Coming back to work from your maternity leave is a huge adjustment. While you will not be able to physically nurse your baby as often as you used to, providing her with expressed breast milk is well worth it. If you plan to breastfeed your baby after returning to work, there are many things to think about. When you make your initial plan, it is important to coordinate with your partner, employer and your infant’s caregiver.
Get the right gear – Working moms have to be efficient and it may be difficult if it takes you a half an hour to empty each breast. Consider investing in a dual hospital grade pump that empties both breasts at the same time (Laing, 2009). Make sure you have plenty of milk storage bags, a lunch bag and several ice packs. You will need several baby bottles with slow flow nipples that mimic mom’s breast. This way, your baby is less likely to develop nipple confusion (Ask Dr. Sears, 2011). Purchase extra nursing bras and nursing tops to make pumping more quick and efficient. Determine how often will you nurse your infant yourself – You will have to get ready for work every morning, so you may need to put her on a nursing schedule to streamline your morning routine. Figure out whether you can make it home (or to the daycare) during the lunch hour to nurse you baby and to take time to bond with her. Ask your partner or caregiver to feed your baby in a way that allows you to nurse him when you get home from work. Figure out where you will pump and how often – Ask your employer for a private room that you can use and talk about taking extra breaks to pump. Explain to your supervisor why it is important and communicate to him how you plan on meeting the demands of your job. To keep your milk supply high and to prevent engorgement, you will have to express your breast milk approximately as often as your baby nurses or at least twice during your work day (Ask Dr. Sears, 2011). Find out how you will store your breast milk – It is best to store breast milk in the refrigerator in your break room. You can put the storage bag in a separate container to conceal it. If a refrigerator is not available, you can store the milk in an insulated lunch bag with a few ice packs. Remember that you can only store the milk in a cooler for a few hours, so try to get it home as soon as possible and refrigerate or freeze it (Ask Dr. Sears, 2011). Make sure your partner and caregiver understand how to handle breast milk -Make sure they understand how to thaw, store and transport breast milk, as well as when they should discard it. Explain to them that they cannot microwave breast milk, and that bottles must be washed after each use. Nurse your baby as often as you can when you are home. It will provide him with vital nutrients directly from the source, give you time to bond and stimulate milk production. 
References
Ask Dr. Sears. (2011). 20 Tips for Working and Breastfeeding. Retrieved July 11, 2012, from Ask Dr. Sears: http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/breastfeeding/while-working/20-tips-working-and-breastfeeding Ask Dr. Sears. (2011). How To Fit Pumping Onto Your Work Schedule. Retrieved July 11, 2012, from Ask Dr. Sears: http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/breastfeeding/while-working/how-fit-pumping-your-work-schedule Ask Dr. Sears. (2011). Storing and Transporting Breast Milk. Retrieved July 9, 2012, from Ask Dr. Sears: http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/breastfeeding/while-working/storing-transporting-breast-milk Laing, L. (2009, February). Balancing Work & Breastfeeding. Retrieved July 10, 2012, from Parents Magazine: http://www.parents.com/baby/breastfeeding/breast-pumping/balancing-work–breastfeeding/?page=4
It’s another Thank You! Thursday mamas!!! And guess what we have today??? Rockin Green Eco friendly cleaning products. You all might be wondering what is “Rockin Green”??
Well, let me tell you – Rockin Green is an award-winning manufacturer of eco-friendly cleaning products designed to make cleaning easier and greener. Most well-known for their clean-rinsing laundry detergent formulated for use on all fabrics and especially useful on cloth diapers, Rockin’ Green produces detergents for hard, soft and normal water conditions (known as Hard, Soft and Classic Rock varieties).
Rockin Green was founded by a FABULOUS mompreneur Kim Webb an avid cloth diapering mom who desired a better way to clean cloth diapers and treat her kid’s sensitive skin and we are totally glad she did.
One lucky mama will win a $100 gift card for the purchase of any Rockin Green product through their website: http://www.rockingreensoap.com
To enter, use the widget below to “Like” Rockin Green on Facebook, and tell us why you would love to win the $100 gift card in the comment section. Earn more chances to win by “liking” You! Lingerie and much more.
Open to Mama’s in the U.S only. Contest ends September 21, 2012 at 12:01 a.m. EST. Be sure to check back to find out if you are a winner and remember our basic rules apply.
PLEASE NOTE: If you are chosen as a winner, we will send you an email alerting you of your winnings. If we do not hear back from you within 48 hours, we will pick another winner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
***BUY IT NOW: TANKS ARE NOW ON SALE AT OUR ONLINE STORE ***
***WINNERS ANNOUNCED (8/20) BELOW***:
***UPDATE #2 (8/17) BELOW***:
***UPDATE #1 (8/15) BELOW***:
It’s an exciting time here at You! Lingerie. In September, we are launching our newest collection called the Double You! Maternity & Nursing Tanks. WHOOOOHOOO!!! 
In classic You! Lingerie fashion, our tanks are designed with the same fun, playful, and stylish spirit as our nursing bras, bringing you a collection of 4 flirty and chic colored tank tops (meet Pippa, Lilou, Ashe & Rain). They are all SOOOO cute, I could scream
Featuring a double layered look with dual usage during pregnancy and post-partum, the Double You! Tanks are functional, supportive, and did I mention super comfy without sacrificing style. These tanks are a MUST HAVE essential for the pregnant and breastfeeding fashionista mama…I promise!
Here are the reasons why you too will fall in love with the Double You! Tanks:
- Built-in nursing bra provides support, comfort, and discretion
- Breathable, absorbent, stretchy cotton/elastane blend to accommodate your changing breasts (it grows with you!)
- Easy, convenient and discreet one-handed maternity nursing clips with pretty bows in our signature hot pink color
- Wear strap classic or cross back
- Adjustable satin straps for additional support without compromising the overall appearance
- 90% Cotton, 10% Elastane, machine washable
- Beautifully supports up to a 44 band and G cup with easy sizing – S, M, L, XL
Convinced yet?
Even more exciting is that we are giving YOU a chance to try them before they become available for sale in September. (Are you doing the happy dance yet? LOL ) Twenty five (yes, we said 25) lucky mamas will win these beauties this week. We will be updating our blog to tell you all the ways you can win these amazing tanks, so make sure you stay tuned and check back here throughout the week.
Today, be sure to SHARE, COMMENT,LIKE our Facebook announcement post (You! Lingerie Facebook Page) for a chance to win and don’t forget to enter in the rafflecopter widget below to secure your entry!!!
***UPDATE #1 (8/15)***: There are two new ways to win a Double You! Tank today – Sign up for our newsletter, The You! List, and “Pin It to Win it”. Here is how to submit a “Pin It to Win It” entry:
Step 1: Create a You! Lingerie Pin Board – Create a You! Lingerie Double You! Tanks Board on Pinterest and categorize under Women’s Apparel.
Step 2: Pin Your Favorite Double You! Shots – Pin at least 1 shots per style from below and add a comment to each pin telling us your ranking for the styles.
Step 3: Post Your Board Link Here – Post a link to your board in the rafflecopter widget at the bottom of this blog post.
Be sure to secure your entry below. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at customer_service@you-lingerie.com.
***UPDATE #1 (8/17)***: Calling all Bloggers- As the last entry type, we are calling all bloggers to post a blog about our new Double You! Tanks. We are asking you to tell your readers about our new tanks and why you think they should check them out. The blog entry should have at least one pic of the tanks and a link back to this entry. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at customer_service@you-lingerie.com.
***WINNERS***: Congrats to our 25 winners! Please see the rafflecopter widget for the full list of winners. Thanks to all for participating!!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
