I work away from home - should I breastfeed my baby anyway

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Many women now work away from their homes. This can make it hard for a mother to give her baby nothing but breast milk during the first 6 months. But your baby could get sick without your milk. A working mother should not have to choose between her work and her child’s health.

This is why working mothers need help. Some jobs allow a mother to bring her baby for a few months. This makes breastfeeding the easiest. If a mother has child care nearby, she might be able to breastfeed during the day, on her breaks. Some employers organize child-care centers so that parents can have their children close by.

Here are some ways to make sure your baby gets only breast milk while you are at work:

  • Keep your baby nearby for 6 months.
  • Or have someone bring the baby to you at feeding time.
  • When you are with your baby, feed it only from your breasts. If you sleep with the baby at night, it may feed more, and this will help you to make enough milk.
  • Some women ask a friend or a relative, like the baby's grandmother, to breastfeed their baby. If you want another woman to breastfeed your baby, she should be tested for HIV and have no risk of becoming infected while breastfeeding.
  • Another way a woman can give her baby breast milk during the day is if she can have time at work to remove the milk from her breasts. Then someone else can feed the baby for her. You can remove your milk by hand 2 or 3 times each day, then send or store the milk for someone to feed your baby.

IMPORTANT: Milk that cannot be kept cold will spoil and should be thrown out. If milk smells sour or strange, throw it out. Spoiled breast milk can make a baby very sick.

Sources
  • Burns, A. A., Niemann, S., Lovich, R., Maxwell, J., & Shapiro, K. (2014). Where women have no doctor: A health guide for women. Hesperian Foundation.
  • Audiopedia ID: en010808