For Employees

Looking for support in your transition to work? You’re in the right place!

Returning to Work Toolkit

Resources, Tips, and Guides for Successfully Pumping & Breastfeeding/Chestfeeding
After Returning to Work

As a pumping or breastfeeding/chestfeeding parent, there's so much to plan for when you make your return to work. Our toolkit includes guidance and checklists to help you navigate this challenging time with more ease.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE TOOLKIT

Your Rights

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Maine’s Nursing Mothers in the Workplace Law requires employers to provide:

Reasonable break time to breastfeeding employees to express milk
- Note that this time may be unpaid or your employer can require you to use
  paid break and/or meal times to express milk
A functional space that is NOT a bathroom each time they need to express

In an ideal world, you would be provided with a private room to pump, with a
locking door and a clear sign-up system. At many companies, however, this is
not possible, and your employer may need to use a less desirable location such
as a storage closet or shared conference room.

In Maine, these protections apply for three years after the birth of a child.

Employers may not retaliate or discriminate against you for
exercising your right to pump while at work.

Limitations:

Notably, there is a chance your employer may be exempted from this law, if providing time or an appropriate private space would substantially disrupt the employer’s operations. If you are facing resistance, and think your company may fall into this category, you may need to be proactive in brainstorming solutions and presenting them to your supervisor.

If You Are Not Being Supported:

First, speak to your HR representative. Summarize any verbal commitments in a follow-up email to create a paper trail.

If speaking to HR does not resolve the issue, contact:

The Maine Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division
207-623-7900 or (TTY) 1-800-794-1110
www.maine.gov/labor

Stocking Up On Milk

You can begin preparing to pump at work about 6 weeks before your return date by pumping and freezing milk. Ignore the photos on social media of freezers full of hundreds of ounces of pumped milk. You really only need enough milk for the first day you and your baby are separated, plus some extra as a cushion!

There are a couple ways to stock up on frozen milk:

Incorporate one pumping session into your day, most days. Milk production tends to be highest in the morning. Pump 20-30 minutes after a feed. The first couple of times you do this, you may not see much more than a few drops—it’s OK! Keep at it. Your body will catch on within a few days and begin expressing more milk, especially if you pump around the same time every day.
If you leak quite a bit during feedings, you can also store up a few ounces at a time by using a passive milk collection tool. There are many on the market, examples include the Hakkaa silicone breast pump, Hakkaa Ladybug, Elvie Catch.

How Much Milk to Store?

Most families only need about 2 full days worth of a milk stash (around 50 oz/1,500 ml). This gives you some wiggle room once you go back to work or to handle unforeseen separation from baby. There is no reason to save more milk than this, unless you:

Travel away from baby (in which case, have ~25 oz/750 ml per day for each day you’ll be gone and pump while you’re separated to protect your milk supply)
Are expecting to be unable to breastfeed for a set amount of time (surgery, for example… you’ll need ~25 oz/750 ml per day for each day and pump while you’re separated to protect your milk supply)
Are exclusively pumping (and then you’ll need… you guessed it… ~25 oz/750 ml per day!)

Your Back to Work Plan

Creating a Back to Work Plan and discussing it with your supervisor in advance of your return to work can greatly increase the likelihood of a positive return-to-work experience for both you and your employer.

Likely, you will need to be proactive about these discussions. Supervisors and co-workers are likely to be more receptive to your suggestions if you have done some research and troubleshooting in advance. For example, if there is not a straightforward location for you to pump, you could investigate some creative options like purchasing a screen for your cubicle, or a sign-out process for a shared meeting room. You could map out a potential pumping schedule and flag any potential hiccups in advance. Pointing your supervisor to online resources about the benefits of breastfeeding and the needs of nursing parents can also take the pressure off of you to explain it all. Pumpspotting and the US Department of Health & Human Services Office of Women’s Health are both great resources.

A template for creating this plan can be found in MSBC’s Return to Work Toolkit.

Your plan can address:

Your approximate return date
Your schedule upon your return. Some topics and questions to discuss might include:
- Are part-time hours or a flexible schedule possible for the first few weeks?
- Scheduling your first day back for mid-week instead of a Monday so you don’t have to make it through a full work week right away
- Would you prefer an earlier start and departure time? Most daycares close by 5:30pm. Or, will you need to work a shorter day and make up an hour in the evenings after your baby goes to bed?
Where you will pump
Set expectations about your anticipated pumping schedule

Revisit your Return to Work Plan approximately one month before your return to work date.
Email your supervisor, or set up a phone call, to discuss any desired changes.

Pumping & Storing Milk at Work

Creating a Schedule

Plan to pump about every three hours while you are away from your baby.

Between set-up, pumping, and cleanup, most pump sessions will take about 20 minutes.

Consider adding your pump times to your calendar, and protect that time like you would any other meeting. Feeding your baby is an important job!

Experiment with your pumping routine. Some parents like to look at pictures or videos of their babies while they pump. Others prefer to be distracted, and listen to an audiobook or podcast. Some people can even manage emails or be on a call (!) while pumping! You may find that adding some massage and compressions before and during pumping increases your output. Make sure you have water and a snack nearby. Lastly, think about ways you can treat yourself for all this hard work you are doing—a piece of chocolate while you pump, words of affirmation, a spritz of a soothing scent.

The Equipment

Consider investing in some extra supplies to make pumping easier:

Extra pump parts
Microwave sterilization bags
Cleaning wipes, hand sanitizer
A large bag to transport your pump
Bottles for transporting expressed milk.
A hands-free pumping bra makes a huge difference and is definitely worth investing in.

Storing Expressed Milk

After you finish pumping, you will need to store your pump parts and expressed milk.

Combine any expressed milk into one bottle, secure tightly, and store in the refrigerator or in a cooler.

CDC guidelines recommend washing pump parts with soap and water and air drying between each session. If you don’t have a clean area to do this (many people don’t), consider storing used (unrinsed) pump parts in the refrigerator between sessions by placing them in a large ziplock or other storage container.

We recommend freezing expressed milk in 2-4 ounce portions to avoid wasting precious milk. Most exclusively breastfed babies don’t take more than 3-4oz or so in a bottle feed, and once frozen milk is thawed it must be used within 24 hours. Most parents use disposable milk storage bags, but there are also some reusable options!