Returning to Work While Breastfeeding: 9 Practical Tips for Nursing Moms

Going back to work doesn’t have to mean giving up breastfeeding.

Returning to work after having a baby is a major adjustment. Between meeting deadlines, managing household responsibilities, and spending time with your little one, you may wonder: Can I continue breastfeeding while working? Will I still produce enough milk? How can I manage pumping during a busy workday?

The good news is that many mothers successfully continue breastfeeding after returning to work. With preparation, workplace support, and a routine that fits your needs, you can continue providing breast milk for your baby.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend exclusive breastfeeding for approximately the first six months, followed by the introduction of appropriate complementary foods while continuing breastfeeding for up to two years or beyond, as mutually desired.

Whether you’re returning to the office, working from home, or managing a hybrid schedule, these nine practical tips can help make your transition smoother.

1. If Possible, Return to Work in the Middle of the Week

Your first few days back at work can feel overwhelming. Instead of immediately taking on a full five-day workweek, consider starting on a Wednesday or Thursday, if your employer allows it.

Why might this help?

A shorter first week gives you two or three days to adjust to your new routine before the weekend.

It also gives you time to identify practical challenges, such as how long it takes to prepare your baby’s milk, when to express breast milk, and how to coordinate feeding with your baby’s caregiver.

My Healthy Child Tip: If possible, discuss a gradual return-to-work arrangement with your employer before your maternity leave ends.

This is a practical adjustment strategy rather than a medically established requirement. What matters most is finding an arrangement that works for your family.

2. Prepare Your Breastfeeding Essentials the Night Before

Busy mornings can become even more challenging when you’re caring for a baby.

Preparing your belongings the evening before can make your mornings less stressful.

Consider packing:

• Breast pump and accessories: Include properly cleaned pump parts, milk collection containers, and your power supply or batteries.
• Insulated cooler and frozen ice packs: For safely transporting expressed breast milk.
• Clean breast milk storage containers or bags: Use containers intended for human milk storage and label them appropriately.
• Breast pads and extra clothing: Helpful in case of milk leakage or spills.
• Water and nutritious snacks: To help you stay comfortable, hydrated, and nourished throughout the day.

According to the CDC, freshly expressed breast milk can generally be stored for up to four hours at room temperature (25°C or cooler), up to four days in a refrigerator at 4°C, and up to 24 hours in an insulated cooler with frozen ice packs.

These recommendations assume appropriate handling and storage conditions. In the Philippines’ warm climate, it is particularly important to avoid leaving expressed milk in hot environments.

My Healthy Child Tip: Prepare a breastfeeding work bag checklist and keep it near your door so you can easily check your essentials before leaving home.

3. Arrange a Comfortable and Private Lactation Space at Work

Before returning to work, ask your employer about the available lactation facilities.

A suitable space should offer privacy, cleanliness, and enough room to express breast milk comfortably.

Ideally, it should have a comfortable chair, a clean surface for your pumping equipment, access to handwashing facilities, and an electrical outlet if needed.

A refrigerator or an insulated cooler with ice packs can help with safe milk storage.

Did you know? Lactation support is recognized under Philippine law.

Republic Act No. 10028, or the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009, provides for lactation stations and lactation periods in covered workplaces, subject to applicable legal provisions and exemptions.

The law recognizes that nursing employees need time and suitable facilities to express breast milk during the workday.

My Healthy Child Tip: If possible, visit your workplace’s lactation area before your maternity leave ends. Familiarizing yourself with the space can make your first pumping session less stressful.

4. Give Yourself Time to Relax During Pumping Sessions

Expressing breast milk at work can feel different from breastfeeding your baby at home.

You may be conscious of the time, worried about unfinished tasks, or concerned about colleagues waiting for you.

These feelings are understandable.

Stress can temporarily interfere with the milk ejection reflex, commonly called the let-down reflex, making milk flow more difficult even when milk is available.

Try these simple approaches:

• Find a comfortable position and take a few slow breaths.
• Give yourself enough time without feeling rushed.
• Consider listening to relaxing music.
• Look at a photograph or short video of your baby.
• Gently massage your breasts if you find it helpful.

Remember: A difficult pumping session does not automatically mean your milk supply is low.

My Healthy Child Tip: Treat your pumping sessions as important feeding-related care, not as interruptions that you need to apologize for.

5. Think About Your Baby to Help Encourage Milk Flow

Some mothers find that looking at a photograph of their baby, watching a short video, or listening to their baby’s sounds helps them feel more relaxed while expressing milk.

This may help stimulate the let-down reflex, which is influenced by the hormone oxytocin.

Oxytocin helps release milk from the breast during breastfeeding and pumping.

You can try keeping a favorite photograph of your baby on your phone or bringing a small item that reminds you of home.

However, these techniques are optional. Not every mother will find them helpful, and that is perfectly normal.

My Healthy Child Tip: Rather than multitasking throughout every pumping session, consider giving yourself a few quiet minutes to settle comfortably and focus on expressing milk.

6. Find a Pumping Schedule That Works for You

One of the most important ways to support breast milk production while working is to remove milk regularly.

Milk production responds to how frequently and effectively milk is removed from the breasts.

The CDC advises that breastfeeding employees generally try to pump about as often as their babies would normally drink breast milk while they are apart.

For many parents of younger infants, this may mean pumping approximately every two to three hours during separation, although individual needs vary.

