Deciding to continue your breastfeeding journey when you go back to work from maternity leave is a very personal decision, but I hope that I can help ease your mind with letting you know the essentials you will need to make it so much easier on you. Pumping is a necessary evil to continue working and breastfeeding. At the end I will do a cost comparison of these essentials vs. the cost of switching to formula. You decide for yourself mama, but here is my list that I wanted to ease the transition!

Pumping essentials:

1. Bag that fits laptop and pump

My favorite is the Sarah wells bag, it is cute and stylish, but it is rather large! If you want a smaller bag I recommend the second one by Idaho Jones.

I like a bag I can keep all my work stuff in, plus snacks, water bottle, herbs, vitamins, and bra.

2. Extra pump parts

• Spectra- parts are harder to come by as you can’t usually find at Walmart or Target, so I keep some extra on-hand and even some spare parts in my bag.

• Medela- When I used the Medela pump I always needed extra valve parts because one would tear or no longer suction as well

3. Bags for storage

These Lansinoh bags are my favorite! I have NEVER had an issue with leaks as some others say they have. The other popular ones are up and up. I love using when I have extra milk for the day or if I’m traveling and going to freeze milk when I get home.

4. Bottles for storage

I use these Medela bottles to store in, but you could easily use mason jars or glass bottles. (Personally I don’t freeze bottles at all)

5. Cover

I always like to have a cover available whether I am pumping in the car, or in a strange place that I am working. Thus, if anyone walks in I am still covered.

2 favorite covers:

6. Hands-free pumping bra

I keep two hands-free bras so I can wash one and have the other on hand, but it’s not necessary! You can wash on weekends if you want instead.

It can feel overwhelming when you want to continue breastfeeding when going back to work, is it worth purchasing all of the parts and essentials or should I just switch to formula?

Pumping can feel like an inconvenience but it is so good for your baby it is worth the hassle.

Here is a comparison for costs of continued pumping vs. formula. Let me make a disclaimer here: since breast pumps come free with insurance, a lot of these items are essentials to make your life easier, but they are not necessities. If you need to save money, you can do this with a pump and bottles!

This article that I love from kellymom.com goes into more depth about the Financial costs of not breastfeeding your child. I understand other factors may be involved in the process, but if money on pumping parts is a question, let that comparison put your fears at bay…and even show your husband. 😉

Pumping is hard and let me say most of the time it sucks (pun intended) but surround yourself with a community of pumping mama’s and back to work mama’s! Encouraging one another is the key to keeping it up and sticking with it.

If you are just beginning your breastfeeding journey or are still pregnant, let me encourage you to read this post about Breastfeeding must-haves to survive the first month!

Do you have any other essentials on your list not on here? Comment below to let me know what you can’t live without while pumping at work!