Now that I have two full weeks of experience with pumping, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on what it's been like to add this to my daily routine. It was obviously WAY easier to just feed Rose and not have to pump during the day (I mean, easier once we got past the pain and all), but it hasn't been quite as bad to do while working as I was afraid it might be.
Basically my schedule is to wake up at 5:30 every morning and immediately pump. I usually get anywhere from 8 to 12 ounces (wow!) at this one - enough to make Rose's morning bottle (which Mike give her after I wake up) and to freeze 1or 2 additional 4-ounce bags of milk. Then I shower, get dressed, pack my lunch, wash the pump parts from the morning, eat "Emily's Yummy Nuggets" for breakfast (more on that in an upcoming post!), and am out the door by 6:30. I generally see clients at 7, 8 and 9, and then it's time for my first pumping break at 10. I close the curtains, lock the door, set up my little machine and pump away for about 15 minutes. At first I tried to do work while I was pumping, but I quickly learned that was not going to work. Instead, this is the time of the day that Mike and I usually "chat" over google, and I also eat a little snack to tide me over until my late lunch. Then I hide the little machine, put the milk in the refrigerated bag, and set up the pump parts for the afternoon session. By the time all that is done around 10:30, I try to squeeze in a little paperwork or some phone calls before I see clients at 11 and 12. Most days I have a meeting at 1pm, then I repeat the whole pumping process at 2pm. From 2:30 to 3:30 I try to squeeze in a dictation, finish up paperwork, and glance ahead to the next day's schedule. I race out the door at 3:30, then once I'm home I quickly transfer the day's milk to special freezer bags, change clothes and shoes, then race-walk over to Rose's school so I can get there around 4pm. After we walk home I put away my morning pump parts, wash my daytime pump parts, wash all the bottles she used, put her dirty daycare diapers in the laundry, and set out clean daycare diapers for the next day (we use different cloth diapers at home than they use for us at daycare). Then Rose and I will play (if she's awake) or I start dinner (if she's asleep). Finally, it's time for her evening bath, our daily chores (more on that in an upcoming post too!), and a few minutes of quiet time before I go to sleep and am ready to start the whole routine again the next day. Whew!
So what's pumping really like?
1. It's really weird to be topless in my office. Even with the shades drawn and the door locked, I'm still so uncomfortable every time. I've never been topless in my place of employment before, and hoping I never will be again after I'm done with pumping!
2. It's a little annoying to be a slave to the pump. Crisis with a client? Better not happen at 10 or 2 because I won't be able to help you out, sorry.
3. It's stressful to worry about whether I'm producing enough milk. I'm eating oatmeal cookies and muffins like crazy since that's supposed to help maintain a good milk supply, but I still worry that one day I won't be able to make enough milk to cover the three 4-ounce bottles that Rose is currently drinking at "school" each day. So far I'm running a surplus pretty much every day, and since anxiety can decrease milk, I know I need to just relax and trust that it will continue to work out.
4. It's embarrassing to have to work around. There have been several times that meetings have been scheduled during my pump breaks, but not pumping is just not an option. Once I had to pump in my car on the way from a meeting in St Paul to my office in SLP since there was no other way I could fit it in. And several times I've had to tell people I'll be 10-15 minutes late to a meeting so I can squeeze in a pump break after I'm done with my last client. I don't like telling people that I'll be late since I'm pumping (since I don't like the heifer connotations that people will invariably make) so instead I just say that I'm "preparing lunch for Rose." That makes me feel a little less awkward about sharing what, exactly, I'm doing at that time.
5. It's frustrating to have to take breaks at times I wouldn't normally take a break, like eating two 1/2 lunches each day, rather than just one full lunch. I'm starting to get used to it, but it's definitely taking some adjustment. Whenever I'm done with pumping I'm curious to see if I'll go back to my old schedule or if I'll be used to this new routine that I just keep my current schedule.
6. It's time-consuming. I was so naive when I thought I could just work right through my pump breaks and that they wouldn't disrupt my workflow. Ha!
7. It's heavy. Some day I'm going to weigh my pumping bag when it's full - somehow it seems to weigh much more than the sum of its parts!
So why do I keep doing it? Good question! After I made it sound that miserable, I must be a masochist to continue, right?
In part I'm pumping because I "should." But the bigger reason I pump is that I really want to! It's not that big of an inconvenience, Rose seems to be thriving on breastmilk, and it's a great way to takea break two breaks in the middle of the day to remember that I'm not just "Steph the psychologist," I'm also "Steph the mom" - an identity that, for several years, I was afraid I'd never have.
Besides, after all the pain and effort it took to get this far, I don't want to stop until I'm good and ready!
