Breastfeeding Resources

I've been wondering why the term for feeding your baby and tending the sick is the same. Turns out feeding your baby is where the word originated, but nourishing your baby evolved into suckling or caring for children (there were 'wet nurses' and 'dry nurses'), then generally looking after others, and naturally into the common medical sense we see now.

I hope it's a Friday thing, but I'm actually resenting pumping today. I'm grooving on some work projects, getting a lot done, and whoa! stop everything. Time to pump. Wash my hands, turn on the music, try to relax--I don't want to relax! I want to get through the work and go home. Now I'm done pumping, half asleep, and can't even remember what I was working on. I guess I really need the weekend.

There are days when I’m just so exhausted. Bone-weary, word-jumbling, zoning-out exhausted. And pumping on top of that feels like it’s draining the life out of me.

I didn’t expect that analytical skills would be useful during motherhood. But I’ve found keeping logs useful several times already. Think about it. You’re exhausted, sleep deprived, and don’t know whether your worries are grounded or irrational. Sometimes a dose of hard data can give you an objective picture of a situation that eases your worrying mind.

I heard through a friend someone who calls her breast pump her "latin lover Rico" because that's the sound it makes: Rico...Rico...Rico...Rico. Mine seems to tell me something different every day. I swear, one day it was saying Muqtada (too much Iraq news that day). Another time, "probably...probably...probably". And yet a third, "medical report". I'm begining to wonder if my pump is some sort of oracle, deserving close attention which will reveal my fortune. My own private magic 8 ball.

Ha! Just figured out if I’m sitting on the couch nursing Aaron, I can put my feet up on the coffee table and rest my laptop on my legs and type with both hands. This is monumental. And how long did it take me to figure out? 3 months!?!

I still haven’t figured out if I should bring the breast pump home every night. I know it’s not strictly necessary--I can just bring the cooler with milk—-but I wonder if I’ll need it for an emergency.

A well-equipped breast pump bag can make the difference between easy going and a disaster at work. I use a Medela Pump-in-Style Advanced, which includes some handy things like a cooler bag with a refreezable ice pack. With help from my sister, here’s what goes into a well-stocked bag

Welcome to Working Milk, my personal experiences with breastfeeding and working. I find myself eager to hear stories of other breastfeeding and working moms, so hopefully you’ll find my journal of interest, and occasionally even useful. Breastfeeding takes commitment and support, so hopefully this can be a part of the support that keeps you going.