Member Questions

I returned to work when my son was 10 weeks old. I pumped 3x a day at work to keep him excusively breastfed until he was 7 months. After that, I started back up with graduate school classes, an internship, and continued to work -- so I had to reduce the # of times I could pump and he started getting some formula during the day to supplement. He is now just over 8 months, and he nurses when we are together and gets breastmilk and formula during the weekdays.


I do have a dedicated pumping room in my building, so I am very fortunate to have flexibility to pump whenever I can (when I'm at work). At my internship site, there is a room that works for pumping, but it's not always free and my schedule is usually very full.

I took 6 weeks maternity leave and then continued to pump at work until baby was 5 months old. I had wanted to breastfeed for longer, but between my milk drying up, baby preferring the bottle to the breast, and the stress of trying to pump at work, I finally just gave up. I think I still have guilt about not breastfeeding for longer, but it was the right thing to do at the time. (My work did have a nice set up for pumping and a semi-dedicated room, but it was still very difficult.)

I returned to work full-time at 12 weeks and at 13 months I am still pumping and breastfeeding my son. It hasn't always been easy, but it has been so rewarding.

When I first came back to work, the only place I could pump was in a public restroom with an extension cord running into the closest stall from the nearest outlet. It was not fun, but I would close my eyes and try to tune out everything else by thinking of my adorable little boy. Not long thereafter, our office was expanded and an extra office (with a door that locks) became my pumping room. I pump twice a day and my son takes a bottle of my pumped milk before his morning and afternoon naps. I nurse him right before taking him to daycare and as soon as I get home. I don't have a set date for when I plan to stop, but in the next few months I'll probably cut back to one pumping session per day (I started at three), then stop pumping and nurse only in the morning and at night before letting the little guy decide when he wants to wean.

I had to laugh at Uhura's comment below about quitting breastfeeding when she saw a tooth. I can relate! My son has seven teeth now and there are still days when I worry if he's going to bite my nipple off, but for the most part he understands that if he bites, he doesn't get any more milk. We have an uneasy truce. :)

Like kerflop I work at home and my son weaned himself at about 26 months. I started working from home soon after he was born.

After returning to work at 12 weeks, I continued to pump and breastfeed at night until my daughter was 9 months old, then my milk dried up, or I would have gone longer.

I continued to breastfeed both of my daughters for 12 months after returning to work. Pumping at work sucked because I'd have to schedule it around classes and spend my short breaks pumping. There wasn't a dedicated room but there was a comfortable meeting room with a locking door that I used.

It worked fine and I'm glad I made the effort.