How to Pump At Work

October 7, 2014

I was talking with a friend who is returning to work and she asked about pumping. Since I've recently started back to work after maternity leave myself, my memory was refreshed about how involved it is to pump. By the end of my first son's time breastfeeding, all of this was old-hat and not too complicated. So rest-assured that you will get the hang of it and it will become second nature. But there's a lot to get a handle on at first.

A few disclaimers:

1) Any way you slice it, feeding your baby is a lot of work. It requires a whole lot of time, patience, and energy. There are lots of ways to nourish your child. Whether your choose breastfeeding or formula or a mix of both is a decision based on your family's needs - your needs, your baby's needs, your family's schedule. Check out 30 Ways Breastfeeding and Formula Feeding are Exactly the Same.

2) I'm not a lactation consultant - get professional advice if you need it! Even if you don't need major help - try to go to a pumping class at your local breastfeeding center - you can learn so much from watching other women nurse or hearing about how they pump. A lot of what I share here are things I learned from other people!

For our family, breastfeeding works - it's a decision Andy and I made together (because it impacts all of us in how we spend our time and energy).

Exclusively breastfeeding means that you'll have to pump if you are going to be away from your baby for more than 2-3 hours, both to meet their demand, and to keep your supply up. If you are working outside the home, you'll have to pump at work. If it seems like that means you'll be pumping a lot - you will be!

What I did on my "Summer Vacation"

September 8, 2014

Last week I wrapped up maternity leave. Has anyone ever referred to your maternity leave as vacation?

No? Just me?

Yea, I didn’t think so….

While it’s not exactly sipping umbrella drinks by a blue sea, I did have 3 months of not going into the office regularly. This is what I did:

There's No Point in Ambition

July 22, 2014

Having a newborn is good for many things. It’s not good for sleep. It’s not good for actually completing tasks. But it is good for watching TV! I spend most of my day either feeding a baby, trying to get a baby to sleep, or holding this sweet baby when he’s sleeping. More productive people may read a book during this time, but I’ve been watching a bit a lot of Netflix. I started with Royal Pains – light and poppy. Then I moved on to Call the Midwife. It’s a moving series, very respectful, and very real.

In Call the Midwife, the position of the sweetly awkward couple is filled by Chummy and Peter. One evening Peter asks Chummy to quiz him for his upcoming sergeant’s test (he’s a constable). She teases him that he has these particular statutes memorized. He responds:

No point in ambitions if you don’t try to achieve them.

Ouch.

How many of my ambitions, goals, God-given dreams have languished because I haven't actually done the hard work to try to achieve them?

Do Your Colleagues Have a Secret Super-Power?

July 8, 2014

I just found out the receptionist at a company I visit frequently is leaving. While I’m sure she was a nice woman, she seemed a bit shy. She barely looked up when you walked in - not exactly cut out for the job of ‘receiving people’ as implied by her title.

So you can imagine my surprise when I found out she was leaving her job and heading to New York City to do stand-up comedy.

What?

This reserved woman is pursuing a career in stand-up comedy?

I have no idea if she’s any good. But she at least thinks she’s decent enough if she’s leaving her job here to move to NYC.

When I heard the news, I just shook my head and said “you never know.”

And it’s true – you never know what is beneath the surface of the people you meet.

“Your Work Will Impact People’s Lives”

June 25, 2014

In some ways, “government acquisition” (the process of the government buying things) is as boring as it sounds. Even the simplest purchases can require an almost endless amount of paperwork, and it literally takes years for many decisions to be made. So, many government workers naturally view acquisition as the least exhilarating part of their job. But not every government worker sees it that way. A friend who works for the government was recently taking an acquisition class, and was pleasantly surprised to find a really energetic instructor. She obviously cared about her work as an acquisition professional and wanted her students to care about acquisitions too.

At one point she said to them “your work will impact people’s lives.”

It seems like a pretty strong statement for a field that, in day-to-day execution, is not known for excitement or a sense of a strong impact.

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