What It Takes
First and foremost, pumping at work takes true commitment. It is hard enough to juggle work on its own and pumping on its own, but doing them together…WHEW!!! And depending on your line of work, getting time to pump can be hard to say the least. For me, going back to work meant a 10hour day packed full of patients to see…without any scheduled breaks!! I know, I know… but truth be told I did that to myself. I chose to work four 10hour days without scheduled breaks vs working five 8hour days with scheduled breaks. Less days away from my baby!!! So thanks to my choice, my pumping time was going to be limited to patient no shows and/or powering through appointments to build in my own little break.

It also takes will power. It is not always easy to say no, to ask for help, and to be assertive. I was always the provider that was ahead of schedule and never ever running late. I also would always do as much as I could on my own without increasing the work load of others around me. And I also did not regularly put myself first. Having a breast fed baby changed the game for me! In my case this meant that on occasion patients would have to wait while I pumped for 20 minutes, or asking the nurse to help handle a few things for me so that I could pump. It also meant that my mind set had to be on providing for my son, which equals putting myself first. This sounds easy enough, but when it is not your norm, it can be hard.

Pumping at work also takes a support system. Without my nurses…there is absolutely no way that I could have successfully pumped during the day. They made sure my schedule accommodated pumping and if it didn’t…they made it happen! Thank you ladies! My son and I appreciate you more than you know 🙂

Pumping at work is like adhering to a workout routine…it’s hard work…but it’s oh so worth it!

Before you read my work essentials list, I should tell you that I have always been addicted to Amazon Prime. But, over the last two years it has become a little bit of a problem for me. I have learned that if I can not get free two days shipping – or sooner sometimes – I do not need it! For the most part, everything I buy is from them. I really should own stock in Amazon haha!! I have Amazon Affiliate Links below of my favorite essentials for the working mommy-just click on the photos!

Essentials

Cleaning Wipes: These are great if you do not have access or easy access to soap and water and you want to pump more than one time while away from home.

Hands Free Pumping Bra: This is a MUST! This allows you to multitask like a rock star.

Burp Rags: I used this to wrap up my pump parts, dry them off, and in general just keep the pump parts away from work stuff. I love these burp cloths. They are super soft and durable.

Pump: I absolutely love this pump. It is super reliable and so compact. It is easy to throw in into your diaper bag and still have room for everything else. Mine came with a coupon for a free hands free pumping bra – BONUS!

Extra Bottles: I estimated about 2 bottles per pump session. I wanted to pump at least 2x during the day, so I brought 6 bottles daily, just in case I got lucky and could pump a third time.

Insulated Bag with Ice Packs: I used my lunch bag and put an extra ice pack in it to condense the amount of baggage I was taking to work daily. It was easier for me to do that than to carry the additional bag with icepack provided with the pump. It also gave me the ability to store more than 4 bottles. This is my multipurpose bags and the ice packs:

Chic Diaper Bag: Absolutely love this bag. It’s perfect to carry with and without baby!

And of course water, water, water!!! It is so important that you stay hydrated. It helps your body feel and work better and it also helps that supply. Drink up mamas!