For example, a mother working an eight-hour shift might need several pumping sessions depending on her baby’s age, usual feeding frequency, commute, and milk supply.

You can discuss your pumping schedule with your supervisor and coordinate breaks around meetings or other responsibilities.

My Healthy Child Tip: Add pumping sessions to your work calendar, just as you would schedule other important commitments.

A predictable routine can help you avoid unintentionally skipping sessions during busy workdays.

7. Prepare for Unexpected Situations at Work

Even with careful planning, your workday may not always go as expected.

A meeting may run longer than scheduled. You might forget an accessory for your breast pump. Or you may experience an unexpected milk leak.

These situations can be inconvenient, but they do not have to derail your breastfeeding plans.

Consider keeping spare breast pads, an extra blouse, and backup milk storage supplies at work.

If a meeting conflicts with your pumping schedule, communicate your need for a break as early as possible.

Supportive supervisors and colleagues can make a meaningful difference in helping nursing parents continue breastfeeding.

My Healthy Child Tip: Identify someone at work who can help you navigate scheduling challenges or workplace lactation arrangements.

8. Monitor Your Milk Supply Without Focusing Only on Pumped Volume

Some mothers become concerned when they express less milk than expected.

However, the amount of milk collected during a pumping session does not always reflect your total milk supply.

A baby who breastfeeds effectively may remove milk differently from a breast pump.

Pumped volume can also vary depending on the time of day, pump fit, pumping technique, and how recently milk was removed.

Rather than judging your supply from a single session, pay attention to patterns over time.

When your baby is at home with you, other useful indicators include appropriate weight gain, feeding behavior, and age-appropriate wet diapers.

If your expressed milk volume consistently decreases, consider whether you have been missing pumping sessions, shortening sessions, or experiencing difficulties with your pump.

A lactation consultant or your baby’s pediatrician can help assess whether there is a genuine supply concern.

My Healthy Child Tip: Don’t compare the amount you pump with what other mothers produce. Breastfeeding experiences and pumping responses vary.

9. Support Your Milk Supply Through Regular Breastfeeding and Pumping

When you are together with your baby, breastfeeding directly can help maintain your breastfeeding relationship and support milk production.

On weekends or days off, offer the breast according to your baby’s feeding cues.

If your baby is younger than six months and exclusively breastfed, continue providing only breast milk unless there is a medical indication for supplementation.

For babies six months and older, continue breastfeeding alongside safe, nutritious, age-appropriate complementary foods.

If you notice a persistent decrease in milk production, increasing the frequency of effective milk removal may help. However, the best pumping schedule depends on your individual circumstances.

Avoid routinely waking an older, healthy, growing baby solely to increase milk supply without individualized guidance. Younger newborns and babies with feeding or growth concerns may have different feeding requirements.

Getting adequate rest when possible, eating balanced meals, and drinking according to thirst can also support your overall well-being.

Drinking excessive amounts of water, however, has not been shown to increase milk production.

My Healthy Child Tip: If maintaining your milk supply becomes difficult, seek breastfeeding support early rather than waiting until the problem becomes more challenging.

Breastfeeding and Working: Know Your Rights in the Philippines

For Filipino mothers returning to work, breastfeeding support is not simply a matter of workplace convenience.

Under Republic Act No. 10028, covered employers are required to provide lactation periods and appropriate lactation facilities, subject to the law’s provisions.

The law provides that lactation periods should be not less than 40 minutes for every eight-hour working period, including the time needed to travel to and from the lactation station.

These periods are counted as compensable working time.

Employers and employees can discuss how these breaks can be arranged to accommodate both the mother’s breastfeeding needs and workplace operations.

Parents may refer to the Department of Labor and Employment and the Department of Health for guidance on applicable workplace requirements.

A Final Reminder for Working Mothers

Returning to work while breastfeeding takes preparation, patience, and support.

Some days may feel easier than others. There may be times when you need to adjust your pumping schedule, seek help, or rethink your routine.

What matters is finding a sustainable way to care for your baby while also caring for yourself.

Breastfeeding and working do not have to be competing priorities. With the right support, they can be part of the same journey.

At My Healthy Child, we believe parents deserve practical, evidence-based information that helps them make informed decisions for their children’s health and well-being.

By Doctors. For Parents.

References

1. World Health Organization (WHO). Infant and Young Child Feeding. WHO Fact Sheet.
   https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/infant-and-young-child-feeding
2. Meek, J. Y., Noble, L., & Section on Breastfeeding. (2022). Policy Statement: Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk. Pediatrics, 150(1), e2022057988. American Academy of Pediatrics. https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/150/1/e2022057988/188347/Policy-Statement-Breastfeeding-and-the-Use-of
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Breast Milk Storage and Preparation.
   https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/breast-milk-preparation-and-storage/handling-breastmilk.html
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Pumping Breast Milk.
   https://www.cdc.gov/infant-toddler-nutrition/breastfeeding/pumping-breast-milk.html
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Breastfeeding and Returning to Your Workplace.
   https://www.cdc.gov/infant-toddler-nutrition/breastfeeding/returning-to-your-workplace.html
6. Republic of the Philippines. (2010). Republic Act No. 10028: Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009. The Lawphil Project.
   https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2010/ra_10028_2010.html
7. World Health Organization (WHO). (2018). Guideline: Counselling of Women to Improve Breastfeeding Practices. Geneva: World Health Organization.
   https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241550468