Breastfeeding was awesome for my waistline. I lost all 50 (yes, 50) pounds of pregnancy weight, plus another 5, bringing me to an all-time low. I ate a ton of food, only exercised once or twice a week, and didn’t think much about it.

Now I need to make changes. I started keeping a food and exercise journal and- my biggest accomplishment- exercising daily. I’m at work for 10 hours a day. For the past month, I’ve squeezed in a workout into my single, precious hour of Time To Myself that occurs each night after my son goes to bed. Workouts are becoming an essential part of my day, not only for weight loss, but because they melt away my stress and make me feel happy. Problem is, that evening hour is shared with studying and projects for my lactation consultant class, laundry, preparing dinner for the next night, and blogging. Oh, and I like to occasionally talk to my husband, who is just as busy with his PhD studies.

Anyway, since I’ve been busy exercising, there’s a little less time for blogging and all the other things I enjoy. So that’s where I’ve been. It’s hard to find balance!

Who else out there gained weight when you stopped breastfeeding? Did you manage to lose it again? Or were you one of those people who held onto the weight while breastfeeding and lost it all after weaning?

In the meantime, I’ve been busy with work and parenting my active toddler! At 16 months, he’s still nursing happily, although definitely not as often these days. When it’s time, though, he’s quite verbal about it. He asks for “Nuh nuh,” in the sweetest voice you can imagine.  And if I don’t comply quickly, he throws in the sign for “please.” My husband loves seeing him ask to nurse and he insists that as soon as we find out lost camera, we’re going to get a video of it.

I still pumping once a day at work so that he can drink my milk with his babysitter. I’m not sure how much longer I will keep that up, but for that little boost to his immune system the hassle of pumping is worth it to me. . . for now.

Here’s what my busy little boy has been up to!

Exploring nature

At the aquarium, laughing at fish

Hiking field trip with his babysitter

After a month of full-time work, I’ve been forced to find ways to cope. Like other working mothers, my days are packed and I wish I had more time with my baby. A month ago, I wasn’t sure I could handle it, but it’s getting more comfortable. Here are a few tips that I want to share- the things I didn’t start out with and have discovered along the way.

Use a hands-free pumping device.

It has revolutionized my pumping experience. The first time I tried one, it was awkward to put on, and in the time it took to get it secured with the pump parts in the right place, I could have been done pumping. So I didn’t start using one consistently until a few weeks ago. After using it a few times, I was able to put it on in seconds. It helps me pump within my allotted break time since I can pump and eat at the same time. I can also read books, write emails, and blog. (Yes, I am pumping as I write this). And I noticed a surprising result: I get more milk.  Apparently, the milk flows better when I can sit back and relax. Some people find these a waste of money because they can rig up their own version like this one (I haven’t tried this, so let me know if it works for you). Here are a couple examples of hands-free pumping bras that I know of, at Easy Expressions and Simple Wishes.

Don’t waste time washing the pieces after each use.

I made this mistake at first, and it was cutting into my work time. Instead, between pump uses, you can just grab all the pieces, stuff them into a clean bag and put them in the refrigerator or insulated bag with your ice packs. (I do a quick rinse first so the milk doesn’t get stuck in the hard-to-clean places). I only do a full washing with soap and hot water at the end of the day, and I leave all the parts in my office until the weekend.

Enjoy it.

Pumping is the only time I have to myself during the day. That’s why I can’t bring myself to be productive during this time. No going online and paying bills, scheduling appointments, or catching up on my job-related work. I often look forward to the days when I don’t have to pump, I can socialize with my coworkers on breaks, and not worry about lactation accommodations at conferences and special events. But for now, I enjoy these few minutes to get away and breathe. I may even find myself missing it some day.

For a great collection of posts on working and breastfeeding from other bloggers, check out the September Carnival of Breastfeeding on working and breastfeeding. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the links.

What suggestions or questions do you have about pumping at work?

My related posts:

Life after maternity leave

Back-to-work nursing strike

1.  Breastfeeding support group. A bunch of moms sitting around, with cookies and fruit, bonding over our babies. I wish all mothers everywhere had a local group like this.

2. My grandfather’s funeral. I flew across the country with my 10-week-old baby to be there for it, and I wasn’t about to let a fussy baby force me to leave the service. I nursed him through the entire thing, and both he and I were so grateful. Many people praised him afterward for being “such a good baby, we didn’t hear a peep out of him!”

