It seems like a dream, right? You get to work from home while your baby is young. No searching for a private place to pump at the office every few hours, no worrying about splotches of mama milk appearing on the front of your shirt in the middle of a big meeting, no packing milk in ice in a cooler and racing home to pop it in the fridge.
It’s definitely possible to work from home while breastfeeding your little one, whether you pump like me or pause from work to put baby to the boob. But the constant distractions, pressures of mom-ing even while working, and home life needs can turn WFH into WTF. Trust me, I know! If you want to be productive, both at the breast and on the job, you need a plan, a place, and some patience.
Many Ways To Do It
There are a lot of ways to work from home while your kids are young:
- With the children in the house, supervised by a partner, babysitter, au pair, or nanny
- With the children out of the house, at school or daycare
- With the children at home, while you are the primary caregiver
Whether you are the primary caregiver or not will determine which of these tips are specifically helpful for you as a breastfeeding mama.
Have a Plan.
When you have a million things on your mind and you plan on balancing working from home with breastfeeding, a “plan” might be the furthest thing from your mind. Especially if you’ve spent your first months with baby feeding on demand, it can be challenging to stick to a schedule. But without a schedule, you might find yourself at the end of the day wondering why you didn’t get anything done!
Questions to ask yourself as you come up with your plan:
When will you need to breastfeed?
If pumping, you’ll want to pump about every 3 hours. If putting baby to the boob, you are probably familiar with baby’s schedule. One advantage to pumping exclusively: you might be able to sneak in an extra session or two to get more milk. It may take a few weeks, but once your breasts get used to the output, the additional pumping sessions can really add up! If you're unsure about how to set up a schedule - whether you will exclusively pump or plan to combination feed, snag a copy of my When to Pump Guide! It will walk you through how to set up your day and provide support as baby continues to grow.
Will baby be involved?
If baby is home, will you bring them to the boob? Will you take breaks to play with baby or other children during your workday? Planning for when you will see them will help your caregiver give you privacy when you need it, and time with kids when you want it.
Where will you breastfeed?
A dedicated, comfortable space is a must. Maybe you're fine balancing baby on your lap, while swiveling on your desk chair and still able to check emails flying in - maybe you're not. Most of us are probably more effective if we have a separate area to step away, nurse a baby or put on our pump and package up milk, before we get back to it.
What will you do while breastfeeding?
Keep working? Jump on a meeting? Take a break? Have a snack? Close your eyes? Read a book? Scroll IG? Decide beforehand so you can use the time to be productive – in more ways than one!
Do you have all of the supplies that you need?
While you might be at home, having everything you need directly at your fingertips will cut down on your overall time spent away from work or desperately trying to multitask (and likely struggling at both!). Would you like a pillow for baby while nursing because you plan to be in a desk chair? Are you far from your refrigerator and a mini fridge to store pumped milk in will shave off a few minutes of the overall session? Is there no outlet conveniently nearby so having a portable charger handy would be helpful? All these things are questions to ask and think through so you won't find yourself wasting extra time doing all the things except working or breastfeeding.
A piece of advice to incorporate into your plan if baby is home, too:
Take the time to trace their face, gaze into their eyes, and touch their toes. If you give 15-20 minutes of your full attention, it will be easier to commit to handing baby back to the grandparent, aunt, or nanny who is watching them that day. (Trust me – you won’t want to!)
No matter how a plan will look for you, I strongly advise you to write it out, but also to be flexible. Reevaluate the plan every week or two. After all, you may be pumping for a few weeks while working, or for years. Feeding schedules, output, jobs, and kids change. Your plan will change too.
Start Your Pumping Routine Beforehand.
If you plan to pump while working from home, and unless you’ve been pumping exclusively up until the point that you return to work, you’ll want to be sure that you have a few pumping sessions under your belt. You definitely don’t want your first pumping day to also be your first day back!
