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Breastfeeding Guidance

Returning to work and breastfeeding

Returning to work and breastfeeding

You can do both! And you don't need to wean your baby early to start back to work. All you need is a continued commitment to giving your baby the best start in life. Here’s what else you need to know:

  • Prepare your baby. A few weeks before you return to work, start introducing your baby to the bottle. It may help to have your partner or another a family member be the one to give the bottle.


  • Start expressing milk. When the baby is taking the bottle, practice pumping your breasts to get your body used to this new method of feeding. You can use freeze that expressed milk to make bottles for your first day back at work.


  • Find a private place at work. Before you go back to work, inform your supervisor of your plans to continue breastfeeding. Together you should be able to find a private room for pumping.


  • Nurse your baby before work. Just before you leave for work, nurse your baby. Then express your milk three times during the workday: midmorning, at lunchtime, and again in mid-afternoon. If your child care is near your work, drop the noontime pumping and meet your baby for lunch instead.

    Moms who work afternoons or evenings can enjoy a similar feeding schedule as well. If your supply is well established, you could drop the midmorning and mid-afternoon pumpings and nurse your baby at lunch and when the two of you are at home together.


  • Store your milk. Place your milk in a refrigerator in a sealed bottle or breastmilk storage bags. You can refrigerate breastmilk for 24 to 48 hours or store it in a freezer up to three months. Be sure to date the containers.

    Breastmilk should be thawed in the refrigerator or in a container under warm running water. Don’t let it thaw while standing at room temperature. And do not heat your milk on the stove or in a microwave oven. It can get too hot and heat unevenly.


  • Use nursing pads. You may find that your milk leaks from your nipples between feedings. You can stay dry and feel confident with absorbent nursing pads, available in light, medium, and heavy flow protection.

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