The Untold Realities of Being a New Working Mom (Part 2): Breastfeeding

Having my first child at 35 was one of the most exciting milestones in my life. I had always imagined the bonding moments that would come with breastfeeding and truly believed it would come naturally.

I prepared as much as I could—set up the nursery, bought a good breast pump, stocked up on freezer bags, got lactation cushions, and read all the maternity books I could get my hands on. I even attended a breastfeeding class when I was five months pregnant to learn how to latch properly.

But breastfeeding didn’t come easy

When my baby arrived, she was ready to latch on her very first day. The lactation nurse taught me the right massages and techniques, and I followed them closely. But I was still recovering from my C-section and high on painkillers—I couldn’t even hold her properly, much less breastfeed.

As the days went by, my baby started crying on my boob, even though her latch seemed fine. My confidence started to take a hit.

I did everything I could—went for seven days of traditional massages to stimulate milk, pumped every three hours, took herbal supplements, and tracked every drop. My milk supply increased from 10ml to 30ml over two months, but my baby was still crying. She was still hungry. I had to continue supplementing with formula.

Then came the emergency room visits

My baby came down with a stomach flu and we ended up in the children’s emergency department—twice. The stress was overwhelming. I was exhausted, moody, and constantly questioning myself.

I felt frustrated and disappointed for not being able to provide enough milk. And the thought of going back to work—with no proper nursing rooms and a packed schedule—made it worse. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep up with pumping.

Breaking point and diagnosis

One day, I just broke down.

My husband saw what I couldn’t—I was going through postpartum depression. He encouraged me to seek help, and I went to the clinic, where I was officially diagnosed.

I started therapy, and during one of the sessions, my psychologist said something that really stayed with me:

“Don’t see this as a failure. See it as a pause. You’re doing your best as a mom, and that’s more than enough.”

The start of healing

That was the turning point. I realised I needed to look after myself first. Without being okay, I couldn’t take care of my little one nor get ready to go back to work.

So I started focusing on healing. I slowly went back to the things I used to enjoy, and made my mental health a priority.

Back to work—and a new kind of balance

Going back to work wasn’t easy. As anticipated, there were no nursing rooms, my schedule was tight, and sleep was broken from caring for baby after hours. But I’ve come to accept that I don’t have to breastfeed to be a good mom.

Being there, being present and loving—that’s what matters most. Setting boundaries and carving out time after work to care for myself and my baby made a big difference.

To every new working mom out there...

Please don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re doing amazing, even if it doesn’t always feel like it. Take it one day at a time. Seek help and support where you can. Look after yourself, because you deserve care too. When you love yourself, you’ll have even more love to give your baby.

If this message speaks to you or could help a friend, please like and share. We don’t talk about these moments enough—but they’re more common than we realize and sharing them can offer real support to new working moms on their journey.