Breastfeeding and working

[kelliestarr]

I am breastfeeding my 2 month year old son and have not worked since Jan/08. I am currently not looking for work but I would love to work again but don't know if I'd be able to handle breastfeeding/pumping and working.

Well out of the blue my friend calls me and says she has a job for me and I start this Tuesday. OMG what a shock!!!! The job is at a coffee shop making minimum wage from 2 pm to 10 pm full time one day a week off. I will be working the afternoon shift alone. It is in a different city and will take me 2 or 2 1/2 hours to get there since I don't drive. So that's 4 to 5 hours of traveling to and from work. I am afraid if I do this my milk supply will go down and my breast will get engorged. My plan is to pump and never give my son formula. But will I be able to handle pumping and working?
I live in a smaller city that don't have a lot of jobs offers.

On the other hand I would love to work to have my own money. My boyfriend and I are living with his parents and I would love to have money to move out on our own. But it would be very hard to get by on just his salary.

Should I take the job or forget about it?

[GRose]

If you qualify for WIC they will give you a free pump. They aren't the cheapo ones either.

[cminamyer]

If you go back to work will you have to pay for childcare or will you BF or another family member be able to take care of your son?  If you have to pay for childcare and are only working minimum wage then it's not really going to be worth it.  But I agree with sweetangle that you should put your pros and cons and decide from there.  What state do you live in?  Some states, such as California have laws that if you work an 8 hr shift you get two 15min breaks and one 30 min break which would give you time to pump.  Also, you can get a pump that is $40 or $50 but they don't last that long and most don't really do that good of a job, you could probably express by hand and do as good of a job as one of the less expesive pumps, if you want a really good pump that will last and do it's job then it will be about $250 for a really good pump on the lower end.  Good luck and I hope you can make it work, do what is best for you and your family.

[daisymomlove]

I know how you feel.  I'd want to work too.  Wow 4-5 hrs of a drvie to and from work?  That's kinda far.  Honestly I'd try to find something way closer.  As for the brestfeeding.....my bf brestfed her son and worked at the same time.  It seemed like such a hassle to do it.  She worked at a bank and the people there wasn't very understanding about her being a new mommie and takeing breaks to go breastfeed.  They were real jerks.  But she would put the night before she had to go to work and the next morning the amount that he would eat and maybe an extra milk bottle.  She would lie to her job and say that she had to go to the bathroom and she would go in there and pump her milk.  She said that she didn't want to do it in her car in fear someone would see her lol.  But she did tell me that you have pump every two hours or else your milk would slowly start to dry up.  Breastpumps are very pricey as well.  I think the cheapest is like $40-$50.  But good luck but that seems like such a far drive.  

[sweetangel7]

This is a tough decision.  I've worked for minimum wage before and I would do it again in a heartbeat if that is what it took to take care of myself and my family.  The economy is bad and if you are able to get a job, then I think you should take it especially if it coincides with your goals of becoming financially independent (moving out of bf's parents house and surviving on your own with bf and baby)....That is priceless!  I applaud you for wanting to do this...it doesn't sound like it will be an easy thing considering the commute.  However, if pumping is important to you, you need to make your needs clear and see how the shop feels about your breaks etc.  When I have my baby and go back to work, I will try to pump on my lunch break but that will be my only opportunity throughout the day...I NEED to work in order to sustain my family so pumping will either work with my schedule or it won't and I'll have to give up breast feeding if it doesn't.  So, pumping is important to me, but not so important that I could risk my mortgage, utilities, loans etc.  So, essentially, I say decide how important this is to you...pros and cons of it all and base your decision on what is best.  Good luck!

[GRose]

Me personally, I would not take a job at minimum wage with all that travel time. By the time you get to work you are going to have to pump again or else you supply will go down.
I pumped for several months when I went back to work. I pumped every 2 1/2 to 3 hours and I had a double pump so I did it for a total of 15 minutes each time. It is a big commitment but I am very glad that I stuck it out.
Another thing you need to think about is whether or not this coffee shop is going to have a room you can go into to pump and if they are going to be OK with you taking frequent breaks to pump.
I say forget about it.
Good luck with your decision and good job on deciding to breastfeed :)