WORKING FROM HOME and MAKING IT WORK: Fact or Fiction?

A Conversation at Work:

SUE: “Hi Jane…great morning, isn’t it?”

JANE: “Huh! I wouldn’t know…Jake kept me up all night…again.”

EMILY: “Really? That’s hard, and Jake’s your first. It’ll get better…”

JANE: “I hope so, Em. I’m so tired all the time, and even when I’m not I feel as though I’m not really ‘all there’ because I’m thinking about deadlines here at work!”

SUE: “Jane, work will take care of itself! Just enjoy Jake…and let John help you, too!”

JANE: “John! That’s funny…he sleeps right though Jake’s cries. Honestly, gals, it’s not just the deadlines and work I think about. I feel guilty all the time! Every time I drop Jake at the babysitter’s I cry. I’m not raising my own baby…I feel terrible about missing out on the little things, like his smiles and his first steps. Did you know Melissa, our sitter, got to see Jake walk first? I was crushed!”

EMILY: “We really understand, Jane. But what can you do?”

JANE: “I want to take care of Jake—I’m him mum! I’d like to work from home, but I simply don’t know where to start…even if I did, can home businesses really work?”

Have You or Someone You Know Ever Had a Conversation Like This?

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It is not only the “technical aspects” of breastfeeding that can be challenging, but also the impact breastfeeding can have on a mum’s life as it can be a rather “full-on” activity during the early months.
There are a few little things that I believe they can make a big difference.
Plan ahead. Realise that breastfeeding, and motherhood in general, will be more time consuming than you are in all likelihood anticipating. It is a good idea to get your home very organised before the arrival of your baby so that you can start of on a good footing. Also sort out your wardrobe and equip yourself with specialised breastfeeding clothes or regular clothing suitable for breastfeeding such as wrap tops. Get a good hair cut that is easy to manage so that you do not have to spend a lot of time on personal grooming.
Get help. One often hears or reads that a new mums should accept help from friends and relatives. I would even consider taking it a step further by arranging paid help right up front and spending money on a cleaner and a mothercraft nurse. It might seem like a luxury, but having guaranteed help on tap is likely to mean that you will remain more energised and therefore better able to cope with the demands of breastfeeding around the clock. Sure, it can be expensive, but I think it is something well worth saving for in the months prior to the birth. Many private health funds will also cover part of the cost of a mothercraft nurse.
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Did you know that the Australian Breastfeeding Association has a special sticker that businesses who support breastfeeding can display? The requirements are that all businesses displaying the sticker should have a welcoming attitude from staff and management, offer a smoke-free environment and have room to move a pram. Why not encourage your favourite cafe or restaurant to get accredited? Phone 03 9885 0855 for a kit
For more information about Feel Free To Feed, a campaign supporting the Australian Breastfeeding Association’s Breastfeeding Welcome Here initiative, please visit nursingwear.com.au

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Breastfeeding clothes are especially great for making it comfortable to breastfeeding in public. Knowing that there is community support for breastfeeding will surely also be comforting to many new mums.

In my business I come into contact with many mums who find breastfeeding in public to be a bit of a mental hurdle, because they wonder how others will accept it. Many mums also find the prospect of having to express breast milk at work (or in other public places) quite daunting. I know from experience what a big part of a new mum’s life revolves around breastfeeding. It is really quite inconvenient and limiting to have to find a hiding place every time you need to breastfeed.

It would be great if mums could breastfeed their babies in public knowing that they have the support of their immediate communities for doing so. With Feel Free to Feed we are hoping to play a part in helping to raise the public profile of breastfeeding and also to create awareness of existing initiatives that support breastfeeding mums. We are asking mums to write in to My Child Magazine with their stories of breastfeeding in public, how they experience it, challenges they might be facing, etc. A selection of these stories will be published. We are also asking mums to join our campaign by getting their favourite cafes/ restaurants to consider displaying the ABA’s Breastfeeding Welcome Here stickers and by suggesting to their employers to apply for accreditation in the ABA’s Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace Initiative.
For more information about our campaign please visit nursingwear.com.au

About the author:Tracey Campbell owns www.nursingwear.com.au, an online store specialising in contemporary breastfeeding clothes. They have breastfeeding tops, breastfeeding dresses, breastfeeding loungewear and much more.

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