Going Back to Work and Still Breastfeeding: You got this!

Returning to work can bring a lot of emotions and questions about how feeding will look when you and your baby are apart. Whether you are continuing to breastfeed or chestfeed, expressing milk, combining breast milk with formula, or using a combination that works for you and your family, there is no single way to approach this transition. 

With some planning and support, you can create a feeding routine that meets your baby’s needs while also fitting into the realities of your workday.

The goal is not perfection. It truly is about finding a sustainable approach that supports the entire family.

How much milk your baby actually needs

Between one and six months, breastfed babies take an average of about 750 to 900 mL in 24 hours, and that total stays remarkably steady rather than climbing the way formula intake charts do. Divided across feeds, that usually works out to around 75 to 120 mL per bottle.

Worth knowing: you don’t need a freezer stash of hundreds of ounces. What you need is roughly one day’s worth of bottles, plus a modest buffer. What you pump on Monday feeds your baby on Tuesday. 

Build the plan four weeks out

Four weeks before: add one pumping session a day, ideally in the morning when volumes are highest directly after a feeding session. Small amounts are normal. Remember your body is amazing and it has done an incredible job of regulating your milk supply to match your baby’s needs.

Three weeks before: introduce a bottle if your baby hasn’t had one. Have someone other than you offer it, and offer it when your baby is calm at early feeding cues.. Use paced bottle feeding, where the bottle is held horizontally and your baby is upright, so the flow stays slow and the feed takes about as long as a breastfeed. Use the nipple at playtimes for your baby to explore and get familiar with.

Two weeks before: confirm your pump is working properly and that your flange fits comfortably.

Sizing is based on nipple diameter and can change over your feeding journey, which is why I include a flange fit assessment in every consultation.

One week before: do a trial run. A full day with your usual childcare, your usual departure time, and your actual pumping schedule. You’ll find the problems while there’s still time to solve them. Another tip, start work on a Thursday or Friday so that if any concerns arise you have the weekend to troubleshoot.

At work: frequency, not duration

Aim to pump roughly when your baby would feed. Aim for approximately 15 to 20 minutes sessions to replace each feed your baby would have had. 

A few things that help:

• Use hands-on pumping: gentle breast compression and massage during the session typically increases output meaningfully.
• Have a photo or video of your baby on hand, or your baby’s blanket. Letdown is hormonal, and this genuinely works.
• Keep a second set of pump parts at work so a forgotten valve doesn’t cost you a session.

Storing milk safely

Canadian public health guidance for healthy, full-term babies is consistent and easy to remember:

• Room temperature (up to 25°C): 4 hours
• Insulated cooler bag with ice packs: 24 hours
• Refrigerator (4°C or below): 4 days, stored at the back rather than the door
• Freezer: 6 months is best, up to 12 months in a deep freezer at -18°C

Once thawed, milk keeps in the fridge for 24 hours and should never be refrozen. Milk left over after a feed should be used within two hours. Label everything with the date, store in 60 to 120 mL portions so nothing is wasted, and cool fresh milk before adding it to already-chilled milk. 

Your rights at work in Ontario

This part is worth knowing before you negotiate anything. Under the Ontario Human Rights Code, breastfeeding is protected under the ground of sex, and employers have a duty to accommodate to the point of undue hardship.

In practice, the Ontario Human Rights Commission is clear that employees who need breaks for pumping or breastfeeding should normally be given those breaks, without having their pay docked, being penalized, or being expected to make up the time. Accommodation can also include a flexible schedule and a private, dignified space to express and store milk. A washroom isn’t an appropriate space.

If you work in a federally regulated workplace, which covers a significant number of jobs in Ottawa, the Canada Labour Code also provides for unpaid breaks for nursing or expressing milk.

Ask early, ask in writing, and be specific: how many breaks, how long, and where. Most employers respond well when the request is concrete.

Building a plan that fits your actual job

Every return is different. A twelve-month return for a parent working from home two days a week looks nothing like a six-month return to a hospital shift with no predictable break.

In a 60-minute IBCLC consultation I build a plan around your real schedule: how many sessions you need, when to start, how big a stash you actually require, how to introduce bottles without a battle, and how to talk to your employer. You leave with a written plan and a week of follow-up messaging.

I see families in their homes across Kanata, Barrhaven, Orléans, Stittsville, Riverside South, Findlay Creek, Manotick Village, Hintonburg, The Glebe and Aylmer, and virtually across Canada. Evenings and weekends are available, which tends to matter when you’re back at work.

Related questions

How many times a day should I pump at work?

Replace the feeds you miss. Every return to work plan looks different.

How much milk should I have stored before I go back?

Roughly one day’s worth of bottles plus a small buffer, not a freezer full. Day-to-day pumping covers the following day, so most parents need far less stored milk than they expect.

Does my employer have to give me pumping breaks in Ontario?

Breastfeeding is protected under the Ontario Human Rights Code, and employers have a duty to accommodate to the point of undue hardship. That normally includes breaks for pumping without being penalized or required to make up the time, plus a private space that’s not a washroom.

My baby refuses a bottle. What now?

With a responsive, low pressure approach, there are ways to explore what your baby is communicating, support their feeding needs, and find an approach that works. Sometimes it just takes a bit of time to work through.