Going back to work is such a huge part of the parenting journey, and it can be a truly stressful transition. You may feel like you’ve finally just figured out your baby’s rhythm, and the thought of having to change it all to manage meetings, a commute, daycare drop-off and pickup can all be incredibly difficult to plan for. Adding in the stress of figuring out how you’re going to maintain your milk supply in the middle of all of it can make that transition feel downright inhumane. This is a challenge I’ve experienced myself, but it’s also one that we hear about in our clinics on a daily basis. You might be worried that you won’t be able to pump enough, or that your baby, who has never been fond of bottles, will simply refuse to eat while you’re gone. Maybe you’ve seen the photos of freezers stacked with neatly labelled bags of milk and started to panic a little about how far behind you must be.
Thankfully, going back to work doesn’t mean breastfeeding has to end, and it doesn’t have to mean spending every spare minute attached to a pump either. Plenty of parents keep breastfeeding after they return, whether that looks like pumping through the workday, feeding only in the mornings and evenings, combining breast milk with formula or gradually doing fewer feeds as their baby gets older. The right plan depends on your baby’s age, your job and what you actually want the next few months to look like.
When you’re looking at advice online, it’s worth remembering that a lot of the advice you’ll see is written for parents going back to work at 12 weeks with a newborn who is exclusively breastfed (and in fact, that was my situation since I was in private practice at the time, with no paid leave). Thankfully, here in Canada, many parents return closer to the one-year mark (or around 18 months if they choose extended parental benefits), and going back with a one-year-old who eats three meals a day and nurses mostly at bedtime calls for a much simpler plan than going back with a four-month-old. This article is going to talk about the practical components of breastfeeding supply only, not about the transition away from nursing for comfort. We can tackle that in another article.
How far ahead should you start preparing?
If you can, it makes sense to start seriously thinking about this a few weeks before your first day back at work. That’s usually enough time to get comfortable with a pump (if you aren’t already), introduce another way of feeding if your baby will need one, and talk with your employer about where and when you’ll pump while at work.
A good first step is to write down how often your baby feeds now and then consider how many of those feeds will fall during the hours you’re apart. A six-month-old who has just started solids needs a very different plan from a 12- or 18-month-old who eats meals and breastfeeds a few times a day.
If your baby has only ever fed at the breast, you’ll need to make sure to introduce feeding pumped milk in either a bottle or a cup before your return to work. Offer a small amount when your baby is calm and showing early hunger cues instead of when they’re already upset, and if you can, let someone else try to feed them this way. Many babies are more willing to take a bottle from a familiar person when the breastfeeding parent isn’t in the room. For babies around six months and older, an open cup or a straw cup can be a perfectly good alternative to a bottle.
If your baby is refusing the bottle or cup, there’s no need to make it a stressful event for everyone. If it’s turning into a battle, that’s a good moment to bring in an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) for some expert help.
Will going back to work affect your milk supply?
It can, but it doesn’t have to. Milk production is a supply and demand event. Your milk supply is determined by how often and how effectively milk is removed, so when you breastfeed regularly your body keeps getting the message to keep making milk. If you start missing several daytime feeds without pumping, your production will likely adapt by decreasing. Pumping while you’re at work is how most parents maintain their supply.
You’ve probably heard this before, but it’s so important to remember that the amount you pump isn’t necessarily the amount your baby would get at the breast. Some people respond beautifully to a pump, and others find it slower or less productive than they expected, even with a perfectly healthy supply. Flange fit, pump settings, the time of day and how recently your baby fed will all impact how much you’re able to pump.
If you’re going back with an older baby who eats plenty of solids, keeping the exact same daytime feeding pattern may not actually be necessary at all, which can take a lot of pressure off of you to keep a very strict pumping schedule.
How often should you pump at work?
The easiest way to manage it at first is to pump around the times your baby would normally feed while you’re away. For many parents of younger babies, that works out to two or three pumping sessions in an eight-hour workday. If you’ve got an older baby who eats solids, you might not need to pump as much.
In practice, a typical work day might look like breastfeeding before you leave the house, pumping once mid-morning and again around lunch, adding an afternoon session if your baby would usually feed then and breastfeeding again as soon as you’re back together. You can adjust the timing based on your baby’s needs, how your body responds and what your workday realistically allows.
If you don’t have a lot of experience with your pump, make sure to practise with your pump before your first day back. Don’t make that the first time you’ve gotten familiar with it. It helps to know how long a pump session takes you, which settings feel comfortable and whether your flanges actually fit. Our online Pumping 101 class, taught by IBCLC Taya Griffin, is a great place to start if you’ve got some questions about how to use your pump most effectively. The class covers flange sizing, pumping rhythms, milk storage and bottle feeding, and it’s available on demand so that you can watch it at a time that works for you.
Pumping shouldn’t hurt. Nipple pain, rubbing, swelling or trouble getting milk out are all signs that something in your setup needs adjusting, and an IBCLC can usually sort that out quickly.
Not sure where to start?
If you have questions about feeding, pumping, your own recovery or all three at once, a free Care Navigator call can help you figure out which appointment makes the most sense. It takes about 20 minutes by phone, and you don’t need a referral.
