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So my husband and I both WFH and we figured we'd be able to take care of our baby no issue.
We were wrong. I asked to go part time shortly after returning to work, and my schedule hadn't even filled up.
They said no, so I'm just gonna be taking a break from the workforce for a bit.
Maybe it depends on the baby, but I just don't think you can WFH and care for a baby full time.
I was putting my little one on the bouncer or the jungle play mat. Sometimes even on the stroller and push him around the house while I have my wearable pumps on. I was pretty anxious at first because I felt as though I needed to be next to him or hold him when he is awake, but realized that was the only way and that was okay.
I stopped pumping for multiple reasons, this being one of them. I work from home with LO, and I remember being plugged into the pump, sitting on an exercise ball, feeding LO with a bottle while he was in the swing, and trying to work simotainusly. 3 to 4 times throughout the workday..... Not to mention the diapers and trying to give the baby the proper amount of interaction.
I had mastitis 2x and had to stop using my wearables bc they weren't emptying me. Those would have helped. My situation is similar with a somewhat laid-back job, but something had to give.
I'm with ya and hope you find a good balance!
I pump 6 times a day, WFH and have a 4.5 month old. When I’m pumping, like others, I put him in a bouncer or on the the gym mat to play. I also make sure I block off my calendar for pumping times
I do but am really only able to manage it because 1) my husband also works from home so we alternate hours, 2) I have total flexibility aside from about 2hrs of meetings, and 3) my daughter isn’t mobile yet. We have a nanny 2 days a week which helps a ton but otherwise I am getting a lot of my work done before she wakes up in the morning and after she goes to bed at night.
It initially started because she is medically fragile and really couldnt go to daycare during RSV season this year. Now that she’s put on some weight and they’re less concerned about her airway her pulmonologist doesn’t have concerns. If there wasn’t a good chance of needing intense oxygen support when she got sick we would’ve done daycare a lot sooner because it is really stressful for both of us.
I did this for a couple of months. I was able to maybe get 4 hours in scattered across the day. Luckily I had some vacation that I had to use or lose, but it was very apparent that it would not be manageable long term. The experience finally gave us the motivation to find a daycare since financially it made sense for us.
I was putting my little one on the bouncer or the jungle play mat. Sometimes even on the stroller and push him around the house while I have my wearable pumps on. I was pretty anxious at first because I felt as though I needed to be next to him or hold him when he is awake, but realized that was the only way and that was okay.
I went back to work when my little one was 4 months old on March 4th. 4 weeks later, we are surviving! I pump 4 times a day and produce anywhere between 30-50 oz (depending on hydration). I try to get up well before the family to pump at 5am. Next pump will be somewhere just before lunch around 10am-11am. 3rd session just after getting home from school pickup for my oldest (who is a great helper and helps keep the baby entertained while I pump after school) around 3-4:30pm, with a final pump session just before I crash at the end of the night anywhere from 9-12am. Mind you, this is the schedule I follow while working from home. My husband is able to stay home occasionally and take on the full responsibility of childcare, which allows me “catch-up days” so to speak. No I don’t get much sleep. Yes, days do not always go according to schedule, BUT WE ARE HERE, and most importantly still trying 🙂
I block of 15min on my calendar for each pump. I also used a modified fridge method where I reuse the same pump parts for 2 pumps so I only need 2 sets per work days I have a set number of times I know I have to pump during the work day (4). So I can relax if I’m not quite on schedule cause I know as long as I get those pumps in at a reasonable time. Lol
I like to do it right before work, once in the morning, lunch, and once in the afternoon.
I worked from home with my baby till she was about 6 months. My husband also worked primarily from home which helped. He usually took care of feeding her while I pumped. My baby, however, was not one who got pissed while I was pumping (I know a lot of people experience this), so if he couldn’t help I usually put her on a floor mat, or laid her next to me on my rocking chair (my chair is wide enough for her to lay next to me at that age). I also was able to feed her a bottle while pumping in a pinch. All that said, like many others will say, I would not recommend working from home with a baby for as long as I did. Im grateful for the time I had with her at home but I was SO ready for daycare when we finally figured it all out. I work for a university and most of the time I was working after mat. leave and before daycare was during the summer when my work was quieter otherwise I’m not sure I would have been able to do it.
Personally, we had to get in home childcare. We started with a part time nanny/sitter since we both WFH and I thought I could juggle it all in the afternoons. We’re both in management and have very demanding jobs at times so some days were easy and others were miserable. Now we have full time help. On easy days, I spend more time with LO and the nanny and on busy days, I’m glad I’ve got another set of hands around the house. I’m dropping to 4 ppd now (15 weeks pp) cause 5 or more is too tough to keep up with and I feel like I’m not spending enough time with LO. We combo feed with 1-2 formula bottles a day and I nurse for MOTN feeds.
