Feeding your child once you’re back at work

This week’s question comes from Stacey, who’s planning on returning to work at around the 12 month mark. She’s not sure about excessive use of soy, but everything she’s read about vegan parenting seems to suggest that going back to work means heavy use of soy formula.

This seemed a little off to me, and it’s alarming a the very least – after all, we’ve already discovered that there’s no such thing as fully vegan baby formula, solid foods are going to be mixed in at that point, and with all the Council members who were feeding into the third year, I figured some of them had to be working. I passed the question on to the Council of Vegan Parents to see what their experiences had taught them. Here’s what they had to say:

Pump it

Kristie gave this (ahem) formula for formula-free success: “Before Stacey goes back, for maybe a month or so, she should pump after the baby’s nursed and around 11pm (something about milk production increasing around that time) so that when she returns to work, she will have a store of breastmilk in the freezer. The baby can have then have bottles or cups of thawed (in the fridge) and warmed (with a water bath) breastmilk during the day while she’s at work.”

If you’re still exclusively breastfeeding, pumping can seem like a huge effort, but remember, as solids start to get introduced, you’ll have a bit more supply available to put in the “bank.”

Monica advised to take “pump breaks” at work if possible to keep the supply going. This might not work for all job scenarios, but most companies will allow them, just like they do smoke breaks. Talk with your boss if you think there’d be an issue.

Get in league with the League

The La Leche League, that is. Their primary mission is to encourage and support breastfeeding, and there are chapters all over the place. I’ve never attended a meeting, but Angela’s had nothing but good things to say about them. We’ve got a few leaders in the Council that have happily shared advice in the past, but you’re much better off meeting in person so you can dig deep and get the answers you’re looking for.

Meetings are held regularly all over the place – click here to search for one in your area.

You’re still home some of the time

It’s important to remember that even if you’re away for a good chunk of the day, you’re probably still going to be around for feedings at night and in the morning. If you’re shooting for 3 servings of milk per day, that’s 2 of them right there.

Monica passed on an extra tip for night feeds: “many babies whose moms have gone back to work, often make up for missed nursing time with night time nursing sessions, so they find it easier to take their babies in bed with them to avoid waking up many times during the night and then having to go to work half asleep.”

People are doing it

One of my favourite things about Spawn Better and the Council is the first-hand advice that might not always apply to each individual situation, but definitely feels more comforting than some theory from a book that might not even be written by a parent.

Kristie gave some reassuring history: “With my older daughter, I went back to work after 8 weeks and nursed her (almost exclusively for 12 months because she wasn’t interested in other foods) for more than two years without any need for formula. With my younger daughter, I returned to work when she was four months old, and we’re still nursing (she’s now 20 months old.) We did have some issues initially getting her to take a bottle, but that only lasted two weeks. She stopped wanting breastmilk from a bottle or cup around 14 or 15 months. She nurses at night and in the mornings, and all weekend. No formula ever.”

What if you’re not breastfeeding?

If you’ve already stopped breastfeeding, odds are this is less of an issue overall for you – just continue doing what you’re doing. Elaine reminded us to prefer vegan dietary advice from mainstream sources (it’s going to be a bit more conservative, in general, and hopefully safer) such as the American Dietetic Association.

Stacey also managed to answer part of her own question during some follow-up research: as a fan of Vega, the vegan meal replacement shake mix, she asked Sequel Naturals if it was safe for young children. They replied “all of the Vega products, except for the Sport line are safe for your children. We recommend a much smaller serving size for children under one and we always encourage you to take a list of the ingredients to your health care professional for final review.”

More info

As Monica pointed out, working doesn’t have to mean weaning. In addition to the La Leche League, she recommended the book Nursing Mother, Working Mother: The Essential Guide for Breastfeeding and Staying Close to Your Baby After You Return to Work by Gale Pryor.

And of course if you’ve got any follow up questions, you can leave them in the comments or pass them on directly, and we’ll try to get some followup from the Council.

If you’ve figured out how to make the return to work a little easier than you first thought it’d be, please share your ideas in the comments!

Thanks to Kristie, Monica and Elaine for their help on this one!