Five Ways That Moms Can Use the Mother’s Room to Their Advantage

Working mothers often need to pump milk 2 to 4 times a day. Considering that a pumping session can take 20 minutes, how can a busy mother take advantage of her time in the mother’s room?

1. Networking: Many mothers have made connections with other moms from other areas of their company through Mother’s Rooms. Moms often see the same people in the mother’s rooms every day, so it is natural for them to get to know each other and chat while pumping or getting their milk at the end of the day. They find out more about other divisions, projects, and job opportunities. These employees might find just the right contact or resource within the company for a project they are working on. In some cases, they have met their future managers! Not only is mother’s room networking beneficial to mothers, but also to the company.

2. Take a break and recharge: Working moms are up early with their babies, work all day, tend to their babies and family at night, prepare milk and diaper bags for the next day, and often remotely log back into work at night before finally going to bed. They are tired! Moms can use the time in the mother’s room to give themselves a break and a chance to recharge during the day. Listening to music, having a refreshing drink, or reading a good book are some ways a mom might take a mental break from her otherwise hectic day. A mom who is more relaxed will also have an easier time expressing her milk and may have more than one let-down to pump even more milk. She will also be refreshed when she gets back to her desk.

3. Choose to catch up on work or take a meeting: While many companies would like their employees to take a break from work during their pumping time, some moms may prefer to use the time to check email or work. Moms may use the time to escape from interruptions so they can gather their thoughts on a project. Some mothers may take meetings while they are pumping. It is always stressful when a mom has her pumping schedule in her calendar, and then has a meeting scheduled on top of her pumping session. Or she may need to schedule a meeting with someone and the only times available are during her pumping sessions. Many moms have called into meetings and even chaired them from the mother’s room. Meetings are often difficult to reschedule so it’s helpful to have the flexibility to be able to dial into them. Moms can stay current with work and still bring home baby’s milk for the next day.

4. Catch up on personal and family tasks: Some mothers use their pumping time to catch up on personal and family tasks. They may use the time to plan dinner, a family vacation, or their baby’s 1st birthday party! It is helpful to take care of some of these tasks during the day instead of trying to get them done in the evening. Rather than trying to squeeze them in after work, moms can spend more quality time at home with their baby. Being able to take care of some personal tasks while pumping can help moms feel less stressed.

5. Have lunch or an afternoon snack: It is difficult to find time to pump 2 to 4 times during a workday. Some mothers use their pump time for lunch or have an afternoon snack to refuel their energy. Moms can bring healthy snacks to work to ensure she is getting enough calories for her baby. Sometimes working mothers get so busy they even forget to eat lunch. Planning to have lunch or a snack during their pumping time helps ensure that they are getting enough nutrition and taking care of their own health.

Working mothers have extremely busy days taking care of baby, family, work and themselves. Instead of viewing the time dedicated to pumping as yet another task in their schedule, they can use this time to their advantage. A hands-free pumping bra

http://www.healthyhorizonsonline.com/product-page/713f6900-3035-e3c0-0a3c-7c4736764e57 and Wi-Fi access in the mother’s room are great assets for moms trying to get a few more items off their to-do list. The time that moms spend in the mother’s room can be an opportunity and benefit to both them and their employer. Happy pumping!