By Diana Kohnle
Friday, October 8, 2010

(HealthDay News) -- Keeping up the supply of breast milk can be a big challenge new mothers who return to work.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers these suggestions:

• Introduce the baby to bottle feeding at the age of 3 weeks to 4 weeks. Offering a bottle to a younger newborn is not advised.
• Purchase or rent a breast pump, and start pumping and freezing breast milk about two weeks before you're scheduled to return to work.
• Breast-feed your baby just before you leave in the morning and as soon as you get home. Plan a lunchtime visit and feeding, if you can.
• Whenever you're with baby, try to breast-feed exclusively.