This article comes to you just at the right time! World Breastfeeding Week begins on 1st August 2018 and there’s no better occasion to celebrate it with fellow moms. Breastfeeding is an elixir for babies and even to moms. This beautiful act of expression of love towards your child can get extremely tricky and might lead to a chaos, confusion and disappointment – especially for moms who are working or always on-the-go.

Having said that, the tips I am going to share are applicable to all moms who have to step out of the house for some reason or are travelling with baby and so on. Read on. There’s one fabulous giveaway from Tollyjoy at the end of the post. So, do participate!

Get into the groove:

Believe me the maternity leave flies away like a sand. It finishes so fast. Obviously, we are too engrossed in getting used to the new world in our arms and between pee-poo, diaper changes, vaccinations and breastfeeding, we simply lose track of time!

Until the reality strikes. For my elder daughter, I was on such a roller coaster ride and was completely unprepared for office. I gave a very little thought to the management of baby while I’m in office. Probably because my mom and mom-in-law were there as pillars of support. But still, breastfeeding and all? I could have prepared much better.

Well, my first tip is Get into the Groove! Ensure you are awake to the fact that you are going to resume work soon and prepare yourself for embracing the working life. Once you are fully clear about the adjustments and juggling that you’ll have to do, lots of things fall in place.

Mental prep comes first I would say!

Plan A, Plan B and Plan C

Okay, yes, you are resuming office soon and no escaping that fact. Now time to work out other equations – most important being how to manage Breastfeeding. Every mom wants her kid to be well-fed every time. For a working mom, it’s very important to ensure that her baby gets enough feeds throughout the day when she is going to be outside home.

• Morning before going to office, whether to feed? How many times? Is the timetable of the baby set for this?
• How many times to pump?
• While you are at work, will there be any Moo-moo area in the office? If not, what’s the work around?
• Storage of Breast milk is possible? What are the nuances?

So many questions and you have to be ready with all the answers. One thing from my experience, lemme tell you – Whatever has to go wrong will go wrong.

Even if we try to follow the routine and the timetable for the baby, that little human refuses to oblige and Mommy, you be ready for it! Also, when you are at work, Moo-moo time and your meetings can clash so better be extra careful and alert about it. You have no choice but to be flexible.

Talking to your employer helps immensely. Please Check if your office can provide you flexi-work arrangement or if you can work from home in some urgent situations.

Getting baby used to a bottle

Bottle saves the day. Fortunately, both my kids got adapted to bottle feeds much seamlessly than I expected. Once they are used to drinking milk using bottles, believe me it’s half the battle won.

Of course, am of the opinion to start the bottle feeds not immediately after birth unless there is no other way. Generally, around 3 weeks to 6 weeks is a good period to start trying bottle feeds. As a working mom, when you are back home in the evening, you can always resume your BF duties.

Combination of Expressed milk and Breast milk works well for the baby and for the mama.

When it comes to baby bottles, I would suggest to be very cautious. Which brand, which material, keeping bottles sanitized and ensuring they are completely safe for the baby. It’s crucial to educate caregivers about baby bottle care.

Be ready to pump anywhere

In singapore, many offices have mooing area and special rooms for moms to pump, but if yours doesn’t, you need to be flexible.

Use unoccupied small conference room or any other room for some time, close the blinds and start your business. You might want to put a sticker outside that announces “You are mooing” to avoid sudden entries.

One of my friends used to go to nearby malls’ nursing rooms to express and store breastmilk.

When you are at work and have to express milk, right attire makes the whole exercise a great success. Look for tops or dresses that are easy to use.

Mom, set your priorities right and get the most valuable breastmilk expressed for your baby while you are at work.

5. Prepare your supplies and keep them handy

Make sure you don’t run out of:

• Anti-bacterial milk storage bags
• Day & Night disposable nursing pads
• Manual breast pump
• Nursery Bag
• Sanitized clean bottles
• Hand sanitizer
• Sometimes if you are onsite and not sure whether there will be a fridge available for BM storage then it becomes important to carry cooler with ice packs.

I have been in situations that were really chaotic and hence above list will help you to get prepared in a better way.

When it comes to breastfeeding and milk supplies, I trust Tollyjoy. Have used some of their products and they always work. Some of them are:

Tollyjoy Nursing Bag

Tollyjoy’s Nursing Bags comes in cute designs and attractive colours. Keeping parents’ on-the-go lifestyles in mind, the nursing bags have been designed to be spacious to accommodate all the baby’s necessities and have been well compartmentalized to keep the items organized for easy retrieval.

Tollyjoy Manual Breast Pump Set

Tollyjoy’s Manual Breast Pump Set is a complete pack with a feeding bottle and its accessories, which makes it ideal for breast milk to be pumped directly into the feeding bottle. Its improved suction mechanism helps breastfeeding mothers by enhancing their breast milk expression without needing to use much effort. Ergonomically designed, the breast pump allows mothers to sit back, relax and read a book or watch their favourite film while using just one hand to pump conveniently. To provide utmost comfort, the manual breast pump uses soft silicone for the breast shield and around the diaphragm. It is a lightweight set that can be easily carried around.

6. Keep calm and ensure that baby is well-fed with BM

The first few days / months after you resume your work can be quite taxing. Many a times I felt like giving up my job. Frequent guilt trips, juggling many roles at the same time and that nagging feeling of not-giving-justice-to-anything are all usual symptoms that you will go through.

I would say just keep calm and take each day at a time. Celebrate small successes and enlist help wherever possible.

There’s no need that you have to be perfect. Come on, you are a new mama and you are learning. You have just undergone the biggest phase of your life and you have a new human to care for. Discuss with your partner, parents and friends. Believe me these loved ones will come up with fabulous suggestions and act as stress busters for you.

Take it easy my darlings and you will rock this breastfeeding journey!

 

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RainbowDiaries x Tollyjoy Giveaway

Tollyjoy has put together a breastfeeding essentials hamper worth $98.60 each for 5 winners which consist of: