We know that WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months and accompanied by other foods up to two years or more, whenever the mother and the baby so desire. Unfortunately, this is sometimes difficult, because in our country at the moment maternity leave is 16 weeks (just under four months).
Is it possible then to do exclusive breastfeeding up to six months? Y It is possible to maintain breastfeeding even if we have already joined the work? Can we do it without having to pump milk at the office? Here are some tips to make this easier.
Know your rights: the lactation permit
During the first months of the baby's life (9 or 12 months, depending on the work), mothers have the right to breastfeeding leave, with which they can be absent one hour a day without reducing the salary for breastfeeding (breastfeeding is not distinguished from artificial).
We can use it to breastfeed directly or to express milk, and we can do it in the middle of the day or enter later or leave earlier (in these cases it is usually only half an hour).
In many cases they offer us the possibility of grouping breastfeeding hours and thus delaying the return to work 2-4 weeks (cumulative breastfeeding). There is also the possibility of assigning part or all of the permission to the father.
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Sometimes we think we cannot do exclusive breastfeeding because we have to join work before our baby turns six months old. This term refers to the type of milk and not the container, so we can do deferred breastfeeding, give breast milk in a bottle (or glass, spoon ...) and we will also be talking about exclusive breastfeeding.
Although it is not easy, maintaining breastfeeding when we join work is possible, even without extracting milk in the office.Returning to work is not synonymous with stopping breastfeeding
For many moms, returning to work is equivalent to ending breastfeeding. Many do not want to rely on the breast pump or can not express milk in the office. Some spend many hours away from home and do not find it feasible to extract so many times. But nature is wise and adapts to everything.
So, if we don't want to get away at work we can keep only the evening and night shots When we are with our baby. Or some moms keep only those at night, or the first thing in the morning. Our body and our baby will adapt to everything, and we will get more benefits if we perform mixed breastfeeding (combining artificial milk with breast milk), than if we stop breastfeeding and pass exclusively to formula milk.
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Although it costs and we do not want to think about returning to work, it is good that we prepare in advance. We don't need to do it with a lot of time, but we must be clear, at least a few days before, how are we going to organize.
If our baby is less than six months old and we want to maintain exclusive breastfeeding, we must first express milk to make at least the first / first days. We must also decide whether or not we are going to pump milk at work. In case our baby goes to the nursery, we will have to inform ourselves about the possibility of being given breast milk.
In Babies and more How to extract and preserve breast milkMake your own milk store
We can start to take out milk to freeze and have it ready when we return to work. The first extractions can be disappointing, but you have to be patient. The breast, used to breastfeeding only one baby (or 2 in the case of twins), now has to produce for one more: the breast pump. In addition, the baby extracts the milk infinitely better than the most powerful of the machines. Therefore, patience and training
We can take a little while throughout the day and store it in different containers in the refrigerator throughout the day. When they are all at the same temperature, we can gather them and freeze them (provided they have spent less than 24 hours). And if on occasion we get enough, we freeze it as soon as possible. I recommend making sachets (or cans) of different amounts (for example, 50ml and 100ml), to adjust to the baby's needs and waste the minimum milk possible.
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Breast milk lasts a certain time depending on where it is stored, as we can see in the table below.
Ideally, use fresh milk (not frozen), preferably. It is not necessary to heat it (and it should not be done in the microwave), just bring it to room temperature or temper it by soaking it in a bowl of hot water or under the stream of hot water.
Once thawed, it can be kept refrigerated for up to 24 hours for later use; It should not freeze again.
If you can, get milk at work
Many moms don't feel like having milk at work and others, unfortunately, can't do it (although we should always have the opportunity). If we are going to spend many hours in the office, it is an excellent time to take one or several shots.
We just have to have a clean space to be able to do it with tranquility and a fridge to store the milk (in case of not having it we can take a portable fridge and cold storage). To improve the extraction we must avoid being very aware of the breast pump; Thinking about our baby or watching videos or photographs of him usually helps to extract more milk.
Watch for milk rises
Whether we plan to pump milk or if we have prepared not to do so, we can have a rise in milk at work, especially the first few days. Therefore it is convenient do not forget about breastfeeding discs and be prepared to express milk if needed (breast pump or manual removal).
Sometimes they don't want to eat
Most babies who have had exclusive breastfeeding are reluctant to bottle feed at first. The problem is not usually that they don't like milk, but they don't like the container. They usually accept it better if they give it to someone else and they don't feel close to mom.
In addition, bottle feeding is not mandatory; you can drink the milk in a glass, with a spoon… And if they are older than six months and have already started complementary feeding, we can take advantage of the hours we are not with them to take other foods.
Courage, you are doing very well
Is not easy. It is not easy to separate from a baby so small that he still needs us so much. It is not easy to express milk at work and it is not easy to make the decision not to. But ** we always do the best we can ** and thinking about our children. You are doing it very well.
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