If this is your first child, breast pumping at work may feel daunting and overwhelming.

I’m providing some tried and true tips to help you successfully nail breast pumping at work. Whether you have an hour-long lunch break or 15 minutes in between meetings, these tips will help you feel prepared and ready!

This post is all about how to nail breast pumping at work.

1. Find a designated breast pump area

Before you return to work, determine where you will pump. Having a designated, pre-planned place to pump is essential to ensuring a successful regimented pumping schedule.

I work in two different locations. When I am at the main office, pumping is a breeze. There is a nursing room and a calendar where I can schedule the times I’d like to pump throughout the day.

When I am at our second location, however, pumping is a little more challenging. We do not have a designated area at our second location so I have to make sure I determine where I am pumping ahead of time.

Here are some ideas for pumping areas when breast pumping at work if you do not have your own office or classroom:

• Conference room
• Borrow a co-worker’s office
• A closet
• Bathroom
• Your car

Remember, you are entitled by law to breaks to express breast milk. You can read more about this law here.

2. Leave a breast pump at work

If possible, have two breast pumps – one for work and one for home. The absolute worst feeling in the world is being engorged, ready to pump and not having all your pump parts at work.

I’m speaking from experience here! One day I forgot parts of my pump at home. I became so engorged I couldn’t concentrate at work. I had to leave work, drive all the way back home, and grab the pieces I had forgotten.

It is much more convenient to know all of your parts are in their designated area when it is time to pump.

To avoid having to buy two pumps, I would suggest getting the free pump from your insurance and putting a pump on your registry.

Here is my favorite pump:

I love this pump because it is quiet and effective. This breast pump is gentle, lightweight, and simple to use. Its easy to carry and put together, making it perfect for those less than idea pumping locations at work.

This breast pump stimulates my letdown quickly and provides a gentle suction. There are not many parts which makes it very easy to put together and take apart quickly!

3. Refrigerate between breast pumping sessions

To some, this may be a bit controversial (source), but to me, this is one of my favorite tips to nail breast pumping at work!

Instead of trying to wash all the parts between each session, refrigerate the parts between each session.

As a busy working mom, it is often difficult to have enough time to thoroughly wash the parts every time you pump. It takes up precious time that you may not have – especially if you’re squeezing in a quick breast pumping session before your next meeting or classroom schedule change.

It is perfectly okay for me to keep your breast pumping supplies in the fridge between sessions. However, make sure to wash them thoroughly at the end of each day to start fresh the next day.

Here are my favorite nontoxic breast milk storage pods. I love them because they’re eco-friendly. These breast milk storage pods are made from silicone instead of plastic. Instead of buying more breastmilk bags, you just reuse these over and over again! Saves you money and reduces waste.

4. Keep your breast pump supplies cool

After breast pumping at work, makes sure to keep your breast pump supplies cool! Keeping breast milk cold helps prevent bacterial growth. Keep your supplies in a refrigerator bag with an ice pack.

In the morning, pack all my items in the refrigerator bag with an ice pack from the freezer. Store the bag in the fridge at work and after each pumping session, place the freshly expressed milk bags in the refrigerator bag with the ice pack and the pump pieces. Then, place the entire bag back in the fridge.

If you have to run an errand after work or pick up your child, you won’t have to worry about the milk sitting out in the car because you know it is still cold from the ice pack.

5. Make sure to have a breast pump bra

Is this one obvious? It wasn’t for me! Having free hands while breast pumping at work is life changing!

Having a breast pump bra allowed me to be able to pump while still being able to check my e-mail or work on a project.

This breast pumping bra is literally made for the Spectra pump! It is also great for nursing. This bra is comfortable and perfect for easily sliding in your pump flanges. I would recommend buying two or three, if you can – just in case you get backed up with laundry. You’re not going to want to be without these!

6. Make sure your co-workers know you are pumping at work

Before I returned to work, I made sure my co-workers knew I would have to pump during the working day. This is helpful because it can be awkward abruptly getting up during a meeting or leaving a conversation when it’s time to pump.

By letting them know of my breastfeeding intentions, there was an unspoken understanding when I would disappear with my lunch box for 30 minutes at a time.

I also scheduled my pumping times on my calendar. I put the event as private so no one actually knew what I was doing, but it was particularly helpful if someone was scheduling a meeting with me or looking for me in the office.

I sell these adorable signs on my Etsy shop! They’re digital prints so you can order it, download, print it at home and it’s ready to use!

7. Have a bag of supplies

In order to nail breast pumping at work, one of the most important tips is to plan and prepare. Personally, it took me a little bit of time to adjust to pumping at work. Returning to work after maternity leave is already a lot to adjust to, adding breast pumping at work to the mix can bring on an extra layer of stress at first. To manage, think about it as a part of my routine.

