Maternity Leave Over: Back to Work Tips

After returning to work on Monday, November 18th (following a 12-week maternity leave), I thought I’d be prepared + get back into it with ease. I thought. I have been at Highmark since 2016 when I started as a PGY-1 Managed Care Pharmacy resident (with a salary less than half of an average pharmacist). I successfully completed the one-year residency program at Highmark and quickly transitioned into a Senior Pharmacist and Residency Program Coordinator on the Clinical Pharmacy Strategies team. A role I’m actually obsessed with. A role that allows me to investigate new drugs, teach students + residents, meet with pharmaceutical companies, and present novel information in an engaging way to physicians, pharmacists, and non-clinical employees. A role that requires around 50 hours (at a minimum) of work every week. The overtime is real but I chose this path. I chose this position because of the challenge it brings every single day. I do love what I do. In regards to returning to work, my first day was a whirlwind with a locked account, 1,500 unread emails, five meetings, and two 30-minute pump sessions (in rooms I couldn’t get into). My team (and my management) make any obstacle conquerable. There is no need to heavily focus on the issues/problems/set-backs. No need. Our jobs are too demanding. Our jobs rely on a team environment. A team that is my rock. I came back to a decorated cubicle with geometric/colorful banners, a glitter “Welcome Back” sign, and large gold bows – they really get me. I truly wish I had this blog post prior to returning to work. I hope this helps new moms (+ is entertaining for those curious about how #workingmoms do it). I do not believe in luck. Instead of saying “good luck,” I’ll say be prepared to jump head first into ice cold water 🙂

Tips for Going Back to Work After Maternity Leave

1. Plan out your outfit ahead of time + make sure it fits! (I did not do this and wore pants that were a bit snug in the waist all day)
2. Have your pump supplies cleaned + ready-to-go in a big ziploc bag!
3. Pack your lunch + snacks (to munch on during pump sessions)
4. Bring a tumblr for hot liquids and fill up with tea (such as “Mother’s Milk” tea) to drink during the day to increase your breast milk supply
5. Bring Medela Quick Clean Wipes to ensure your pump supplies are clean when you are in a rush + do not have time to wash the supplies with soap/water
6. Plan your meals (ensure you have breakfast before leaving to work, use your lunch break to eat + cook dinner as soon as you get home)
7. Wake up 30 minutes before your usual wake-up time to leave extra time to feed, change, and dress your baby (I overslept on the first day + left later than expected)
8. Arrive earlier on the first day to ensure you have access to your computer (my account was locked initially and I had to call our Technology Assistance Call Center to regain access)
9. Schedule a pump session in the morning (between 9 am and 11 am) and a second session in the afternoon (between 2 and 4 pm) and stick to it!
10. Use the exact 30 minutes that you have to pump (arrive on time and leave on time – there could be another working mom in desperate need to pump immediately after you)
11. Be flexible and present (attend as many meetings as you can + do not multi-task! You will find the time to respond to your overflowing mailbox)
12. Ask the babysitter (or daycare) to send pictures and/or videos of your baby (this REALLY helped me out when I was missing her like crazy)
13. Leave work on time! Overtime was a consistent and normal thing for me before being a mom. I now leave on time and simply log on later in the evening when baby is sleeping to catch up (if need be!)
14. Take the time to say hello to fellow coworkers and check-in! (I personally missed everyone tremendously and was eager to chat again)

Pumping-at-Work (with a Medela Pump) Steps

1. Wash hands with soap + water or use hand sanitizer (our lactation room has a large hand sanitizer on the wall for public use – good recommendation for your company if you do not have one!)
2. Place your breast pump on a flat area (desk in front of you)
3. Remove any clothing (if required)
4. Push the small white membranes (circles) onto yellow valves
5. Push yellow valves (with white membranes attached) onto bottom of breast shield connectors
6. Screw on bottles onto breast shield connectors (yellow valve will be inside the bottle)
7. Put on a Medela pumping bra
8. Center the breast shields over your nipples and place the shields through the holes of the bra on both sides
9. Attach the breast shield to the breast shield connector
10. Insert tubing (with the pale yellow hard end) into the back of the breast shield connectors
11. Insert tubing (the open clear end) onto the ports on the front of the pump
12. To note, if you are only pumping one side, make sure to close the open/unused side with the cap!
13. Plug in the metal side of the power source to the right of the tubing
14. Plug in your power source into an electrical outlet
15. When you’re all set up, turn dial in top right corner clockwise (from the off position) to begin the Stimulation phase
16. Adjust speed by turning the dial
17. If you let-down (milk starts to come out) prior to 2 minutes, press the let-down button below the dial to begin the Expression Phase
18. If you let-down after 2 minutes, press the let-down button to return back to the Stimulation Phase
19. Adjust speed by turning the dial (increase until it feels uncomfortable but not painful – then decrease slightly)
20. After ~10-20 minutes (however long you have or until you collect the amount of milk you were expecting to), unplug tubing from the back of the breast shields
21. Unscrew bottles off the breast shield connector
22. Add lids to the bottles
23. Store breast milk in bag with ice pack
24. Turn off breast pump (prior to this the pump continues to run to remove any condensation in the tubing)
25. Unplug breast pump
26. Pull tubing straight out of the tubing ports (no wiggling or pulling at an angle)
27. Remove breast shield connectors from breast shields + set down on paper towel
28. Take breast shields off carefully + set down on paper towel
29. Put your nursing bra back on + remove Medela pumping bra as quickly as possible
30. Put your clothes back on + clean the area with disinfecting wipes (another item our lactation room provides)

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