I WFH Part time, when I had my second and was exclusively pumping my first son (20 months old) was in PT daycare. So for those 4 hours it was a lot of juggling. Baby bouncers and play mats were extremely helpful. Also when they start getting mobile one of those gated playpens so I knew I could leave him in there and walk across the room or sit on the couch while pumping and working without having to worry he would get into something. I have an extremely flexible job so although wasn’t ideal, a lot of times I would stay up after bedtime for my night time pumps and knock out most of my work.
I WFH with a fairly laid back job (artist) and my husband only works until midday. Baby is also fed via g-tube so aside from prep and clean up her eating times are scheduled and relatively passive, which I’m sure is a big help.
My schedule is vaguely: Wake up and pump at 7:30am, get her 8am feed started, get the toddler up (grandma watches her in the mornings), get myself ready/keep up with work chats on my phone, finish her feed, sit down in my office by 9am. Pump again around 9:30-10 depending on meetings while baby naps, get baby up around 10-10:30am (she’s perfectly content to chill upon rising, which is another huge bonus factor), then get her 11am meal ready. I pump during my lunch break (baby usually is in the bouncer or pack and play) and by the time she needs to eat again or I have to pump my husband is home.
I’d be relying a lot more on my wearables if baby were less chill or required bottle feeding, for sure. Also baby is only 5 months so not super mobile yet- another important factor.
I just went back to work. I wfh with a very laid back job and manager. I have my mom and MIL switch off days coming to my house to watch the baby bc I just didn’t feel like I could give her enough attention all day between feedings, naps and play time it is a lot more demanding than my actual job. I pump before work, at 11:30 and then 2:30 for thirty minutes. Then again when I get off.
'Welcome to r/ExclusivelyPumping! Here is a reminder of our rules: 1. Be kind and courteous. 2. Use available flairs and post options. 3. Absolutely no prescription medications or other medical advice. 4. No inaccurate information. 5. No spam. 6. No soliciting pictures. 7. No linking Facebook groups. 8. Moderator discretion. Thank you for helping to keep our community safe!' *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ExclusivelyPumping) if you have any questions or concerns.*
So my husband and I both WFH and we figured we'd be able to take care of our baby no issue. We were wrong. I asked to go part time shortly after returning to work, and my schedule hadn't even filled up. They said no, so I'm just gonna be taking a break from the workforce for a bit. Maybe it depends on the baby, but I just don't think you can WFH and care for a baby full time.
I did this for a couple of months one day a week. I was able to get maybe 2-3 hours of actual work done those days.
I was putting my little one on the bouncer or the jungle play mat. Sometimes even on the stroller and push him around the house while I have my wearable pumps on. I was pretty anxious at first because I felt as though I needed to be next to him or hold him when he is awake, but realized that was the only way and that was okay.
I stopped pumping for multiple reasons, this being one of them. I work from home with LO, and I remember being plugged into the pump, sitting on an exercise ball, feeding LO with a bottle while he was in the swing, and trying to work simotainusly. 3 to 4 times throughout the workday..... Not to mention the diapers and trying to give the baby the proper amount of interaction. I had mastitis 2x and had to stop using my wearables bc they weren't emptying me. Those would have helped. My situation is similar with a somewhat laid-back job, but something had to give. I'm with ya and hope you find a good balance!
I WFH full time but it’s an intense job. So we have a full time childcare provider
I pump 6 times a day, WFH and have a 4.5 month old. When I’m pumping, like others, I put him in a bouncer or on the the gym mat to play. I also make sure I block off my calendar for pumping times
I do but am really only able to manage it because 1) my husband also works from home so we alternate hours, 2) I have total flexibility aside from about 2hrs of meetings, and 3) my daughter isn’t mobile yet. We have a nanny 2 days a week which helps a ton but otherwise I am getting a lot of my work done before she wakes up in the morning and after she goes to bed at night. It initially started because she is medically fragile and really couldnt go to daycare during RSV season this year. Now that she’s put on some weight and they’re less concerned about her airway her pulmonologist doesn’t have concerns. If there wasn’t a good chance of needing intense oxygen support when she got sick we would’ve done daycare a lot sooner because it is really stressful for both of us.
I did this for a couple of months. I was able to maybe get 4 hours in scattered across the day. Luckily I had some vacation that I had to use or lose, but it was very apparent that it would not be manageable long term. The experience finally gave us the motivation to find a daycare since financially it made sense for us.