3.    In my bed. Hundreds of times. In the early weeks of sleep deprivation, there was no better place to feed my baby.

4.   The mother’s room at our local Westfield Shopping mall. I would have been fine with a chair in a quiet corner in a store, but then I discovered the comfortable, well-decorated mother’s room. They even have small rooms with curtains if you want more privacy.

5.   An adorable little shop outside of Los Angeles called Bellies, Babies, and Bosoms. Cute, cozy atmosphere and so many great baby things to look at.

6. On the beach. The breeze, the crashing waves, palm trees, cuddling my baby. . . heavenly.

This was going to be a top 10 list, but I can’t think of any other place worth adding. Instead, I find myself thinking of some of the worst places. That will be the next list. Stay tuned.

Initially, I dreaded the return from maternity leave to part-time work. I thought of how much I would miss my baby, wondered how I would manage to get myself ready and out the door on time in the morning. I imagined breaking down crying in front of my coworkers from the stress of it all, and I worried that my milk supply would diminish.

But it wasn’t bad. I found some ways to juggle my time, continue to provide breast milk, and spend quality time with my son. I’ve gotten used to this, and I like my part time schedule. I pump 3 times during a full work day to maintain my milk supply and provide milk for the bottles.

A few things that helped me transition from full-time mommy to part-time work:

• Pictures of my baby in the office

• Adding a lamp with soft lighting. When I turn off the fluorescent overhead lights and turn on my lamp, it’s a different world in my office, one that helps me relax and feel comfortable as I pump.

• Phone calls home while pumping. My son loves to “talk” on the phone, and I love to hear his babble and button-pressing.

• A great babysitter. We have similar values and she loves spending time with my son. I know that he is safe and well-nurtured during the day. She helps with housework during his naps, so my husband and I come home to a clean kitchen and have more time to spend as a family.

Next Step: Working full-time

Now that I face a new transition to even more time away from home, I’m having those same fears I faced a few months ago. Working part-time is one thing, but full-time? How will I have time to get anything done at home? Will I miss all of my son’s upcoming milestones. . . his first steps, new words, new games?

I have weighed the options, and the bottom line is, with my husband in full-time graduate school, we need my income. I enjoy my career. The expense of full-time babysitting is going to hurt, but still leaves us enough to live on. My job is a full-time position, and that fact would be difficult to change. So back to work it is.

My Full-Time Work Survival Plan includes the strategies above, plus:

• Cooking and freezing meals over the weekend, so we can skip weeknight cooking and spend more time together.

• Getting up EARLY before my son awakens. This will be tricky, as he’s an early riser. It will take some discipline to get to bed early to get enough sleep. But getting ready for work once he awakens is slow and stressful. I think the time to start getting ready in peace will be worth it.

• Exercise. I’ve let this slide lately, but even though it takes time from my day, I sleep better, feel more energy, and it makes me happy. Oh, and I discovered that a few minutes of stretching and yoga poses before pumping at work helps me make more milk.

• Buy baby food. When starting solids, I made all of my son’s foods. Then I discovered jarred food. They make his dinner prep quick and easy, so I picked the most nutritious ones and stocked up for weeknight meals.

• Lots of weekend nursing. To help my milk production keep up, I’ll nurse him more often than he’d normally take a bottle. I don’t think he’ll object!

If you are a breastfeeding mom preparing to work outside the home, I’ve found a couple good resources. The first, Nursing Mother, Working Mother, is a book I have flipped through but haven’t read. And I just came across another called The Milk Memos that I would love to read. . . someday. When I have more time.

He’s the support team behind this blog. Technically, as in, he set the whole thing up for me and is teaching me how to use it as I go. But more than that, he was the most important source of support as I learned to breastfeed our son.

He was compassionate when I told him how I just wanted to quit. Many important people in my life gently suggested that maybe breastfeeding wasn’t worth all the effort it took to overcome our complications, and reminded me that I wouldn’t be any less of a mother if I switched to bottle-feeding. I appreciated that.

But my husband knows my determination, and how strongly I felt about breastfeeding. He reminded me it was worth it, and more than once, suggested I just keep trying a little longer. It was just what I needed, every time.

While the ultimate decision in how to feed a baby is usually up to the mother, studies have shown that the father’s attitude toward breastfeeding is the strongest influence on her decision. If I’ve got any Dad readers out there, take note.

Patrick, your encouragement and support have meant the world to me.