1. Create a schedule

If you have been exclusively pumping, this shouldn’t be too difficult. But if you have been nursing while on leave, this might be a little more complicated.

Start with figuring out what you want your morning routine to look like. Will you nurse or pump before you leave the house in the morning? Or will your baby be sleeping and you will need to pump first thing when you get to work?

Once you figure out when that first pump time needs to be, then add three or four hours to it (depending on how frequently you are needing to empty). If you are on an every three hour schedule, you may need to have three or four pumping sessions during your work day depending on how long your shifts are. If on a four hour schedule, two to three pumping sessions may suffice.

When I first returned to work, I pumped right before I left the house, at 11 am, and at 3 pm. Then I was able to make it home and get settled in before I had to pump again around 6-7 pm.

As time went on, I was able to stretch the amount of time between pumps. I also got the Momcozy S12s and pumped on my drive to work, during my lunch break, and on my way home.

Lastly, you need to know how long you need each pump break to be. If you pump for a 20 minute session and take another 10-20 minutes to store the milk, clean your pump parts, and get your clothes back on properly, then you will need a 30-40 minute break. If you pump for 30 minute sessions, you may have any to allocate 40-50 minutes for your break.

Much of my work was on a laptop, so I was able to do one of my pumping sessions during my lunch break and the other was a working pumping session. Think about if there is any aspect of your job that you can effectively do while you are pumping.

2. Know where and how to store your milk

Don’t go to work unprepared for where you are going to put your milk once you pump it.

First, you will need enough storage for the milk. I had to make sure I had enough storage space for up to 20 oz of milk, possibly up to 30 oz just in case I got stuck at work for longer than anticipated or went into the office early.

I like these 9 oz bottles that fit directly on my Spectra S1 Plus pump. If you use Medela or another brand of pump, I highly recommend finding storage bottles that fit directly onto the pump parts.

Next, breast milk is only good at room temperature for up to 4 hours, so you are going to need to cool it.

I shared a mini fridge with one coworker who was also a mom and breast milk didn’t bother her, but maybe your work isn’t comfortable with you using a company fridge. Or maybe you’re not comfortable putting your baby’s food in the same fridge as everyone else’s lunches.

If this is the case, you can invest in a small cooler like this Medela one (I used this one mainly for road trips). The bottles fit up to 5 oz each (more if you filled them to the brim).

3. Create a plan for cleaning

Once you have your milk stored properly, you need to make sure your pump parts are ready for their next use.

If you have easy access to a sink in the break room or luckier still, in your lactation room, you are golden and ready to go. Just make sure you have soap and something to dry them with.

My preference was to bring two sets of pump parts and then I would wash and sanitize them when I got home.

4. Read up on your rights

Be informed of your legal rights before you do this, in case they respond negatively to your requests. You will want to read up on the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the new Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act (PUMP).

Note: The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only.

5. Talk to your employer ahead of time

Well in advance of returning to work, contact your immediate supervisor, manager, or a Human Resources representative, whoever you are most comfortable having this discussion with. Let them know you will be pumping and require the time and space to do so.

Present a plan on how to cover your needs to them. Don’t assume they know what you need. Make sure to cover the following in your plan:

• The schedule that would work best for you.
• Is there any aspect of your job that you can do while pumping?
• What location you would be most comfortable pumping in?
• Where to store breastmilk?
• Where to clean your pump parts?

Be open to discussion and compromise.

Hopefully they respond positively and you quickly sort out a plan with your employer. If they do not respond positively to your request, you may need to escalate your request.

7. Practice

Before your first day back at work, practice waking up with an alarm at the time you need to wake up to go to work. Go through your morning routine pretending that you are actually going to work. Make sure you are giving yourself enough time to get everything done, pump if pumping before work is in your schedule, and make sure your bag is packed.

You will also want to go into your place of work and physically look at the room you will be pumping in, where you will wash your pump parts, and where you will store your milk. Make sure everything is where you expected it and is in the condition you expected it to be in.

If you are storing your milk in the company fridge, you may want to request that it be cleaned prior to your return.

Also take note of how long it takes you to walk from your work station to the area where you will pump. Does it take longer or about the same as you expected.

While you are there, go through a pumping session and time yourself from when you leave your work station until you return to your work station. If you are finding it is taking longer than you anticipated to get everything done, let your employer know that you may need some grace in the schedule until you get the hang of it.