So you’ve landed on this post, welcome! You’re likely a breastfeeding parent/teacher or you love a teacher/parent who’s breastfeeding. Sending a big hug your way. This is not the easiest task at hand, but it’s likely really important to you!
My Journey
If breastfeeding is the route your family is taking, I was also on that path as a teacher. Here in late January 2021, I am winding down our breastfeeding journey. I am still using my breast pump multiple times per day at work. As I walked into this season in August 2020, I knew I would be pumping at work for several months. I read, and read and read. I found some great hacks, some resources that personally didn’t work for me. Thankfully I also found things that extended my journey and made it all so much easier.
Don’t forget…
There are so many factors in your workplace that play into your experience as a pumping parent. I cannot answer all of those questions or solve those potential problems for you. Be sure to familiarize yourself with these laws in place for nursing/pumping parents. You have rights!
My breastfeeding journey was/is important to me, and so is my job. It can be hard to hold both truths at once, knowing they both pull at huge amounts of your energy and time. Do whatever is best for you, your family, and your baby. This path in your parenting and teaching journey can be full of ups and downs. Whatever way you choose to or are able to feed your baby, it’s the best one!
What resources worked for me?
My go-to account and blog for all things babyhood/motherhood/parenting/breastfeeding/pumping is Bumble Baby. This small business is local to me, but they provide services to families all over the world! They share TONS of free and paid content that really helped guide me in my pregnancy, new mom stage, as well as my transition back to work. You can find them on instagram here and their website here.
Pumping Supplies
I personally use 3 different pumps that really helped keep my journey going. 3 sounds like a lot, but bear with me.
1.) Before work, I drink my coffee and use my Lansinoh Manual Breast Pump and my Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump. I use these two non-electric pumps because I leave my electric pump at work. This has been an easy way for me to get my daughter’s first bottle made, or enhance my freezer stash, depending on what supply is looking like. The Haakaa is a great way to grow your freezer stash without actually increasing your milk supply. It does this by using suction rather than suckling. Here’s a helpful image from Real Mom-ish on how to actually use the Haakaa. At first it’s a little hard to wrap your head around how to get it to work!
2.) I pack up that Lansinoh Manual Breast Pump and bring it with me to work. (This may seem silly but believe me, I learned the hard way.) The actual real-deal breast pump I use most frequently is the Spectra S1 Rechargeable Breast Pump. I leave this at work. Knowing my Type B forgetful-ish personality, I had visions of picturing my Spectra sitting on the counter as I was commuting to work. So if I leave my pump at work, why do I bring my manual pump too? Well, here’s a cautionary tale.
Let me back up for a moment. I use a few pump sanitizing/cleaning supplies to ensure my pump parts are clean for each use. I personally like Medela Quick Clean Breast Pump and Accessory Wipes, but I also know many people use the Medela Quick Clean Breast Pump and Accessory Sanitizer Spray. Both actually clean your pump parts, as though your washing it with soap and water. Can you actually clean these parts with soap and water after every use? Of course, I just don’t know many teachers that have the time and space to do this a few times everyday.
Another great tool, if you have the time, are the Medela Quick Steam Sanitizing Bags. I have used these many times at home, but never found the time to do this at work (though honestly, they’re reusable and really quick and easy). Though I clean my pump parts after each use, I do like to bring the parts home everyday to wash them in the dishwasher. This is personal preference.
Ok, back to the cautionary tale. As one can assume, all those little parts to the breast pump are actually essential to it working. Not like, “Oh, that little plastic piece? No big deal. I’ll just use it without it!” Nope. All of the parts literally make it work. So, when you leave one little tiny set of backflow protectors in your sink, your pump doesn’t work. Yes, I am speaking from experience. You really don’t want to be the teacher panicking that your body may leak and/or explode because you forgot some tiny piece of plastic. Sigh.
So how do you prevent this? Buy extra sets of pump parts and keep them at work or in your car. Bring a manual pump with you!
Other helpful products
Two other products I use regularly are my Pack-It Freezable Lunch Bag and my Wet/Dry Bag for Pump Parts. The lunch bag literally stays frozen itself, so you can freeze it overnight at home (or school if you have access to a freezer). Your milk will stay cold until you can bring it home to your sweet baby! This is a really helpful and no-stress product that I’d recommend to anyone. Plus, it’s useful when you’re no longer pumping! The wet-dry bag is another no-brainer. Having a bag that you can easily rinse out is so important. If no one has told you yet, I should let you know – pumping and nursing is pretty messy.
Supplements
I literally trust everything from Motherlove Organics. All of their products are totally clean, it’s a small business run by a parent herself, and they are so quality.
The supplements that I use regularly and have seen great benefits are Motherlove’s More Milk Moringa and Motherlove’s Balancing Blend. More Milk Moringa supports milk production, which is so helpful because often our bodies respond differently to a breast pump rather than our actual babies. This supplement is fenugreek-free. I am personally unsure how my body responds to fenugreek, but there are a variety of reports about how bodies tend to respond to this herb. I figured going for different herbs to start would be a good option. Moringa is awesome!
Hormone fluctuations in motherhood are *real* and the gentle blend in Balancing Blend has helped me tremendously with the transition back to work. As with any and all supplements, be sure to consult with your healthcare provider before starting use.
If you want to try Motherlove’s More Milk Moringa, Motherlove’s Balancing Blend, or any other Motherlove product, use the code MissBehavior20 at check out to get a 20% discount!
Sending a hug! You’re the best parent for your kiddo and you. can. do. this!
