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Breast milk is an important source of nutrition for a baby that lays the foundation of a healthy life right from the start. Breast milk contains all the necessary nutrients required by the baby for its physical growth and development. Women who have taken the decision to breast feed their babies should ensure that they follow a healthy and balanced diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and so on.

Breastfeeding for working moms is definitely possible with some extra amount of planning as well as preparation as employer’s nowadays are becoming more and more supportive in these aspects.

• One of the important do’s of breastfeeding for working moms initially is to decide where they would want to breast feed their baby or express breast milk while they are working. This is an essential decision to take because the breastfeeding mom will require her privacy, comfort and space to do so.

• Women who are hesitant about returning to work post delivery and who plan on breastfeeding their baby should consider options such as bringing their baby to work especially if the office has an onsite baby day care facility or favors breastfeeding women in their workforce to bring their babies into the office.

• Alternatively women can also juggle breastfeeding and working by taking up a part time job which could be in the form of shorter working hours or working for select days of the week only.

• Breastfeeding moms should always ensure that they maintain high levels of cleanliness while breastfeeding or handling breast milk and if they plan on expressing breast milk and storing it they should use clean and capped hard plastic or glass container to store the milk.

• Use of a breast pump to express and store milk is also a convenient option to women who would want to work as well as breast feed. Before pumping women should ensure that they read the instructions carefully so that they are able to get the best out of the breast pump and even understand how to keep it clean. Working women should try pumping early in the morning as the supply of breast milk is abundant during the early part of the day. Breast pumps are a handy device to express milk which allows working women to feel secure that their babies have access to breast milk even when they are away at work.

References

1. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/122/Supplement_2/S56.short