Nursing Mother, Working Mother: The Essential Guide for Breastfeeding and Staying Close to Your Baby After You Return to Work

by Gale Pryor

Offers emotional support for working mothers and gives practical advice on such issues as selecting a breast pump, integrating pumping sessions into daily work routines, and maintaining a milk supply

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Family, Reference

Paperback

First published July 1, 1997

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very useful and comprehensive, but repetitive. Why does every book about breast feeding try to convince you of its merits and go over the top? If I'm reading it, chances are I'm doing it and I don't need to be hit over the head with all the benefits. It'd be nice for such books to at least acknowledge that it's not for everyone.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the encouraging nature of this book, but I feel that some of the practical "advice" is way off. I liked the chapter on the nutritional benefits of breastmilk - it went into great detail and I learned some new fun facts. But now for the problematic material...First up - she often writes "babies" when she means to say "newborns". The advice given is mainly for babies less than 6 weeks. Next - the "study" claiming babies need to nurse on both sides for 10 minutes to get enough hindmilk. Not all babies nurse the same. Mine does 5 minutes on one side per meal sometimes. People should not obsess about hindmilk so much. It all works itself out.
Next - the bit on co-sleeping. I am not against co-sleeping - I co-slept for 6 weeks and still do occasionally. My daughter is fine sleeping in her crib all night now at 3 months. This bit on co-sleeping sort of made me feel guilty that I'm not sleep-bonding with her. I think the book should be more open-minded to the fact that in some situations everyone does sleep better with baby in his/her own space. Anyway...she also advices that once baby starts eating solids, you can put away your pump while at work. I don't think this is a really good idea, unless you have 3 months of reserved milk stored. Even still - your supply will drop without those pumping sessions. I don't think I would do this until I am getting close to weaning.

[FamilyPenguin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a good read with helpful and interesting information about pumping and storing milk, but could do with an update (some of it is quite outdated; we now have mobile phones!) and an editor (I found a myriad of typos and a few formatting errors in my Kindle edition). Also, if you're not from the US, some of the advice might take you aback a bit as in many European countries we have very clear laws to protect parents; taking piles of paper home to get some work done or attending weekly meetings while you're on maternity/parental leave is certainly NOT something I would recommend.

[Savannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book! Helps dispel the myths that returning to work means an end to breastfeeding. Pryor provides strategies for making the return to work less stressful for nursing parent and baby as well as tricks and tips to common breastfeeding stumbles. Her description of the bond between baby and nursing parent is tear inducing.

[Madison Falcone · Rating 3 out of 5]

So much outdated info (didn’t love that this book promotes bed-sharing) and there were several typos, but I did enjoy the author’s take on being a mother in the workplace and some of the advice is useful.

[Jessi Kafer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very encouraging and helpful information for preparing to work while nursing/pumping. Cosleeping advice is outdated and I wouldn't think very practical for a working mom who really needs to sleep.

[Betsy Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredibly valuable and important book for any new mothers choosing to breastfeed their babies while also returning to work full-time. This book supports women in the workplace, gives mothers confidence to continue to breastfeed, reinforces the importance and value of nursing our babies versus resorting to formula, and allows women to feel connected to other mothers throughout the country (and world) who are overcoming the same obstacles to provide the best for their babies. Pryor offers helpful strategies for success with pumping, working out a feeding schedule, storing milk, and adapting to changes in their babies' needs. This is a must-read for every working mother!

"I realize that continuing to breastfeed while working tied the two halves of my life together and helped me make sense of myself as a mother. Breastfeeding gave my baby the best beginning, and also guided my first steps as his mother. The gentle, intuitive intimacy between a breast-fed baby and his mother provided me with a blueprint for parenting my child long after weaning."

"Breastfeeding, in short, is much more than a feeding method. Beyond providing perfect nutrition at every stage of your baby's growth, breastfeeding is a language, subtle and intimate, between you and your baby, as well as a proud and marvelous expression of your unique abilities as a woman and as a mother."

"When nurturing is esteemed equally with achievement, then the lives of mothers and children will become infinitely easier and more satisfying."

"Woman by woman, we can turn our culture into one that accepts the needs of children and enables all parents to meet those needs without penalty."

[Amie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book damn near perfect. It seamlessly combines all the practical advice a working mother needs about pumping and storing her milk with the emotional wisdom about how to meld the two spheres of a working mother's life in a way that is mutually beneficial for all parties involved, especially her baby. The authors also give a nice nod to all of the working mothers in our anthropological history and point out that the phenomenon of stay at home "homemaker" mothers is a relatively recent one. The book continually emphasizes that a healthy attachment is the best way to minimize the effects of frequent lengthy separations on mother and baby. There were great tips on living life as a nursing, working mother unapologetically in both realms. I really enjoyed the discussion of how women are often encouraged to "compartmentalize" their lives, minimizing their role as a mother in the workplace in order to be seen as able to compete with men. Women entered the workplace often attempting to emulate men, while the authors postulate that a better option is for women to offer our unique set of strengths and talents. There are some excellent tips for maintaining credibility in the workplace after having a baby and avoiding the "mommy track."