Give yourself some time to get comfortable with your pumping setup:
-
Try out and try on a comfortable nursing bra. My favorite is the Amelia by Davin and Adley (use code BREASTFRIENDS10 to save a few bucks!), but you can view all my bra reviews here!
-
Find a pump that works for you. Consider an extra quiet pump if you plan to pump while on calls or Zoom meetings. Determine whether a primary or secondary pump is more appropriate for your needs. If you're unsure how to answer that question, read "How to Choose Your Breast Pump" to gain a better idea. And check out my primary and secondary pump reviews if you're in the market for one!
- Prepare a fridge/freezer supply for whoever will be watching your child while you work. Unsure how many bottles you'll need during the day? Take a look at this post.
Now that you've got the gear figured out, it's time to consider where you plan to pump.
Pick a good spot
Whether you plan on taking breaks to pump during work or taking some time to put baby to the boob, have a spot set up for yourself that is ready to go for breastfeeding. I see too many moms who dash away from a Zoom call to slap on the pumping bra or put the baby to the boob who then get trapped with 15-20 unproductive minutes. If you have a spot plotted out for breastfeeding, you’ll be more productive, whether you’re using the time to relax, reconnect with baby, or continue working.
Your spot should:
- Be different from your working spot (it can even be behind you, or in another part of the room. Just so it isn’t in front of you all the time).
- Have everything you need for breastfeeding: comfortable place to sit, pumping bra, pump, water, snacks, timer, photo of baby, bottles, burp cloths or towels, wipes.
- Have everything you need for whatever else you plan to do during this time: Reviewing documents? Responding to emails? Taking a few minutes to close your eyes? Deep breathing?
-
Keep multiple flanges and bottles around so you don’t have to wash or wipe them each time you pump.
While it’s absolutely possible for moms to keep working while pumping, my advice is to take a few minutes for yourself. Set the scene, take a few minutes to relax, breathe deep, and massage your breasts as you pump if you are looking to get maximum output. Especially at first, this can make pumping while working from home more sustainable.
If you are pumping and baby is home, consider pumping in private. The last thing you want is to have baby distracted by the aroma of their next meal!
Have a sense of humor.
I’ve been known to make faces at a kid while on a Zoom call, or even pause a call when things are getting a little too rowdy in my house. The mom-guilt can creep up in so many ways when working from home, and one of them happens when your kids get in the way of your work life. It can seem embarrassing, and you might feel guilty for not getting your work done. But most of the people I work with are super happy when a kid interrupts their boring work day.
Unless your work is ultra-secretive or you know your workplace would not be friendly to a glimpse of a kid, just roll with it. Introduce the kid on the Zoom call, then take care of their immediate need, and then get back to work. If you have to step off of a meeting for a second, do it. But if it’s happening more than you’re comfortable with, talk to your childcare provider.
For toddlers, a fun and colorful double-sided sign on the door can signal when you are available and when they need to give you privacy.
Don’t take on more than you can do.
Moms especially often feel like they have to get back to work after childbirth and prove that they’re still good at their job. Don’t exhaust yourself trying to do everything all at once. Once you plan breastfeeding times into your schedule, you’ll know how much you can accomplish in a day. Don’t try to do more.
Be patient with yourself.
In my experience, it’s been a lot harder to keep strong boundaries between myself and kids and husband when working from home. It’s not only that they know I’m home, but I know when they’re around and sometimes I want to get pulled into the tractor beam of family while other times I wish I worked miles away! The key, as with anything, is balance. When breasts get too full, life gets uncomfortable. When work gets too full, it gets uncomfortable!
Final Thoughts
Working from home while breastfeeding can give you the best of both worlds: more time with your kids and the ability to keep working when kids are young. The most important thing is to find a schedule that works for you and allows you to keep your sanity while giving your attention to work, home, baby, and you. If breastfeeding is your goal, then a flexible, sustainable, balanced plan is what will keep baby drinking your milk for a long time.
Throwback 2020 when working from home looked a little different than it does now
