First of all—congratulations on your third baby! ️ Returning to work, especially with travel involved, is a big transition, but with some planning and the right systems in place, it can be manageable. Here are some tips that have helped other working moms in my program with similar situations:
Scheduling & Managing Home & Work:
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Time-block your calendar: Schedule dedicated work hours, pumping breaks, and buffer time for transitions between work and home life.
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Delegate where you can: Whether it’s meal prep, housework, or daycare pickups, lean on your support system (partner, family, or even paid help).
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Sunday planning: Take 15-30 minutes each weekend to map out the week ahead—outfits, meals, childcare logistics, and work tasks.
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Streamline the mornings: Prep clothes, bags, and lunches the night before to avoid chaos.
Traveling for Work:
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Set your husband/partner up for success - things like laying out the kids outfits; meal prepping lunches/dinners; reviewing the calendar and activities; solicit help from family or babysitter.
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Find Connection, Even Though You’re Away - Things like making bracelets with your kids and each wearing them while you're gone. When your sad or miss each other you can look at the bracelet. There's teddy bears you can buy on amazon that let you record your voice, and your child can hit the button to hear your voice before bed. Writing notes that you put into the meal prepped lunches. Of course, facetiming in the morning and evening each day so your child can see your face and hear you. Word of advice, depending on the age of your child sometimes Facetime can make it worse if your child is young because they won't understand why you can't hold them.
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Find Connection, Once You Get Home - You can cut out a "flat stanley" and take pictures of your trip and show them to your kids when you get home. One mom even started to draw a comic of her adventure that she read her kids to make it a fun way to learn about different cities/places.
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Ditch the Guilt - Use the time on the flight or in the hotel as a way to catch up on work, so that when you get home you can be fully present and maybe even cut out early to be with your kids.
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Enjoy Time Alone - Work travel is an opportunity for you to get extended periods alone and without interruption. Read, write, pray, mediate, and quiet your soul. Take a deep breathe in and "just be".
Breastfeeding While Traveling:
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Shipping milk: If traveling for multiple days, services like Milk Stork can safely ship your milk home.
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Plan ahead - Find a hotel in advance that has refridgeration options in the room.
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Pack the Essentials - Bring a portable, battery-operated breast pump that fits into your bra directly to ensure you can pump anywhere (ie. the Willow). A manual pump too for a "just in case" item. Pack enough breast milk storage bags, extra pump parts, cleaning supplies, and a cooler with ice packs or a portable fridge.
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Be early to everything - Show up early to airports - so you can pump before take off. Reserve early check-ins at your hotels to facilitate pumping on arrival.
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Be early to everything - Show up early to airports - so you can pump before take off. Reserve early check-ins at your hotels to facilitate pumping on arrival.
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Stay Hydrated - Drink plenty of water and eat nutritious meals to maintain your milk supply.
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Keep a regular pumping schedule - Stick to your usual pumping schedule to maintain your milk supply and avoid discomfort. Aim to pump every 3-4 hours.
Most importantly—give yourself grace. Transitions are hard, but you’re setting an incredible example for your kids.
You’ve got this! ...... and you’re not alone! If you ever need someone to bounce ideas off of or just a little encouragement along the way, I’m here for you. I help working moms navigate these exact challenges—balancing career, home, and everything in between—so if there’s anything I can do to support you, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Wishing you a smooth transition back to work!
~Lauren