53. Want to Breastfeed & Keep Pumping when Returning to Work? How to Make this Work & Navigate the Challenges of Lactation in the Military

Hey beautiful mama! Today we're diving into a topic that's been a significant part of my journey as a mama in the military, and I know it may be for you too.

Breastfeeding, Pumping, Lactation Support in the Military, all things related to this! *Be sure to subscribe to the show so you don't miss this whole series!

I've been there too. Trying to make breastfeeding work while juggling the demands of crazy work schedules, field operations, TDY & time away from baby, PCS', parenting alone, etc. Scrambling to figure out how store milk during field training time, how to PCS with a freezer full of pumped milk, or how to bring breastmilk along when traveling by plane. Figuring out how to handle breastfeeding or keep breastfeeding past 1 year, given the CDC rules. Stressing over keeping up your milk supply and worrying whether you're making enough to meet your baby's needs. Wondering if there are policies to protect us in pumping because you feel like you don't have the support you should from your unit, or are being told to go pump in the bathroom or your car, or worse, that you aren't allowed to take time to pump.

Wherever this finds you -- years into your breastfeeding journey, just beginning, or preparing for it and hoping to make this work, I pray this brings you both encouragement & practical tips to help make it easier to navigate all the challenges that can come with balancing your breastfeeding and pumping goals, with the demands of military life.

We've come a long way in the recent years in increasing the support required for this by policy, but I know oftentimes we're still far from where we need to be and fighting uphill battles.

In this series, we'll cover the biggest challenges I see us all going through on this journey as moms in the military:

• How to maintain your milk supply
• Tips to balance your fitness & weight loss goals and breastfeeding so you're not sacrificing your supply when trying to get back to fitness and meet the height & weight standards
• Returning to work & finding time to pump with a demanding job & schedule (without guilt)
• Overcoming any stigmas around pumping in male-dominated environments
• How to have conversations & advocate for yourself/your family/others to ensure you're supported by your leaders and peers and have a place to pump
• How to make it work to maintain your supply & make a plan to store & transport your milk even during field training, duty away from baby, or other remote or "austere" operational environments with no running water, little to no electricity/refrigeration.
• How to deal with the pressure, anxiety, stress, guilt or feelings of failure that can come with trying to keep up with breastfeeding goals, especially when it gets really hard to stick with it
• What to do & where to turn if you're running into a lot of roadblocks
• How to deal with feeling forced to end your breastfeeding journey not on your own terms because of time you'll have to be apart from your baby, or other circumstances

I'll see you inside!

A couple recommended resources:

Breastfeeding in Combat Boots: Regulations & Resources for All Branches of the Military: LOTS of great tips & info here!

Learn more about Paced Bottle Feeding & how it can Protect your Breastfeeding Relationship

Your local Mom2Mom Global Chapter may have good in-person support and even have a military "branch" of the chapter to join!

And in case you need the reminder today, you're doing an AMAZING job. You are exactly the mama your little one(s) need. Lifting you up sister and here for you!