Maternity leave has been a lot of fun. There was also a lot of drama this time around with my husband's accident.
We got to do a bunch of fun things like bbqs, playdates, Sesame Place, Rye Playland, and a church feast. We also got to finish all the bedrooms and do some work in the basement.
It helped having the hubby home during the day on week days. Tyler and Hailey kept me busy so I didn't feel like I was just breastfeeding all day.
Then the accident happened and that stopped a lot of our progress. We haven't really been able to do any more work on the house and there were two other outings we had wanted to do, but I would still chalk this leave up as a success.
It's much better to have my husband home and healing than to have done those last few things. The accident could have ended up much worse.
However, on July 30th I will be heading back to work. This will be a bitter sweet transition. While it will be nice to get back to my normal routine, I will miss being home with the kiddos. In the meantime, there are several things that I'm doing and have done to prepare for the transition.
Pumping
First is pumping. Since Belle was about 3-4 weeks, I have been pumping almost every morning after her morning feeding. In this way, I have been building up a supply of milk for when I am not home during the day.
This milk has been stored in bottles in the freezer to keep it until it is needed. This is essential for breastfeeding mommas. You want to have a healthy supply of milk when you go back to work. This helps your caretaker to be prepared if your baby goes through a growth spurt, or if you have to stay late and miss more feedings than you intended.
Having more milk than needed will also give you peace of mind. Your mind will be stressing enough about leaving your baby, no need to give it extra stress. The more milk you have on hand the better.
Scheduling
In the same vein, the second item is scheduling feedings. Initially, I had Belle's feeding schedule every three hours on the threes. We kind of fell into it and it's easy to remember. When I go back to work, however, I want to minimize the number of times I have to pump. I have therefore adjusted her schedule up an hour. This was easy to do when she had a growth spurt.
When babies are about to have a growth spurt, they tend to become ravenous and eat more often. Therefore, before her spurt she was eating maybe 10 times a day for a few days.
Therefore, when we went back to her normal 7-8 feedings I had them start at 7 am instead of 6. This gives me a feeding at 7 right before I get ready to leave for work at 8. Then I'll pump on my commute, during lunch, and on my commute home. Depending on how well the pumping is going I may do an additional pump in the afternoon in the office.
By pumping at these times, I am able to minimize pumping at work which can be just awkward. While this is of course not always possible, you still want to put your baby on a schedule that will work best for you when you go back to work.
This is the first time that I am breastfeeding while not living close to the office. With my last two babies I was able to go home and feed them for lunch so I only had to pump once during the day. Hopefully this plan will work out. I'll let you know!
Give the Bottle
If your baby is breastfeeding exclusively, they can go for weeks and months without ever drinking from a bottle. Then you go back to work and that's their only option. You don't want to find out that your baby is refusing the bottle while you are stuck at work.
Therefore, you should introduce the bottle several weeks before you go back to work. Now there is a timing to this. Too early and it can disrupt your breastfeeding. Drinking from a bottle is a lot easier than getting milk from a breast.
Bottle feeding gives instant gratification so too early and they won't want to work for the milk from the breast. Too late and they may refuse the bottle. I have found the sweet spot to be between 4-6 weeks.
Another tip is that you should not be the one giving the bottle. The baby already associates you with the boob, so this can be confusing. In fact, you shouldn't even be in the room.
Have a family member that the baby knows give the first bottle. The daddy or a grandma are good candidates. You can use this time for a much needed nap or a date night. After this initial bottle feeding, try to have several more bottle feedings before you go back to work. Not everyday if you don't want to, but maybe around once a week is sufficient.
Childcare
This next one is for all mommas, breastfeeding or otherwise. You need to plan for childcare for when you go back to work. If a family member will be watching the baby, make sure all the necessary arrangements are made.
If the baby will be going to daycare, research talk to and visit several locations. Determine the cost and their hours of service. Meet the staff and tour the facility. Make sure you are completely comfortable with their ability to care for your child.
If you are a breastfeeding, it's important to check if they are willing to give your your baby your pumped milk. Some facilities don't do this because it's too much to keep track of. Peace of mind is everything when heading back to work so doing this research ahead of time is important.
Another thing to check is whether they are willing and able to give updates during the day. This can help to ease the transition. For us, my husband stays home during the day and will be watching the kids while I'm at work. My brother in law will be assisting as well while my husband heals from his accident.
In our case, it makes more financial sense for him to work part time on the evenings and weekends and watch the kids during the day than to pay for daycare. We also like that they get to be with family all day.
This year however, T is starting Kindergarten, so all 3 kids will be home in August and then T will start school in September. For the time being Hails will be home during the day. Next year when she is 3 we will likely enroll her in a preschool program a few mornings a week for socialization.
Clothes
This one is super important for back to work. When you were last at work you were 9 months pregnant. Your clothes were huge. Now you are smaller, but still probably not your pre-pregnancy size.
It's also a different season. I left work in spring, but will be returning in summer. You will want to have clothes that fit your current body and are appropriate for the season. This may seem like its the last priority but it shouldn't be left off the list.
We are trying to minimize the stress of an already stressful time. You are going to be leaving your baby for probably the longest length of time that you have thus far. You don't want to spend the morning trying on 15 different outfits because nothing fits. Plan ahead. Try on your work clothes and see what fits. Then purchase whatever you need to purchase ahead of time.
If you will be pumping at work, consider what clothes will be easier to pump in. Even if you pump in the privacy of your office, it may feel weird to have no shirt on or have to take off the top of a dress with a high neckline. You want to make sure you will be as comfortable as possible.
I think these are the biggies as far as heading back to work. Is there anything you would add to the list? If so, write it in the comments. I have just about 1 week left so if you think of something, let me know!
Cheers,
Emily
