Back To Work: Caregiver Instructions

It's that time! Maternity leave has come to an end and you have to go back to work...which means your little one will be left with someone else. This is one of the hardest decisions a parent has to make. You have to overcome the feelings of worry and doubting that anyone can take care of your child like you can. But, ultimately, some level of trust has been built for you to make this decision, so kudos!

Whether your baby will be with a family member, in daycare, or with a nanny, your caregiver will need some basic instructions to make sure that your breastfeeding journey isn't unintentionally compromised.

Serving Size

There are many misconceptions around breastfed babies. Formula fed babies can have up to 8 oz of formula in one serving. The serving sizes for formula fed babies is different because breastmilk is metabolized differently. Formula requires larger servings to meet the baby's nutritional needs.

The normal serving size for a breastfed baby is 1-1.5oz an hour. Regardless of the age. So, if your baby is eating every 2 hours, the largest serving he/she should be having is 3oz of milk. If you find that this is not enough you can increase by .25oz, but be sure that the baby is actually hungry!

Many times, caregivers will confuse a cry for hunger. Remind your caregivers that not every cry is for hunger. Baby may want to be held, or need to be changed, or be sleepy. Don't be pressured into believing that you don't produce enough milk for your child. You are enough!

You Do NOT Need a Stash

I'm sure you've seen the pictures on social media of deep freezers filled to the rim with bags of breastmilk. This should not be your goal! Let's adjust our expectations now, before you start work and add unnecessary pressure onto yourself.

Some mothers have an oversupply, meaning they produce more milk than their baby needs. This allows them to build up a large amount of milk and store it for later. The problem with this is, if the oversupply is not managed, it could lead to clogged ducts or mastitis (an inflammation of breast tissue that can cause an infection).

The normal pump output when pumping in addition to a full time feeding is .5 - 2 ounces for both breasts combined. The normal pumping output when replacing a feeding is 2 - 4 ounces for both breasts combined.

So what does this look like? Let's say Anaya is sleeping. She nursed right before she went to bed and it's been almost two hours (which would normally be time for her to nurse). When I pump, this pumping session is replacing a feeding session because Anaya is not feeding. So if my pump output for both breasts combined is only 2 oz, that's perfectly normal!

So, if I can't have a stash, how do I make sure I have enough milk for my baby while I'm gone?

You only need a day's worth of milk. As long as you are pumping consistently the day before, you will have a day's worth of milk for the next day.

On Monday, while I'm away from Anaya, I pump all day. By the time I get home, I have enough milk for Tuesday. You repeat this cycle so that each day you are consistently producing milk for the next day.

Is it easier to just go into the freezer and grab a bag of milk instead of keeping up with the pumping every two hours? Yes. I'm sure it is. But remember, the best and most efficient way to maintain your breastmilk supply is to move that milk: whether it's by pumping or your baby nursing. If you begin to rely on your stash of milk and you're not consistently pumping while away from the baby or nursing while with the baby, your body is going to think that the baby doesn't need as much milk as its been producing. This causes your breastmilk supply to decrease to the baby's new "demand." Remember, breastfeeding is all about supply and demand.

Over the next week, while I prepare to back to work we're going to be diving into topics relating to supply, pumping, and feeding. Stay tuned for more!

Sources: PumpingServing Size