“I was going through a dilemma when I was supposed to return to work after three months of maternity leave. How would I breastfeed her when I am not with her? My dilemma was: Should I get back to work or let go of my job,” asks Shilpa Sharma, an executive at a software firm and mother of a four-month-old baby.
Most working women face the same dilemma. Of course, breastfeeding is crucial as it is the ultimate source of nutrients for the baby. All doctors recommend that babies are fed exclusively on breast milk for four to six months. This ensures the baby's overall mental and physical wellbeing. But having to quit a job is not the solution.
Express and store
Most women do not know that breast milk can be expressed and stored in a ‘maternal milk container' before going to work, which is absolutely safe for the baby upto four hours at room temperature and a maximum of 72 hours if refrigerated. ‘Breast pumps' available in the market help mothers express more milk. Storing the milk in the maternal milk container helps keep its essential nutrients intact.
Once her dilemma was resolved, Shilpa got the best of both worlds. “Using a breast pump made a huge difference. Now I can leave the baby at home with my mother-in-law and still be sure she's getting the nutrients she needs.”
Returning to work does not mean the end of breastfeeding. For mothers who want to work after delivery means figuring out how to keep nursing without quitting job. Breast pumping gives them the freedom to leave the baby under someone else's care without having to worry about feeds.
It is advisable to start breast pumping and storing in a maternal milk container as soon as breastfeeding is established (when the baby is three or four weeks old) because many babies will refuse a bottle later. Every three or four days the baby should be fed the expressed milk.
Main challenge
The main challenge is to keep the nutrient value intact and keep the milk from spoiling. “Expressed breast milk cannot be stored in just any container as the quality of vital nutrients may get lost or contaminated, says Dr. Nomeeta Gupta, HOD, Department of Paediatrics, Batra Hospital, New Delhi. “The milk should be stored only in the maternal milk container and it should be kept in a cool environment soon after pumping.”
Breastfeeding is essential for overall well being and proper development of baby. But for working moms it can be quite a challenge especially if they work long hours or night shifts. A combination of ‘ breastfeeding and expressed milk' ensures that the babies get the essential antibodies via mother's milk to ward off infections and illnesses that can occur during the earliest years.
What are these?
Breast Pumps are mechanical devices used to extract milk from the breast of the lactating mother. These are absolutely safe and do not have any long-term side effects.
Maternal Milk Containers are specially designed jars made of easy-to-sterilise plastic, which can be easily stored in the fridge or freezer to preserve expressed milk with all its nutrients intact.
The writer is a Senior Gynaecologist based in Delhi.