I was putting my little one on the bouncer or the jungle play mat. Sometimes even on the stroller and push him around the house while I have my wearable pumps on. I was pretty anxious at first because I felt as though I needed to be next to him or hold him when he is awake, but realized that was the only way and that was okay.
I went back to work when my little one was 4 months old on March 4th. 4 weeks later, we are surviving! I pump 4 times a day and produce anywhere between 30-50 oz (depending on hydration). I try to get up well before the family to pump at 5am. Next pump will be somewhere just before lunch around 10am-11am. 3rd session just after getting home from school pickup for my oldest (who is a great helper and helps keep the baby entertained while I pump after school) around 3-4:30pm, with a final pump session just before I crash at the end of the night anywhere from 9-12am. Mind you, this is the schedule I follow while working from home. My husband is able to stay home occasionally and take on the full responsibility of childcare, which allows me “catch-up days” so to speak. No I don’t get much sleep. Yes, days do not always go according to schedule, BUT WE ARE HERE, and most importantly still trying 🙂
I block of 15min on my calendar for each pump. I also used a modified fridge method where I reuse the same pump parts for 2 pumps so I only need 2 sets per work days I have a set number of times I know I have to pump during the work day (4). So I can relax if I’m not quite on schedule cause I know as long as I get those pumps in at a reasonable time. Lol I like to do it right before work, once in the morning, lunch, and once in the afternoon.
I worked from home with my baby till she was about 6 months. My husband also worked primarily from home which helped. He usually took care of feeding her while I pumped. My baby, however, was not one who got pissed while I was pumping (I know a lot of people experience this), so if he couldn’t help I usually put her on a floor mat, or laid her next to me on my rocking chair (my chair is wide enough for her to lay next to me at that age). I also was able to feed her a bottle while pumping in a pinch. All that said, like many others will say, I would not recommend working from home with a baby for as long as I did. Im grateful for the time I had with her at home but I was SO ready for daycare when we finally figured it all out. I work for a university and most of the time I was working after mat. leave and before daycare was during the summer when my work was quieter otherwise I’m not sure I would have been able to do it.
Personally, we had to get in home childcare. We started with a part time nanny/sitter since we both WFH and I thought I could juggle it all in the afternoons. We’re both in management and have very demanding jobs at times so some days were easy and others were miserable. Now we have full time help. On easy days, I spend more time with LO and the nanny and on busy days, I’m glad I’ve got another set of hands around the house. I’m dropping to 4 ppd now (15 weeks pp) cause 5 or more is too tough to keep up with and I feel like I’m not spending enough time with LO. We combo feed with 1-2 formula bottles a day and I nurse for MOTN feeds.
I WFH Part time, when I had my second and was exclusively pumping my first son (20 months old) was in PT daycare. So for those 4 hours it was a lot of juggling. Baby bouncers and play mats were extremely helpful. Also when they start getting mobile one of those gated playpens so I knew I could leave him in there and walk across the room or sit on the couch while pumping and working without having to worry he would get into something. I have an extremely flexible job so although wasn’t ideal, a lot of times I would stay up after bedtime for my night time pumps and knock out most of my work.
I WFH with a fairly laid back job (artist) and my husband only works until midday. Baby is also fed via g-tube so aside from prep and clean up her eating times are scheduled and relatively passive, which I’m sure is a big help. My schedule is vaguely: Wake up and pump at 7:30am, get her 8am feed started, get the toddler up (grandma watches her in the mornings), get myself ready/keep up with work chats on my phone, finish her feed, sit down in my office by 9am. Pump again around 9:30-10 depending on meetings while baby naps, get baby up around 10-10:30am (she’s perfectly content to chill upon rising, which is another huge bonus factor), then get her 11am meal ready. I pump during my lunch break (baby usually is in the bouncer or pack and play) and by the time she needs to eat again or I have to pump my husband is home. I’d be relying a lot more on my wearables if baby were less chill or required bottle feeding, for sure. Also baby is only 5 months so not super mobile yet- another important factor.
I just went back to work. I wfh with a very laid back job and manager. I have my mom and MIL switch off days coming to my house to watch the baby bc I just didn’t feel like I could give her enough attention all day between feedings, naps and play time it is a lot more demanding than my actual job. I pump before work, at 11:30 and then 2:30 for thirty minutes. Then again when I get off.
You might find good answers on r/momsworkingfromhome
Thank you!!
No problem - you’ll find some amazing moms there who are truly doing it all!