Basically my schedule is to wake up at 5:30 every morning and immediately pump. I usually get anywhere from 8 to 12 ounces (wow!) at this one - enough to make Rose's morning bottle (which Mike give her after I wake up) and to freeze 1or 2 additional 4-ounce bags of milk. Then I shower, get dressed, pack my lunch, wash the pump parts from the morning, eat "Emily's Yummy Nuggets" for breakfast (more on that in an upcoming post!), and am out the door by 6:30. I generally see clients at 7, 8 and 9, and then it's time for my first pumping break at 10. I close the curtains, lock the door, set up my little machine and pump away for about 15 minutes. At first I tried to do work while I was pumping, but I quickly learned that was not going to work. Instead, this is the time of the day that Mike and I usually "chat" over google, and I also eat a little snack to tide me over until my late lunch. Then I hide the little machine, put the milk in the refrigerated bag, and set up the pump parts for the afternoon session. By the time all that is done around 10:30, I try to squeeze in a little paperwork or some phone calls before I see clients at 11 and 12. Most days I have a meeting at 1pm, then I repeat the whole pumping process at 2pm. From 2:30 to 3:30 I try to squeeze in a dictation, finish up paperwork, and glance ahead to the next day's schedule. I race out the door at 3:30, then once I'm home I quickly transfer the day's milk to special freezer bags, change clothes and shoes, then race-walk over to Rose's school so I can get there around 4pm. After we walk home I put away my morning pump parts, wash my daytime pump parts, wash all the bottles she used, put her dirty daycare diapers in the laundry, and set out clean daycare diapers for the next day (we use different cloth diapers at home than they use for us at daycare). Then Rose and I will play (if she's awake) or I start dinner (if she's asleep). Finally, it's time for her evening bath, our daily chores (more on that in an upcoming post too!), and a few minutes of quiet time before I go to sleep and am ready to start the whole routine again the next day. Whew!
So what's pumping really like?
1. It's really weird to be topless in my office. Even with the shades drawn and the door locked, I'm still so uncomfortable every time. I've never been topless in my place of employment before, and hoping I never will be again after I'm done with pumping!
2. It's a little annoying to be a slave to the pump. Crisis with a client? Better not happen at 10 or 2 because I won't be able to help you out, sorry.
3. It's stressful to worry about whether I'm producing enough milk. I'm eating oatmeal cookies and muffins like crazy since that's supposed to help maintain a good milk supply, but I still worry that one day I won't be able to make enough milk to cover the three 4-ounce bottles that Rose is currently drinking at "school" each day. So far I'm running a surplus pretty much every day, and since anxiety can decrease milk, I know I need to just relax and trust that it will continue to work out.
4. It's embarrassing to have to work around. There have been several times that meetings have been scheduled during my pump breaks, but not pumping is just not an option. Once I had to pump in my car on the way from a meeting in St Paul to my office in SLP since there was no other way I could fit it in. And several times I've had to tell people I'll be 10-15 minutes late to a meeting so I can squeeze in a pump break after I'm done with my last client. I don't like telling people that I'll be late since I'm pumping (since I don't like the heifer connotations that people will invariably make) so instead I just say that I'm "preparing lunch for Rose." That makes me feel a little less awkward about sharing what, exactly, I'm doing at that time.
5. It's frustrating to have to take breaks at times I wouldn't normally take a break, like eating two 1/2 lunches each day, rather than just one full lunch. I'm starting to get used to it, but it's definitely taking some adjustment. Whenever I'm done with pumping I'm curious to see if I'll go back to my old schedule or if I'll be used to this new routine that I just keep my current schedule.
6. It's time-consuming. I was so naive when I thought I could just work right through my pump breaks and that they wouldn't disrupt my workflow. Ha!
7. It's heavy. Some day I'm going to weigh my pumping bag when it's full - somehow it seems to weigh much more than the sum of its parts!
So why do I keep doing it? Good question! After I made it sound that miserable, I must be a masochist to continue, right?
In part I'm pumping because I "should." But the bigger reason I pump is that I really want to! It's not that big of an inconvenience, Rose seems to be thriving on breastmilk, and it's a great way to take
Besides, after all the pain and effort it took to get this far, I don't want to stop until I'm good and ready!
For your entertainment, here's a "tour" of one corner of my office. Clockwise from top left:
Photos of Rose: supposedly these enhance milk production
Nalgene and tea mug: must stay hydrated!
Papers: the work I thought I'd do while pumping (ha!)
Ziploc baggie: trail mix for when I need a quick snack
Boxes of Constant Comment: I'm trying to cut down on my Diet Coke consumption, but can't give up the caffeine completely quite yet
LLBean Tote bag: here's where my pump hides out all day!
Lunch bag: my food is always close at hand
And, because you're probably way more interested in Rose than in photos of my office, here she is! Zonked out after a fun week at school :)
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