Before you have your first baby, people share their baby experiences with you. All. The. Time. In order to remain sane and not begin to worry about which way is the right way for your baby, listen, thank them for their advice, and remember. . . you do not have to take it. Catalog it somewhere in that "mom brain" and if you need it later, perhaps that file will open for you.
Even before I had gotten pregnant, I knew I wanted to breastfeed my baby. I thought it was pretty amazing and almost "super mom-like" that my body would create the food she would need. (Disclaimer: Its everyone's choice, I do not begrudge any mom who decided it wasn't for her.) Not only had I decided to breastfeed, but I had decided to become a working-pumping mom.
We were extremely lucky that our daughter came out being quite a pro when it came to nursing. (I tell myself it is because of those 5 days past her due date she was just "hanging around.") I was able to stay home with her until she was two months old, I'm thankful, because thinking back to about her 6th week. . . I would have NOT been ready to return to school. Pumping as a teacher can be tricky. I am sure it is tricky for many jobs. Luckily, as a middle school teacher with some kind of planning, I am able to work around that schedule. I have had to remember at times that I am now a mother first, teacher second. I have had to advocate for myself at work in order to insure I can pump. I hate being that person who says she "cannot" do something, but I have had to insist on a duty schedule that would allow me to get in a 25 minutes session at the end of the day. The beginning of the day is a little tricky, but last year I made sure (in preparation for this new baby/new mom/planning on pumping school year) to ask my administrator to have a collab class first period. I have a brilliantly wonderful collab teacher that I work with and allows me to use her classroom next door to take care of my "mommy business" the last 10 or so minutes of class. People are usually willing to help you out, they knew the importance of the mom job we do.
I bring/use two different pumps while at school. For my morning pump, since I have to travel next door (and try to be discrete since I teach middle schoolers,) I use the Philips Avent Manual Pump. I love this pump. It is easy to assemble and clean, it also goes with the Avent Natural bottles we chose to use with our daughter. My afternoon pump I use the Medela Pump In Style (thank you Affordable Care Act) which was covered by my insurance. It is ALSO a great pump. I use this one when I can sit down, with my hands free pumping bra, grade some papers and let the pump do its job.
I highly recommend (and again, please feel free to file this mommy's advice somewhere in the back of that mommy brain- because what worked for me, might not work for you,) having two pump options. It has been a life saver those mornings where I forgot a part to one or the other or I just needed to quickly pump without attaching tubes and dealing with power cords.
I've now been back at school and have been able to pump every day. Some days have been "bad" pumping days and some have been AMAZING. I am finding that, for me, there is no number that I will always reach. Some days I'm stuck in IEP meetings or Parent Teacher Conferences thinking "OH MY WORD, I HAVE TO GO PUMP!!!" But I make do. I am very open with my colleagues that I may need to go first and go "do my mommy business." I keep telling myself: Mom first. Teacher second.
We're over six months in and still going strong. My goal is to make it to a year. I hope we do. Not only am I loving the fact that for the first six months we did not have to pay for food for my child, but I have this wonderful bond with my daughter that I did not know could even exist. I feel empowered. I'm in love. I am a breastfeeding mother.
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