p a n i x . c o m http://NewsReader.Com/

Irene

October 10th 03, 05:33 PM

zeldabee > wrote in message >...
> (Irene) wrote:
> > zeldabee > wrote ...
> >
> > > Also, my job isn't the kind of job where I could just close a door if I
> > > did have an office or private space--I'm expected to serve my clients
> > > whenever they need help, even if I'm in the middle of my lunch hour,
> > > and a closed door wouldn't be honored. (I work in advertizing, graphics
> > > production--the future of the free world is often at stake.) So, I
> > > don't have much choice--I have to leave my work area in order to pump.
> > > I'm going to have to be super efficient at it--and I'm hoping that that
> > > doesn't lead to my being too stressed for it to work at all.
> >
> > Is there anything work-related you can do while you pump? I often
> > tried to bring a set of drawings to check while I was pumping, or
> > work-related reading. Can you sketch while pumping? (I don't know
> > how much you only do stuff on computer, or if you actually do anything
> > manually!) Strangely enough, I sometimes found that if I was busy
> > concentrating on work, I also got better results from pumping!
>
> Boy, I wish I could do work while pumping. Then I wouldn't have to pump at
> breaks, or make up the time. But the work I do generally involves a lot of
> running around, with only occasional sitting (for any length of time). It's
> mostly at computer, but not at any *one* computer, IYSWIM. No cubicles, no
> privacy. I think the rooms that have been set aside for pumping don't have
> computers...but I don't know for sure.

Hmm...are there any laptops available? Either company owned or your
own, or someone who might lend you one... Though I'm getting the idea
you have a lot of specialized software that isn't necessarily all
installed on any one computer, so that might not work, either. Or, do
you need to make many phone calls? Is there a phone in the pumping
room, or do you have a cell phone (either company owned, or with a
good plan, so you don't have to shell out!)?

Just brainstorming here...I often am reminded how lucky I am to be
"the boss" and get to sidestep many of the normal rules. Not to
mention being able to set up the back office for pumping.

Irene