The ability to sustain life through technology

Warning: this post was written by a sleepy, hormonal, nursing, working mom on a Friday....

Still with me? Ok. We're nearing 2 weeks of being back at work now, and things are going a lot better than I'd dared hope. Of course I miss Xander- I think about him all the time! And I'm writing this post during my workday (ok, lunch break) so obviously my productivity isn't 100% of what it was before he was born. Although, come to think of it, I'm pretty sure I surfed the net during lunch to read up on on fetal development during my pregnancy. But we're doing well, making the adjustments, and I am still able to give him breastmilk for awhile longer as long as I'm willing to pump several times a day.

Warning....if you are still reading this, you WILL get TMI

One thing that being a working mom will do for you, I've learned, is to finely hone your ability to multitask. I can now type an email, listen to a conference call, gulp down lunch, think happy thoughts about my baby, and pump life sustaining breastmilk all at the same time, thanks to the wonders of technology.

Now pumping milk is one of those things that is really rather taboo to talk about.... but that has never stopped me before. I actually find it a hilarious in many ways. Really: imagine a picture of a woman, sitting at a desk, staring at a screen full of email from distant male co-workers, tethered at the *breast* via plastic *suction cups* to an *electrical pump* which in turn is connected to an *electrical outlet* in the wall, allowing her (what she used to think of as delicate and precious) *nipples* to be stretched to *outrageous proportions* while they drip drip drip into *plastic* containers which will eventually be mated with *plastic fake nipples* and be used to feed her baby by someone who is definately not his mother. Just a little Matrix-y?

How's this: your clothing options for being a nursing mom (whether baby is around or not) are, well... limited. That tight fitting t-shirt? out. That cute little one piece dress? really out. Anything made out of silk, or that is high necked, or that is remotely fashionable? Out, out, out. What happens if you forget for a moment that you are a mom and need to expose your breasts every 3 hours and wear the wrong thing? You try very hard to forget that experience, that's what.

Then there are the pumps themselves. This is one wacky industry. Some pumps are for single breast action, some for double. Some are electric, some are manual. There are pumps that come in backpacks for easy carrying around town. There are hospital grade pumps for those wanting superior, fast pumping sessions. There are small electrical and battery operated pumps that come in purse-like bags that can trick you into feeling fashionable until you realize you are wearing your husband's old t-shirt and 6-day old jeans because you didn't want to ruin anything nice- and oh-by-the-way you forgot to brush your hair... again. There are pumps that have individually sold interchangable parts so you can get a semi-custom fit (can you imagine shelling out the $$ to try out all the possible different sizes of suction cups out there? Most women, and by that I mean me, just assume they are average and hope for the best). And my favorite- they even have car adapters so you can pump while driving down the road on the way to your next appointment. Can you picture sitting at a stoplight next to a car full of teenage boys? Or your local neighborhood priest? I would actually *love* to get pulled over by a cop for something while pumping... think I'd get a ticket for driving while distracted?

Now, I do work from home, thank goodness. So I don't very often need to find a janitor's closet (which I did at the Opera house) or a changing room (as I did at the YMCA) or sit in a bathroom stall (as I did at a gas station on the way home from the airport) in order to pump. But I do work east coast hours, and my lunch hour usually takes place at the same time as a conference call, so I need to carefully monitor the mute button, and hope people don't think I'm an idiot for delayed responses to questions.

But it's all worth it. My baby thrives (have you seen the pictures?) and is happy. His father can help feed him at night. I can provide income to our family. I have mental stimulation and a job that I enjoy. And every once in awhile, I can donate some of my milk to a new baby that needs it. And that, that is a wonderful thing indeed.

-Erin