Less than a decade ago, exclusive breastfeeding wasn’t really something Nigerian moms were doing. Many of us weren’t exclusively breastfed and the prevalent school of thought was that formula was the only real option for Nigerian babies, especially for Nigerian babies born to working moms.

But the tide is turning. A lot of young moms are waking up to the reality that breast milk provides benefits that formula doesn’t. And so where possible, a lot of babies these days are being exclusively breastfed up till the WHO recommended age of 6 months.

For working mothers who typically return to work before their babies turn 6 months, the task of supplying breast milk can seem a bit daunting. We’re all about learning from each other’s experiences on Blazers & Baby so here’s the most complete, most comprehensive list you’ll ever read about breastfeeding as a working mom.

  1. Set the stage early. From the day your baby is born, nurse, nurse, nurse. The more baby nurses, the better your supply will be. The better it is, the longer it’ll last through the disruption of being at work.
  2. Invest in a good pump and start using it before you start work. Get on a pumping schedule while on maternity leave. You’ll get used to the technology, baby will get some practice using a feeding bottle and you’ll build a healthy stash of milk as a buffer for when you start work. Pro tip: Get two pumps. Plan to leave one at work so you aren’t shuttling the entire machine back and forth. You’ll only need to take the bottles and flanges. Your home pump can be a lesser quality pump or even a manual pump, especially if you’ll be nursing baby while at home.manual pump nigerian working mothers blazers and baby
  3. Things that go in your pumping bag: small cooler bag, milk bottles with lids, sanitizing wipes, hand sanitizer, extra breast pads, breast milk storage bags, and all the pump paraphernalia themselves.
  4. Storage: Bottles go in the fridge, milk bags go in the freezer. If you don’t have a fridge you can use at work, cooler bags with ice packs are your best friend. Also remember, mama. This is Nigeria. You need power. If the power supply in your area is truly horrible, consider storing your milk in the coolest part of your freezer all the time.
  5. Milk at room temperature is good for up to a couple of hours. In the fridge, 3-4 days. In the freezer, 3 months. When in doubt, taste it. If it’s off, don’t feed it to baby. (Yes, you should know what your breast milk tastes like when it’s good :))
  6. Dressing. I highly recommend the pumping bras because they allow you pump milk hands-free but it’s up to you if you want to wear them all day. I preferred to switch bras at the creche nursing room where I did my pumping. Switching bras imposes certain clothing restrictions, unless stripping completely naked is okay. Button/zip front blouses and dresses are highly recommended. Button/zip back blouses and dresses come second. Try not to wear colours that’s show damp spots easily (looking at you, grey). Patterns are your best friend and always have a back up shirt / cardigan in your desk.blazers and baby nigerian working mum breastmilk
  7. Where should you pump? If you’re lucky, your office might have a lactation room. Or the office creche might have a nursing room. Or the sick bay nurse might let you use the only ward as long as no one else needs it. Some women have pumped in private offices, in conference rooms, in cars, in storage closets & pantries. If all else fails, some women pump in bathrooms. This has to be seen as a very last resort.
  8. Washing the parts at work: I preferred to rinse the parts after each use with very hot water from the water dispenser and throw them in a Ziploc in the fridge. I washed when I got home. Some moms brought multiple sets of parts.

That said, breastfeeding exclusively as a working mom is a chore. It is work, and a big sacrifice on top of everything else. If all else fails, remember that we all drank formula and we’re all here, strong and healthy. Wishing you the best on your breastfeeding journey. Happy breastfeeding week!

1 Comment
  1. […] job and I was dying to get back until I realized the long hours were never going to go away. My breast milk dried up and I essentially became a shadow of my former self (around 8 weeks after getting […]

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