Breastfeeding and Work

Twice a day. Every day at my 9-5 job. I retreat into the basement powder room with a large black bag. About 15 minutes later, I emerge with two little bottles holding 8-10 ounces of freshly pumped Mommy's milk.

That's my life right now. And thousands of Working Pumping Moms worldwide have a similar story.

It's not easy. It's annoying. It's inconvenient. It's awkward and can be embarrassing. It's really a pain in the but to try to squeeze into a busy work day. And it makes you feel more like a cow than you ever thought possible.

(Ok I'm back. It's 5:45 a.m. and my baby boy just awoke and wanted some direct-from-the-source milk!)

So why do we go through all this hassle?

It is the best nourishment we can offer our babies. It is healthy for both mom and baby. It has proven long-term benefits for the life of our child. It allows us to keep up that special nursing bond when we are home.

Today marks the last day of World Breastfeeding Week - yeah, I just realized that's a thing. This year's theme is BREASTFEEDING AND WORK: LET'S MAKE IT WORK!

It's literally a global initiative to support women in combining work and breast-feeding. Shoot, I could be the poster child for this campaign!

With each of my three children, I returned to my full-time profession outside the home when they were about 10 weeks old. My 14 week old son has had nothing but Mommy's milk to date. I pumped for and nursed both my 3 and 6 year old daughters most of the first year of their lives.

My handsome little 3 month old.

And I have to admit, I love that my boobies are able to provide my children life-sustaining food. It's one of the amazing miracles of life that I don't fully understand. My baby cries and "Poof!" my chest is suddenly 2 pounds heavier and full of milk. Seriously, how does that happen?

But don't get me wrong, nursing is no walk in the park. No one can prepare you for the pain and rock hard boobs when your milk comes in for the first time a couple days after baby is born. And then there's the latching issue. And the sore nipples. And the leaking milk on your bed sheets at 3 a.m. Am I getting too personal here? Just trying to be real. These are issues that like 99% of nursing moms have endured.

Enduring is what it takes to be a nursing mom, especially a Working Pumping Mom. Three babies later, I continue to believe it's worth it.

When I get home, I give my husband and daughters a kiss then sit down to breastfeed my son. It's a great way to unwind and enjoy quality baby time. And the highlight of my day is quietly rocking him and nursing with bedtime lullabies playing just before I say goodnight.

That said, please don't get too upset if nursing did not work for you or your baby. That's totally fine and I have tons of friends with perfectly healthy formula-fed babies and children. Plus, you should know that I have to start supplementing with formula when baby is 4-5 months old because I can't keep up with the feeding demands.

I just want to encourage mommies who are maybe struggling with nursing, especially early on, to stick with it because it will get easier. And yes, you can work full-time and successfully breastfeed your baby.

If you do return to work and become a pumping mom...just be prepared for lots and lots of bottle cleaning and maybe a few awkward encounters in the office.

Just to dispel the mystery, here's the Black Bag after use.
Lovely, isn't it...