Tuesday, November 30, 2010
1440 Minutes
Forget 525600 minutes, I'm just trying to figure out how to measure a day. I was trying to figure out how to describe when my day starts. Or when it ends. It seems like such a simple question, but I haven't found a simple answer. Does it start at 4am or whenever I first wake up after midnight to feed the kid? Or does it start at 7am when we get up for the day? Does it end when I get home from work? Or is that when my day really starts since that's when I get to spend some real quality time with the kiddo? The kid has taught me that life isn't really accurately measured in days or months or years, but rather in moments. Some moments seem unbearable. And then a smile. Or a laugh. Or a peacefully sleeping baby. Those are the moments that make the unbearable bearable again. And make it all so worth it.
Friday, November 5, 2010
3 times a day, whether I need it or not
I've been back at work for about three and a half months now since my maternity leave. When I went back to work, I really wanted to continue breastfeeding...which means pumping at work. 3 times a day, most days.
Every 3ish hours, I shut my door and lock it. A couple of my co-workers who have pumped at work told me that they made that mistake exactly once. It only takes one time of a co-working walking in on you with your shirt pulled up, your boobs hanging out and this weird contraption hanging off your chest to make you always remember to lock the damned door. I'm opting to learn from their mistake. Still, at least once a day I'm sitting there pumping away and have a moment of panic where I spin around then breathe a sigh of relief to see the door shut. Then, I put my phone on Do Not Disturb mode and hang the strange contraption off my chest and pump away. Sometimes I'll see my phone message light blinking or get an email...."Ummm, it seems that your phone is on DND, but..." Yeah, I know, thanks. It's probably because I don't want to be disturbed. And let's be honest, you don't really want to talk to me at that moment either.
3 and a half months of this 3 times a day and I still haven't really gotten over the awkwardness of it. The actual act of pumping is fine. It's more the fact that the walls at work are paper thin and I'm sure everyone in and out of my office area can hear the strange rhythmic whirring sound coming from behind my door. Slinking out of my office, past the two guys I share a suite with, I go down the hall to the bathroom to wash out the breast shields. Some day I'm going to forget to snap my bra back up or pull my shirt down or something. Now THAT will be awkward.
Still, as awkward as it is, I consider myself lucky. California is pretty accepting of breastfeeding and has laws in place to provide the time and place at work to pump. I don't work in a cubicle farm with no privacy and I generally have a pretty flexible schedule, the occasional day with meetings up to my eyeballs (read: only 2 pumping session days) notwithstanding. I've also been lucky not to have supply issues so far (knock on wood). Kellymom is a great resource if you do have supply issues and workandpump.com was also helpful when preparing to go back to work.
It's all worth it though to make sure my kid gets the good stuff.
Every 3ish hours, I shut my door and lock it. A couple of my co-workers who have pumped at work told me that they made that mistake exactly once. It only takes one time of a co-working walking in on you with your shirt pulled up, your boobs hanging out and this weird contraption hanging off your chest to make you always remember to lock the damned door. I'm opting to learn from their mistake. Still, at least once a day I'm sitting there pumping away and have a moment of panic where I spin around then breathe a sigh of relief to see the door shut. Then, I put my phone on Do Not Disturb mode and hang the strange contraption off my chest and pump away. Sometimes I'll see my phone message light blinking or get an email...."Ummm, it seems that your phone is on DND, but..." Yeah, I know, thanks. It's probably because I don't want to be disturbed. And let's be honest, you don't really want to talk to me at that moment either.
3 and a half months of this 3 times a day and I still haven't really gotten over the awkwardness of it. The actual act of pumping is fine. It's more the fact that the walls at work are paper thin and I'm sure everyone in and out of my office area can hear the strange rhythmic whirring sound coming from behind my door. Slinking out of my office, past the two guys I share a suite with, I go down the hall to the bathroom to wash out the breast shields. Some day I'm going to forget to snap my bra back up or pull my shirt down or something. Now THAT will be awkward.
Still, as awkward as it is, I consider myself lucky. California is pretty accepting of breastfeeding and has laws in place to provide the time and place at work to pump. I don't work in a cubicle farm with no privacy and I generally have a pretty flexible schedule, the occasional day with meetings up to my eyeballs (read: only 2 pumping session days) notwithstanding. I've also been lucky not to have supply issues so far (knock on wood). Kellymom is a great resource if you do have supply issues and workandpump.com was also helpful when preparing to go back to work.
It's all worth it though to make sure my kid gets the good stuff.
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