After figuring out everything you need to successfully breast pump at work, make sure it’s packed and ready to go every night before bed. Also, have extras! I leave extra markers in our nursing room, I have extra pump parts in my car and extra breast milk pods, just in case!

Bonus Tip: Bring a manual breast pump for emergencies

On rare occasions when I am so swamped at work I don’t have time to have a full pumping session, I use a manual pump. Although it is obviously not as fast as the electric, it does the trick in a bind! I leave this pump in my car so I always have it.

To prevent getting a clogged duct, it is important to make breast pumping a priority. Make sure to pump consistently and not get too engorged. Not pumping regularly is not only uncomfortable, it can also cause a dramatic decrease in your supply.

Remember, you are the supplier of my baby’s nutrients. Prioritizing pumping is important for your comfort and your baby’s needs.

I hope this post helps you with breast pumping at work!

Other Blog Posts You May Like

• Foods Guaranteed to Increase Your Breastmilk Supply (with meal ideas to get you started!)
• Breastfeeding For the Eco-conscious Mom
• How To Prepare For Your Return to Work After Maternity Leave

Being a first-time mom can be overwhelming! Not only are you constantly fighting fatigue, but you’re also regularly making decisions based on your best guess and pure instinct. As my third trimester was coming to an end, one of the things I was the most anxious about was how to actually raise my son.

I kept thinking to myself “I have no idea how to raise a child!” What’s more, I also had no idea if I had the baby items I needed when I brought him home. Ultimately what I discovered (and I’m betting you will too!) is that babies don’t actually need as much as we think they do! Newborns want a full stomach, a consistent environment, love, and lots of snoozes.

If you’re panicked and stressed out about making sure you have everything you may possibly need, here’s a short list to help you feel more prepared with the baby items you need!

Here are 11 Baby Items You Need Before You Bring Baby Home

1.)  Boppy Pillow

I had no idea how important Bobby Pillows were until one of my closest friends purchased one for us. I even had my husband go home and grab it to bring it to the hospital.

After birth, you’re so tired, and having the extra support while cuddling your baby is so helpful, especially if you’re breastfeeding.

Here’s why you need it:

• The Boppy is perfect for visitors. Not everyone is comfortable holding a newborn.
• The Bobby Pillow helps to support the baby.
• This pillow takes away the awkwardness of holding up your little one’s head for those who may be out of practice with baby care.
• Provides a comfortable place for breastfeeding

2.) Hand Sanitizer

At this point, I’m sure all of us have a few bottles of hand sanitizer lying around our home.

Be sure to stock up before the baby comes! Regardless of how many visitors you have, you’ll want to make sure there is at least one bottle of hand sanitizer in each room for optimal convenience. Of course, hand washing is always preferred, but in a quick pinch, hand sanitizer is perfect.

Here’s why you need it:

• It provides a quick clean! In those first few days when you’re still figuring out how to care for your baby, you respond to every coo and cry and may need a quick refresher before rushing to their rescue.
• Having hand sanitizer available and visible is a good reminder if visitors came to see the baby. It provides a subtle reminder to make sure their hands were clean before holding the baby.
• Babies will not receive their vaccinations for several months and have extremely low immune systems. Keeping germ transfer to a minimum is best for you and your baby.-

3.)  Size 1 Diapers (even if you’re cloth diapering!)

Make sure to have at least one pack of size 1 diapers on hand, even if you’re cloth diapering!

I guarantee you’ll use more size 1 diapers than newborn diapers. There’s no harm in stocking up on these. You can always buy newborn diapers if you need them later on.

Here’s why you need it:

• You may not want to cloth diaper right away. As a new parent, you have so much going on and you may want to take a few weeks to get acclimated to motherhood before beginning your cloth diapering journey – and that’s okay!
• The diapers can fit even if your baby is a little smaller. Although you have an idea of how much the baby weighs from your ultrasounds, you won’t really know until they are born. Instead of spending a lot of money on newborn diapers, buy a size up, and adjust the diapers if need be.
• You’ll use the size 1 diapers eventually

4.)  Gripe Water

This is a controversial one, but WHO KNEW THIS WOULD BE SO USEFUL!

I would absolutely suggest to have a bottle on hand.

Here’s why you need it:

• It gets rid of hiccups. Baby Boy would get hiccups (and gas!) all the time. If nursing didn’t do the trick, we would give him the smallest amount of gripe water.
• You only need a small amount. The packaging recommends using ½ a teaspoon, but we found a ¼ of a teaspoon usually did the trick. It worked to settle Baby Boy’s tummy and mommy and daddy’s nerves.

5.)  Nursing cover

This is absolutely a baby must-haves for first time moms!

If you’re anything like me,breastfeeding around family/friends or in public gave me anxiety as a first-time mom. It took a while for the baby and me to get into a rhythm and I would have to remind myself not to get frustrated and upset. As you adjust to your new role as a nursing mom, grab a nursing cover!

