MumUnplugged

Welcome Carnival of Breastfeeding readers!  This month’s topic is Breastfeeding and Working.  Be sure to scroll to the bottom to read some great posts by other bloggers!

When I first read the title of this month’s carnival my initial reaction was to think that I didn’t have an awful lot to say on the subject of working and breastfeeding.  After nine months of maternity leave my return to work went pretty smoothly; I’d already cut Bubs down to just morning and bedtime feeds and he was happily drinking cow’s milk from a cup in between, without ever having needed formula or a bottle. I didn’t have to worry about pumping in the toilet or keeping expressed milk in the communal fridge or whether or not my boobs would explode before I got home.

For so many women, the workplace seems to be an obstacle to breastfeeding, and whether it’s awkward shift patterns or negative attitudes, going back to work often seems at odds with the breastfeeding way of life.  But when I started to think about it, I realized that my situation is exactly the opposite of this, and my workplace – or more specifically, my colleagues – actually played a big part in our breastfeeding success.

I first came to my current workplace to cover a maternity post – I took a leap of faith out of an office I’d grown fed up with and it paid off when my job was made permanent.  That first week we all went out for lunch with the girl who was leaving and my boss, who was on maternity leave herself at the time, joined us along with her three-month-old daughter.  Right there, in the middle of a busy Chinese restaurant, I got my first lesson in discreet breastfeeding as my boss fed her baby while eating and chatting as if it was the most ordinary thing in the world – which of course it was!  The colleague whose job I was covering also went on to breastfeed, and another colleague who fell pregnant shortly afterwards (stay away from the water cooler in our place!) successfully breastfed her second baby.

Even though I’d already grown up with breastfeeding, having a group of peers who were all doing it meant I was even more determined to give it a go myself.  During the tough times I had people I could call on for moral support or even a good kick up the butt to keep me going, and since I’ve been back at work we’ve had many a laugh about the ups and downs breastfeeding brings.  As an all-girl office there’s been a steady stream of babies since I joined almost three years ago, and it’s not unusual to see somebody breastfeeding in a swivel chair while they pop in to catch up on the gossip.  Around the lunch table in our office, formula feeders are in the minority and I think that’s pretty cool.

Blacktating:  5 biggest mistakes working & pumping moms make
Breastfeeding Moms Unite:  Breastfeeding at my Family Daycare
The Milk Mama: A Job Where Everyone Breastfeeds
Momnesia The Book: Sorry, Facilities Guy
Marshins: Taking your Boobs to Work
Strocel: Working and breastfeeding a toddler
The Marketing Mama: Working and Pumping
The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog: Breastfeeding and working is possible, and you can make it work
Chronicles of a Nursing Mom: Do you really need a pump?
Vanderbilt Wife: I think this officially makes me a Mommy Blogger
BabyREADY: What about breastfeeding when I go back to work
Stork Stories: My breast pump and I didn’t get along
Blisstree: Tips for breastfeeding and working
Breastfeeding Mums: Breastfeeding and working in the UK
Best for Babes: Beating the employment ‘Booby Traps’
Edenwild: Working mothers need workplace support