How much breast milk should you send to daycare?
This is usually the golden question that causes the most stress. The amount your baby needs depends on their age, their usual feeding pattern, how long you’ll be apart and whether they’re eating solids yet.
For the first six months, breast milk or infant formula provides all of your baby’s nutrition. Around six months, solid foods are introduced while breast milk or formula continues to play an important role, so the amount you send will usually change as your baby’s diet grows.
Instead of assuming every bottle needs to be the same, watch your baby’s hunger and fullness cues and ask your caregiver to do the same. Sending milk in smaller portions, with some extra available if your baby is still hungry, also means less of your hard-earned milk gets poured down the sink while you’re both learning how much your baby drinks away from you.
With younger babies, paced bottle feeding can make a big difference. Holding the bottle more horizontally and pausing while they swallow gives your baby more control over the pace of feeding, which is closer to how feeding at the breast works.
Do you need a big freezer stash before you go back?
Most parents don’t have a big freezer stash. Honestly, unless you are a super milk producer, most of the milk that you’ve pumped up until now has likely been for a feed that you’re going to be away for… which means that it will likely already have been consumed. The vast majority of parents going back to work have enough milk saved up for one extra day: they pump today for what will be used tomorrow.
If you’re still breastfeeding your baby throughout the day, your body is already making milk for those feeds. Trying to pump a large surplus on top of that can be really hard, particularly in a short window, and if you find yourself pumping after every feed and anxiously measuring what you collect, I’d much rather you talk to an IBCLC before adding even more sessions. A realistic plan should meet your baby’s needs without taking over every spare moment you have.
How should you store breast milk at work?
Once you’re expressing milk away from home, you’ll need a clean, cold place to keep it until you can take it home. For healthy, full-term babies, these are the CDC’s guidelines for freshly expressed milk.
| Where it’s stored | How long it keeps |
|---|---|
| Room temperature, 25°C or cooler | Up to 4 hours |
| Insulated cooler bag with frozen ice packs | Up to 24 hours |
| Refrigerator, 4°C | Up to 4 days |
| Freezer, −18°C or colder | Best within 6 months, acceptable up to 12 months |
If your workplace is warm or you won’t be using the milk within a few hours, refrigerate it as soon as you can. An insulated cooler bag with frozen ice packs works well for the trip home, and milk transported that way can go straight into your fridge or freezer when you get there.
Store milk in clean breast milk storage bags or food-grade containers with tight-fitting lids, and label each one with the date you expressed it. Thawed milk follows different rules, so use it within one to two hours once it’s at room temperature or within 24 hours in the fridge, and never refreeze it. Any milk left over after a feed should be used within two hours of your baby finishing. If your baby was born prematurely or has medical needs, check with your care team, since the guidance may be stricter.
You can read the full guidelines on the CDC’s breast milk storage page.
What if your baby won’t take a bottle?
A baby who has fed directly at the breast for months may simply need time to get used to something new. Bottle refusal is incredibly common.
Some babies are much more willing to accept a bottle from another caregiver when the breastfeeding parent is out of sight and out of smelling range. Others do better with a different nipple flow, a different position or a different time of day. Offering a small amount when your baby is calm, letting them explore the bottle without pressure and stopping before they get upset tends to work better than persistence, and for older babies, skipping the bottle entirely in favour of a cup can be the easiest route of all.
If your baby keeps refusing feeds, an IBCLC can look at the whole picture and help you find another approach. If your baby is taking very little milk, has fewer wet diapers than usual, shows signs of dehydration or isn’t gaining weight well, please have them seen by their medical provider.
Can you breastfeed in the morning and evening without pumping at work?
Absolutely. For a lot of families, especially those with an older baby, this can become a super comfortable routine. You might breastfeed before you leave, again when you’re reunited and at bedtime or overnight, and over time your milk production adjusts to that pattern.
The main consideration is your baby’s age. For babies under 12 months, breast milk or infant formula is still an important part of their nutrition, so you’ll need a plan for the feeds that happen while you’re apart. For older babies and toddlers who eat a varied diet, you may be able to drop daytime feeds gradually without replacing each one with expressed milk.
If you’re planning to stop pumping during the day, make the change slowly. Dropping nursing sessions too quickly can leave your breasts feeling uncomfortably full and can make you more prone to blocked ducts. If you do end up with a blocked duct, our lactation consultants can help and we also offer ultrasound therapy for blocked ducts in Toronto, Newmarket and Meadowvale.
What are your breastfeeding rights at work in Ontario?
The Ontario Human Rights Code protects you from discrimination because of breastfeeding, which falls under the ground of sex, and the Ontario Human Rights Commission is clear that your employer should accommodate needs related to breastfeeding or expressing milk unless doing so would cause undue hardship.
Depending on your job, accommodation might look like breaks to pump, some flexibility in your schedule or access to a private, comfortable space to express milk (not a washroom) along with somewhere to keep it cold. Accommodation is a two-way process, so make sure to explain what you need. It’s also really helpful to have that conversation before your first day back and to put it in writing. Let your employer know roughly how often you’ll need to pump, how long each session usually takes and whether you’ll need access to a fridge.
