Breastfeeding Support after Returning to Work, Hajirah's story

A year ago I rejoined the LLL community, after an absence of 10 years, when my third baby was born (2024). Having a baby again after so long made me feel like a first time mom and I needed all the breastfeeding advice I could get – especially since this time my experience would be very different from before. 

With my eldest son, I did not breastfeed for very long: I was in my 20s, a first-time mom, and I listened to all the voices who told me “Your baby is hungry, you need to top-up with formula”. The ‘top-up’ led to the exclusion of breast milk altogether when he was just a few months old. Then, 3 years later after the birth of my daughter, I decided to give breastfeeding a go again. I was a stay-at-home mom at the time and breastfeeding seemed like the easiest option for us. I breastfed her until she was 2 years old. Fast forward many years later to my little girl who is now 15 months old. This time around presented different challenges: I was a working mom and I was determined to express milk while we were apart. As the end of my 4 month maternity leave drew closer I was dreading having to go back to work and express. The unknown always seems daunting until you actually get through it. 

I absorbed all the information I received from the LLLSA Parow WhatsApp group and gained insight from everyone else's stories, struggles and triumphs. The late night messages from other mommies in the group comforted me, as I felt that I was not alone in my situation. However, my main comfort during my journey was my dear friend and LLL Leader, Gwynneth Jacobs. Her advice was always empathetic, informative and invaluable. She guided me on how to express at work, how much milk my baby needed at a time and on my difficult days she encouraged me not to give up. We would celebrate wins when I sent her pictures of all the milk I had expressed that day and she would gently nudge me along on the days I felt like my milk was not enough. The nights sometimes felt long; my baby seemed to want to feed frequently. It became easier, though, as she grew and I know I will miss our snuggles during the night when she no longer needs mommy’s milk.

I am so grateful for the LLL community support. I would have given up had it not been for Gwynneth’s encouragement and the reassurance of all the other LLL Leaders in the group. LLL Leader Rahmat’s webinar on breastfeeding during Ramadan was particularly helpful to me and she was always quick to respond to the questions I posed thereafter. 

Hajirah and her youngest child

My baby is still breastfeeding and thriving. After her first birthday I no longer needed to express milk because by then I was breastfeeding when she needed to. I appreciated the days without having to rush for privacy at work, or miss out on adult conversation during my tea time, but expressing milk for her was so worth it. We are now at the stage where my little girl is enjoying her solids and having a quick drink when she feels like it. Perseverance is key. We were designed to breastfeed - a gift afforded to women only. Use it, love it and don’t give up.

-Hajirah Da Costa, mom of 3