Choosing to breastfeed your baby is widely known and recognized as one of the healthiest choices you can make. Not only does it add a level of intimate contact that nothing else can quite replicate, but it will help both you and your baby to be healthier after childbirth. Unfortunately, many women choose not to breastfeed because they don’t feel they can do so and still continue to work.

Let’s face it, in today’s world, many mothers need to work. Or want to. And there’s nothing wrong with that in either case. Obviously, being away from home, and thus away from baby, adds some complications to breastfeeding. However, with a little extra planning, these obstacles can be overcome.

It is recommended that your baby have only breast milk for the first six months of her life. On top of that, it is recommended that you not use a bottle or pacifier for the first 4 months of baby’s life. Often, feeding your baby with a bottle or offering her a pacifier will confuse her as she’s learning to feed.

Most employers will allow you the four weeks off of work. By law, they generally don’t have much choice. However, if you don’t have paid leave, it might not be feasible for you to take the entire four weeks off.

Some employers these days offer child care on site. If that’s the situation, you may be able to take time to breastfeed during working hours. More and more employers are becoming amicable to working with new mothers and feeding schedules, largely because it’s been proven to cut down on illness both in mother and baby, causing less time lost to sick days.

Of course, if you can’t take the time off work, and you don’t have on site child care, you might have to pump breast milk and allow baby to be fed with a bottle while you’re not there. While it’s not the ideal situation, it’s better than using formula. The danger, of course, is that baby will have trouble switching from one to the other, but it’s worth trying.

Make sure that you introduce your baby to bottle feeding before you have to go back to work. Preferably, have Dad offer the baby the bottle, so she will get used to the idea of being fed by someone else.

Another thing to be thinking about is where you will go, while at work, to express breast milk. Most employers these days are accommodating, but you will obviously want to find a reasonably quiet, private place. While this can be more problematic at some worksites than others, it’s usually a problem which can be dealt with by using a little foresight.

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