Here’s why you need it:

• You’ll be more comfortable nursing in public and around friends and family. Once I started using a nursing cover I was much more comfortable being around friends and family while nursing.
• It’s light and breathable so you and your baby don’t feel smothered and hot.
• It’s made from bamboo – an eco-friendly material.

6.)  Baby carrier

When I first had my baby I wanted all the cuddles! At some point though, I started to miss the luxury of being hands-free. Luckily, I had a baby carrier at home to hold Baby Boy while I was doing things around the house during the day. You can start wearing your baby from day one – as long as they meet the weight requirements for the carrier.

Here’s why you need it:

• A baby carrier offers a hands-free to safely have your baby within reach while still doing another task
• Offers an opportunity for skin to skin

7.)  Diaper changing stations

The rooms in our house we frequent most are our bedroom and the living room. Although the baby’s room is fully decorated and stocked, I knew he wouldn’t spend much time in there for the first few months of his life.

Here’s why you need it:

• Instead of going up and down stairs constantly for items we needed, we made diaper caddies that held everything we needed in convenient areas. We made sure our bedroom and the living room each had a stocked diaper caddy. Inside the caddy, we kept diapers, wipes, a change of clothes, Vaseline, and extra burp cloths.

8.)  Hamper in every room

Hampers are essential for a new baby. Just like the diaper caddy, there was one in every room.

Here’s why you need it:

• There are some days I change baby boy’s clothes 4 times. Having a hamper in every room kept the house tidy and helps to keep his clothes separate from ours.  We used baby detergent and washed and dried on delicate.

9.)  Portable Changing Mat

This is one of those items we didn’t know we needed until we needed it.

As great as a changing table in the nursery looks in photos, it just wasn’t functional for us the first few weeks. We live in a two-story house and there was NO WAY I was going upstairs for every diaper change.

Here’s why you need it:

• 99.9% of the time you’ll probably be pulling out your changing mat in order to change your baby right there on the couch or in your bed.

10.) Vaseline (for baby boy’s only!)

If you have a son and you decide to get him circumcised this is a must.

Get the tube kind, not the jar. It’s a must-have!

Here’s why you need it:

• Vaseline helps prevent the baby’s penis from rubbing and sticking to the diaper while it heals..ouch!

11.) Haakaa

Haaka’s are the perfect item to make sure you don’t waste a single ounce of liquid gold. While you nurse on one side, place the Haakaa on the other side. It was amazing!

Of course, as little man discovered how to wiggle nursing with the Haakaa became a little more difficult. Baby boy would kick his legs while I was nursing and knock the Haakaa and all that valuable liquid gold all over the floor. He especially liked to show off his karate skills during those early morning feeds.

This video was extremely helpful in teaching me positioning to keep my Haaka attached, even with little man’s karate kicks. The super suction technique works like a charm!

Here’s why you need it:

• By using the Haakka you can capture a few ounces of milk without even trying! This is how I began to build up my breastmilk stash in preparation for returning to work.

Do you feel prepared for your little one’s arrival? Do you have any newborn essentials you consider a must-have?

I hope you enjoyed this blog post all about baby items you need for your newborn!

Related Posts:

• 11 Best Inexpensive Eco Friendly Baby Gift Ideas Every Parent Will Love
• Fear of Returning to Work After Baby
• 5 Best Reasons to Buy Sustainable and Fair Trade Clothing for You and Your Kids

I’m so happy you’re here and I hope you learn a lot from my blog. My name is Lacie! I’m a 30-year-old millennial with an old soul. A 90’s baby with a southern upbringing. Born in Louisiana and raised in Virginia. As the author of Teach Go Green, I wanted to give you all an opportunity to learn a little more about me and why I started this blog!

I started Teach Go Green because I wanted to share my environmental education experience and inspire others to live with the environment in mind!

I’m an eco-conscious, glass mostly full, bookworm who believes in God and Black Girl Magic. My days are filled with working as an environmental educator, chasing my active toddler,s and squeezing in time to create content for my blog!

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Thought and Practice and a Master’s degree in Public Administration.

I’m an environmental educator by day and a mom by night. I married my middle school sweetheart in November 2016. He’s my rock, my cheerleader, my best friend.

I’m so excited to be able to share my experiences and document my evolution. I started this blog as a fun, creative outlet to share my thoughts, opinions, lifestyle, and experiences.

Mission

To help busy moms increase their environmental awareness, choose more eco-friendly products, and make eco-conscious decisions that benefit their family and the Earth.

Vision

This blog provides easy, clear, tangible, relatable, and accessible information for you! I want to create a vibe of positivity, motivation, and honesty as you follow along my journey of living an eco-conscious life as a busy mom.