Inspirational and empowering, I highly recommend this to all mothers, working outside the home or not, to foster respect amongst ourselves for all the different shapes and forms motherhood can take.

[Inder · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent little book for women who wish to continue to breastfeed after going back to work. It is full of practical advice about pumping, finding a caretaker, etc., but I don't think that's the book's great strength (that advice can be found elsewhere in greater detail). The best part about this book is the sensitive advice on how to deal with the emotional job of balancing professional life and motherhood, while maintaining a strong attachment to your baby. Real advice without a guilt trip - a refreshing antidote to guilty-working-mother syndrome.

Finally, a book about breastfeeding that is both pro-mothering and feminist! Ms. Pryor goes beyond the cliches about women feeling torn between work and motherhood (ah, the false dichotomy) to really support women through this emotionally challenging transition.

This book also gave me hope that I can continue to breastfeed for a long time, although many of my coworkers have not made it past six months. When I read that the author weaned her baby at 18 months, despite working full time from six weeks postpartum, my heart rejoiced. Maybe it can be done?

I strongly recommend this book to any woman who is facing working and pumping. This is also a great companion to Dr. Sears' books - this is the working mother's addendum to Dr. Sears (attachment parenting minus the mild sexism and guilt about returning to work).

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

No, I'm not a working mother. But a lot of people come to me for breastfeeding advice and I like to have read the books I recommend to them. This one was pretty awesome. It was a tad dated (published in '97, so she kept talking about modems and "internet message board communities" which sound really dated now - perhaps you have to read it to understand what I mean?). But other than that it was a spectacular book. It touched on every aspect of nursing while working. It didn't go too in depth about things, which was good because it kept the book to-the-point and there are 4 squillion other books out there for the in depth stuff. But it did give information ranging from how to stay home to how to telecommute to how to work that demanding job at the law firm. Anyone who has to be consistently separated from their nursing baby should read this book!

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good resource, but overly positive. The author seems to really think that you should be able to alter your work hours or convince your boss you can go part time or at least bring your baby to work. She does occasionally recognize "outliers", like the police detective who was in her car with a male partner all day, but lostly it seems you should be able to make your situation better. As if I didn't have enough to do.
That said, she offers good advice about pump selection, keeping up supply and common problems regarding the baby's reaction. Very helpful. I could have used some more practical suggestions about being discreet at work and business travel. She seems to do big ideas well and skim the details.
But this is the only book of its kind that I've read and I'm happy to have it as a resource.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as informative on the logistics of building supply as I would have liked; I guess there's not a cookie-cutter formula that works for all moms, but some examples of how different moms made it work would be very helpful and was what I was really looking for when picking up this book. Had a hard time with the approach that its the woman/mother that will have to carry most of the home and caring responsibilities rather than the partner. Had a very attachment parenting, baby wearing, co-sleeping tone, and was super supportive of the superwoman you-can-do-it-all lifestyle that I don't know I can live up to, but it was generally informative and helped me think through potential issues I might face and emotions I might experience as I face this entirely new adventure. Looks like she offers some pretty great resources for more information that I will definitely check out.

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend this book to anyone going back to work after baby.
Not only did it have practical and good advice about how to make nursing work, it also reassured the reader abou
t the bond between mother and child and how to integrate your new role as "mom" into your life and blend it with "employee."
Really good information and a quick read.

My favorite quote on page 96 "Mothering can teach you to ride life instead of directing it, to be open to unexpected opportunities and ready for sudden turns in the road. You will learn to respond to the rest of your life as spontaneously and intuitively as you do to your baby's cues and needs."

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is breastfeeding guide written for mothers who intend to return to work.

This book is very supportive of mothers who intend to continue breastfeeding when they return to work. However, most of its advice is really applies to newborns and the first 3 months, so if you should read it before returning to work because if you read it afterwards, it won't be very helpful especially when it comes to establishing milk supply and early troubleshooting. It does discuss pumping and storage with many helpful pointers more than general breastfeeding guides, so even if you pick this book up with an older baby, it may still be worth a read.

