Meet Tessa: “Going back to work made me appreciate the days I do have with him even more.”

Tessa went back to work when her little one was nine months old. Find out how she adjusted to returning to work, pumping, and breastfeeding her son.

Going back to work as a Goldsmith

“I went back to work when my baby boy was nine months old. Although I enjoy my job (I’m a Goldsmith) I had been dreading going back and having to leave my son at nursery, so I put-off pumping until the last minute.

When I finally tried to get together a stash of milk to give to the nursery it didn’t go very well. I got very little out with the electric pump and so tried hand expressing but struggled with that too. It was quite frustrating but I managed to finally get enough for his first day. 

On my first day back at work I was able to express enough for the next day at nursery because my breasts were so full from missing feeds.

Tessa

On my first day back at work I was able to express enough for the next day at nursery because my breasts were so full from missing feeds. However, my son actually refused his bottle of expressed milk in the first few days at nursery and it wasn’t until day three when he took a full bottle! 

I shouldn’t have been so worried

I think babies are more resilient than we realise and just get on with things when we’re not there. Going back to work actually made me appreciate the days I do have with him even more. I just carry on feeding on demand the rest of the time which works fine for us. 

We have a system that works now, and in hindsight I definitely shouldn’t have been as worried and stressed as I was!”