MERRIAM, Kan. — The birth of a new child is a special experience, but what follows in the postpartum stage can be stressful.
Aug. 2 through Aug. 7 is World Breastfeeding Week, designated to highlight obstacles nursing mothers have. This year’s focus is on the workplace and what working moms need to continue their nursing journey after maternity leave.
Lauren Woodward and Megan Pozela are sisters who birthed their babies a day apart. Now, at five weeks postpartum, they are thinking ahead to the next step of clocking back into their careers.
Both have either talked with their management or found where the lactation room is located at in their workplaces.
“I was talking to my manager, just like what would this look like for me coming back and having times blocked to pump. So, he was very assuring and accommodating that yes, you will be able to have time blocked,” said Woodward, a physical therapist.
Woodward's sister, Pozela, is a bedside nurse.
"We do have a pumping or lactation room on my floor, which is nice. So, I can walk, I can reserve that room to go pump,” said Pozela. “I do have a wearable pump, so if I need, to I can wear it while I’m working.”
The two moms also attend Advent Health’s weekly breastfeeding group, where they can connect with other moms who have similar questions and issues.
The manager of the Birth Center Program, Kate Porazzo, says each mom’s breastfeeding journey and plan is different. When it comes to returning to work, she suggests starting midweek and regrouping at the weekend, and to always expect the unexpected.
“We teach all of our moms how to hand express. So, that's when you use your hands to compress the breast to get milk out, because you can always leave a pump part at home or there's a power outage and you don't have access to electricity. So, you can't leave your hands at home and they always work,” said Porazzo.
Advent Health’s breastfeeding group meets from 10 a.m. to noon every Tuesday. It's free and open to moms who didn’t deliver at the birth center. You can find more Advent Health resources here.
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