[Marisa Renteria · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is for sure a good book, full of great ideas and how to blend in motherhood and career through breastfeeding. I think it is wise to keep in mind all babies and mothers are different, different things work for different people. Yet this book offers a wide array of ideas to come up with your own combo of things that work for you. I really appreciated the empowering words on breastfeeding in public, and using a wrap, incorporating your baby and your breast into your life, I loved the emotional support the authors offer about accomplishing both successful nursing and working full time, it is for sure a great read!

[Karen Hsu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had loads of information about returning to work while breastfeeding, which was exactly what I was looking for. I only wish that it had some sort of basic calendar highlighting when you should start introducing the bottle and start pumping and such. Just so it is clear and visual.

There was a lot of pre-cursor pro-breastfeeding info that I felt was unnecessary. But that could be because I went into the book knowing for sure (vs. wavering) that I wanted to breastfeed.

The meat of the book is definitely in the 2nd half.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a good book dealing with breastfeeding and going back to work, though it seemed a bit preachy at times- I agree with other posters that if I"m reading it, I am probably already convinced that breastmilk is best and I did feel a bit guilty that I don't co-sleep with my baby, though she sleeps in the same room for now. If I would recommend only one book for moms going back to work, I would recommend Milk Mamas instead, it was just more practical and felt more contemporary. But if you're going to read more than one book about this subject, I was also recommend this one.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very useful book for nursing mothers who are planning to return to work. Although some of the opinions in the book I don't agree with, the whole book itself was very informative. (There isn't a parenting book out there that I would agree 100% with). With suggestions, tips, and real mother stories this book has helped me to know what to expect and how to prepare to go back to work. From pumping to bonding this book covers a lot of territory and is a very easy read.

[alaynejane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel a little bit more confident about going back to work & nursing my baby after reading this book. However, I didn't think the book was an "essential guide." The conversations I've had with a couple mothers who have worked while nursing have been more beneficial to me than this book was. I also felt like the authors were really redundant and included a lot of irrelevant information. But some of the information was good and I'm glad I read it. It was easy to read.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 2010 edition of this book is a perfect addition to the library for women who know, from pregnancy, that they will be returning to work after their child is born. It covers early breastfeeding tips, ideas for returning to work and reminds parents that breastfeeding might make returning to work EASIER rather than harder on both mother and child.

LLL-vetted it is available in many LLL group lending libraries for LLL Members, so contact your local group to see if it's available.

[Kit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wish there was more practical advice for managing working while breast feeding. I don't necessarily felt like she missed anything, but it was more of a general nursing guide than I wanted or expected.
Also wish she approached it more medically rather than pop culture based. Co sleeping in the same bed is currently considered a significant suffocation risk. I do not recall her even mentioning the risk while she was pushing for it.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for thinking about how to return to work after having a baby. I like their advice about using nursing as a way to stay connected to your baby. It also offers ideas about how to blend the mother in you and the working woman in you. Super helpful to new moms going back to work!

[Kelly Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great overview of all the issues a breastfeeding, working mother will need to prepare for. And it actually had a good bit of information that would be useful even to non-breastfeeding mothers (child care options, flexible work schedules) or mothers who stay at home (breastfeeding basics, taking care of your baby and yourself in the fourth trimester).

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the information in this I had already covered in other breastfeeding books, but I really liked the bits about continuing to breastfeed after returning to work as a way to keep the bonds between mama and baby strong. It was just what I needed as I am about to begin my 5 day a week pumping career when I get back to work.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for the nursing mother to read before her return to work. I found some great advice that I will take with me on my first day back at the office. I think its time for another revision of this book (last revision in 2007) because I found a few things that have changed (i.e. you are now advised to swirl breast milk instead of shaking it).

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liking the general support for working mothers (especially the emotional support and the acknowledgement that balancing work and motherhood is damn hard but doable), not liking the vagueness/lack of citations and inaccurate information. It's like talking to your aunt who is supportive but slightly out-of-date.

[Linsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Its the first book I've reas that really explained what to expect when breastfeeding. It also talks a lot about preparing to go back to work after baby and gives some great insight on how working moms can make breastfeeding while working full time a success.
If you are planning on breastfeeding or trying to decide if it will work for you, I think this is a must read book.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was excellent, the only problem I had with it was that I wanted more direction about how to transition from being at home to working while breastfeeding. That portion of the book was supportive, but mostly platitudes and general encouragement without a lot of specific advice.

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative without bogging you down; discusses options without condescension or proselytizing; level-headed but considerate of your emotional response to returning to work. An easy, quick read which was most helpful and encouraging. The edition I read also had a pleasing dark blue font.

[Jesse Menoni · Rating 3 out of 5]

this one had some strange ideas of spreading the joy of breastfeeding to the unwilling but other than that i thought it had some great ideas and instructions on how to get the most out of breastfeeding - including milk storage, proper technique and things that could go wrong.