Working Mom and Breastfeeding: Useful Tips

Not every woman has the opportunity to be on maternity leave for three years, someone has to go to work much earlier, leaving the baby with her grandmother or nanny. How then to facilitate separation for the baby?

If the mother had to go to work before the end of the decree, and the children spends most of the day with her grandmother or nanny, then on the weekend you should pay maximum attention to the baby. Forget about all the other things on the weekend. You must compensate the baby for separation. How to do it? Just be with him every minute, take him in your arms more and hug him, if he is still breastfeeding, then give the breast on demand, and also do not limit the time of feeding. In a word, devote all yourself to the child.

If before, almost the entire life of a woman was devoted arrangement of life and parenting, then today this trend is a thing of the past. But, despite the fact that most women tend to go to work after maternity leave, and sometimes even earlier, they still have no answers to many organizational questions. What to do? After all, I do not want to lose myself as a high-class specialist, and I do not want to deprive my baby of attention, depriving him of the happy hours of childhood.

Get rid of guilt

Women who soon return to work after the birth of a child feel guilty for allegedly depriving their child of maternal love and care. In addition to maternal self-digging, this feeling reinforces the environment, which quite often looks with disapproval at the “cuckoo mother”.

But you must learn the main thing: just because you will feel guilty will not make anyone better. Therefore, it is much better to reflect on what difficulties you will encounter and choose the paths for resolution.

Do not worry that all the little achievements of your child will pass you by. Of course, the baby can say the first word or take the first steps the moment you are not around. However, studies prove that it is extremely important for a child to demonstrate his new skill to his mother, and only after that he himself recognizes it. You will always be the main person in life for the baby, even though you will be absent for some time during the day.

Work is no barrier to breastfeeding

Going to work does not mean at all that you have to stop breastfeeding. After all, you can transfer the baby to mixed mode or express milk in advance so that at the right time relatives or nannywho will look after the child, were able to feed them crumbs.

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Of course, it is recommended to resort to mixed feeding only in the most extreme cases. Today's baby mixes have undoubtedly become better than the meager variety that was on the shelves during our childhood. But you can’t guarantee that a tiny child’s body will normally respond to the food offered. It is known that the first time after the introduction of artificial mixtures, the baby may begin colic and constipation. And should it be said that breast milk with all its nutritional components and antibodies is the best nutrition for an infant.

How to leave for work?

The mood of the peanut and how he will experience separation from his mother, largely depend on how competently the mother organizes the separation. This should not be stressful for the child. Firstly, before leaving, you must fully satisfy all the needs of the baby. In order to have time to do this, it is worthwhile to get ready for work in advance, because the baby may suddenly ask for pens or ask for a chest. Secondly, do not leave sharply, do not hide behind the door in the presence of a child.

When you leave, you can leave your things in the baby’s crib, they preserve your personal smell and will remind the baby of their beloved mother. A working mother will have to adjust the working day regimen to the needs of the baby, for example, to come home for feeding. The first thing to refuse is long trips, especially if the child has not yet reached the age of one. Child psychologists say that for a child up to a year, the presence of a mother is extremely important for normal development. If you leave for a long time, he will feel both moral and physical depression, and after 21 days a state of deprivation will come.

Deprivation - insufficient satisfaction of basic needs, the child is experiencing severe stress. As a result, he receives a deep psychological trauma that cannot be corrected.

Mom and baby: not one

The younger the child, the harder he experiences separation from you, and only after a year does he begin to gradually realize himself as a full-fledged, separate person. From this period, he can already become attached to other family members or to the nanny. If you have to go to work soon, try to improve the relationship of the baby with the person who will babysit with him in advance.

And so that a new person does not replace the beloved mother in the heart of the child, so that he feels that his mother still needs it, it is worth immediately after work to spend time exclusively with the child. Set aside all things until the child fully enjoys your company and is not ready to get off his hands.

Breast pump - the best assistant to a working mom

Strain, and then feed the baby milk from the bottle at the right time - the process is quite simple nowadays. Before, pumping was accompanied by a number of certain inconveniences. Strained milk had nowhere to store, so it quickly disappeared. But the breast pumps were very dysfunctional and required a lot of time.

Today's breast pumps and systems for storing and carrying breast milk are a real technological breakthrough and salvation for working mothers.

Sterile containers for collecting breast milk allow them to be stored in the freezer for a sufficiently long time (how to store expressed milk) The containers are conveniently attached to the breast pump, and then can be used directly for feeding if you put a nipple on them. Therefore, feeding the baby with expressed milk does not turn into a long and painful procedure.

Modern breast pumps allow you not to get attached to feeding only at home. Some systems come with a small and convenient cooler bag, which perfectly solves the issue of transporting expressed milk.

Today, the market offers manual and electronic breast pumps that allow decantation as quickly and comfortably as possible.Equipped with special massage surfaces, they imitate the actual sucking of the baby, massaging the area around the nipple and increasing the flow of milk. In addition, manual breast pumps are not tied to batteries or electricity, which makes them very versatile.

READ ALSO: rating of TOP-10 breast pumps

Electronic breast pumps will appeal to those mothers who seek to try the latest and most advanced technologies. Here, and electronic memory, and the personal rhythm of decantation, and the ability to change the rhythm to ensure maximum comfort, and most importantly - the ability to switch to manual mode for simple and easy use.

READ ALSO: how to choose a breast pump (and learn to express breasts)

The main thing is not the time spent together, but its quality

Another fear of working mothers is the fear that the child will not develop so quickly. That being at home, mother could devote more time to him and engage in his education. But we all know very well that the main thing is not quantity, but quality, and this phrase can be attributed to almost any aspect of our lives. Establishing a relationship and understanding between a mother and a child is much more important than the number of hours per day that you devote to each other. The baby should feel your connection, know about your love and care. And whoever teaches him to read, count, and write - mom, dad, or a kindergarten teacher, is completely unimportant by and large.

10 rules for a working mom

1. Whatever problems appear at work, your thoughts should rest from them. Correctly prioritize! Despite the fact that you went to work ahead of time, the child, as before, remains in the first place.
2. Those hours that you manage to devote to the child should be interesting, rich, evoke genuine emotions in the baby. The important thing is not the amount of time you can devote to the baby, but how you spend this time.
3. If possible, try not to take work home, do not answer work calls on weekends. Evening time, weekends and holidays - this is the time of the baby and your family, you already devote quite a lot of time to work. Spend maximum free time with children, participate in their life, take an interest in their problems.
4. It is difficult for a working mother to find an extra minute for communication with her child, but when do you have time to cook, clean and wash? You should not assume at once three roles: mothers, mistresses and breadwinners of the family. If you do not have time all at once, ask your relatives for help, let the husband wash the dishes, and the grandmother will iron the clothes. If they are not ready to take part of the household duties on themselves, it is worth hiring a housekeeper.
5. To-do list for today is a great way not to forget anything important, do not be lazy to compile it.
6. At a time when you go to work, organize interesting activities for your child, while the game time flies by unnoticed.
7. Let several traditions or rituals appear in your family that you will perform at the same time, regardless of your workload.
8. If the children are older, then you can show them Mom’s workplace, tell what important task she performs, leaving home.
9. To facilitate the life of a working mother, modern technology will help: a vacuum cleaner, a slow cooker, a bread maker, etc.
10. Despite the workload, mother should have time for herself: reading books or going to her friend will give strength and cheer up.

So that your return to work does not affect your baby in the first place, you must first of all feel yourself that you are doing everything right, you must feel confident that you can deal with all the difficulties that will get in your way. And the little ones will not be upset at your absence in the daytime, if people surround him who will give him attention and warmth.