If a request is refused and you believe it should have been accommodated, the Human Rights Legal Support Centre offers free legal help in Ontario. You can also read the Commission’s guide to pregnancy and breastfeeding rights.
What if your supply drops after you go back?
If you notice you’re pumping less after going back, you’ll want to understand what has changed before deciding what to do about it. Maybe meetings keep running over so your sessions have become shorter, or you’re going longer between pump sessions than you did between feeds at home. Your pump may need new parts, or the flanges that fit perfectly a few months ago might not be comfortable anymore.
An IBCLC can review how often you’re expressing, check your pumping setup and look at whether your baby is actually getting enough, which, as we know, doesn’t always neatly line up with how much milk you can pump. If your production really has dropped and you’d like to bring it back up, you can build a plan together that fits your schedule.
There may also come a point where combination feeding or gradually pumping less makes more sense for your family, and that’s a decision you should never feel you need to defend. Feeding your baby is the goal, and there’s more than one good way to get there. For me, because I went back to work so early, I was supposed to pump several times during the day and I honestly just couldn’t make it happen with my work schedule. I felt comfortable replacing some of what would have been pumped milk with formula in order to bridge the gap, and for us that worked great. Do whatever works for you and your family.
How an Oona lactation consultant can help
You don’t need to wait until you’re back at work and struggling to book a lactation appointment. Our IBCLCs in Toronto, Newmarket and Meadowvale help families with milk supply, pumping, bottle and cup feeding and changes to feeding routines, and home visits are available too if getting out the door with your baby feels like too much.
If you’re preparing to go back to work, they’ll look at how your baby is feeding now, how long you’ll be apart and what you’d like breastfeeding to look like once you’re back. From there they can work through a pumping schedule, check your pump and flange fit, talk about how much milk your baby may need during the day and make a plan for a bottle or cup if that’s something you’re worried about. And if you’re already back and things have become harder, you can still come in, because there’s almost always more than one way to approach a feeding challenge.
Going back to work can bring up a lot emotionally too, from guilt about leaving your baby to anxiety about how you’ll manage everything, and none of that is a small thing. If it’s weighing on you, our mental health team works with parents through every stage, and you can book without a referral in Toronto, Newmarket or Meadowvale.
If you expect to book more than once, our Oona+ membership takes 15% off initial appointments, 10% off follow-ups and 15% off classes like Pumping 101, which helps your benefits stretch further.
Book with an Oona lactation consultant
In-clinic lactation appointments are available at all three clinics, and no referral is needed.
Prefer a home visit? Book home lactation in Newmarket or home lactation in Meadowvale, or see our in-home lactation page for Toronto.
Frequently asked questions about breastfeeding and returning to work
Will going back to work reduce my milk supply?
Not necessarily. Milk production depends mostly on how often milk is removed, so many parents keep their supply steady by pumping during the feeds they would otherwise miss. If you remove milk less often, your supply will gradually adjust, which is perfectly fine if that’s your plan.
How often should I pump during an eight-hour workday?
Start by matching the feeds your baby would normally have while you’re apart. For younger babies that’s often two or three sessions in an eight-hour day, while older babies who eat solids may need fewer. An IBCLC can help you fine-tune the schedule.
How long can breast milk stay at room temperature at work?
According to the CDC, freshly expressed breast milk can stay at room temperature, 25°C or cooler, for up to four hours. It keeps for up to four days in a fridge at 4°C and up to 24 hours in an insulated cooler bag with frozen ice packs.
Do I need to build a freezer stash before returning to work?
Most parents don’t. If you pump at work, you can usually use what you express one day for the next day’s bottles. If you’re able to produce it, a small backup can be useful for missed sessions, but a large stash definitely isn’t necessary.
What should I do if my baby refuses a bottle?
Offer small amounts when your baby is calm, let another caregiver try and experiment with nipple flow, position or timing. For babies around six months and older, a cup can work instead. If refusal continues or your baby has fewer wet diapers, make sure to see your healthcare provider promptly.
Do I have the right to pump at work in Ontario?
Yes. The Ontario Human Rights Code protects breastfeeding as part of the ground of sex, and employers should accommodate needs related to breastfeeding or expressing milk, such as breaks and a private space, unless it would cause undue hardship.
Can I keep breastfeeding without pumping at work?
Yes, particularly with older babies and toddlers, and your supply will adjust to fewer daytime feeds. If your baby is under 12 months, make sure they’re getting enough breast milk or formula while you’re apart.
Can I see a lactation consultant before I go back to work?
Absolutely, and it’s often the best time to go. An IBCLC can help with a pumping plan, flange fit, bottle or cup feeding and how much milk to send. Oona offers lactation support in Toronto, Newmarket and Meadowvale, with no referral needed.
Going back to work while you’re breastfeeding
There’s no single right way to do this. Plenty of parents pump at work for months, while others breastfeed only at home or combine breast milk and formula, and all of those are good outcomes when they work for your family. If you’d like help putting a plan together, or if things have already become harder than you expected, our lactation consultants are here for you.
