Breastfeeding shaming: Pumping on the Airplane

Wow. Wow. Wow.

Another recent breastfeeding shaming story in the news today. This time, a mom was using a hospital grade pump on the flight in order to pump milk for her kiddo. It's crazy because there's lots of heat over on facebook about it and I just have to share my two cents.
I'd put myself out into the media if I was humiliated because IDIOTS and BULLIES like that need to be put in their place. Standing behind a bully is JUST THE SAME as being a bully yourself. Standing up for someone who is being singled out and humiliated is HONORABLE. Her coming out and standing up for herself after being humiliated- she's a HERO. Period. End of that. 
 
That stewardess was BULLYING that poor woman for using a BREAST PUMP. I mean COME ON. That pump is the top of the line pump, costs nearly 2k, and is the QUIETEST pump on the market. I've used that exact model, so I can say that with complete conviction (I have tried six different pumps, so I can really truly give a good comparison). If she was using that pump, either she was loaded rich (likely not) or she rented it to attempt to keep up or increase her milk supply in order to provide nourishment for her child. Key point in fact- PROVIDE NOURISHMENT FOR HER CHILD. It is her RIGHT to provide FOOD for her child, and if that means she has to pump, then she has a right to do so. 

Not only that, breastmilk production is SUPPLY and DEMAND. Even skipping ONE feeding or pump session can drastically alter a woman's supply if they are already having supply issues. Understand this: that means women who have to pump to keep up supply have to WAKE UP every 2-3 hours throughout the night to pump to keep up with their supply- or it goes kaput. So, there isn't a CHOICE in that. 
 
People use laptops on the airplane, what's the difference? It's not like she had a PENIS hanging out of her pants. She COVERED her body with a blanket in order to be discreet, yet the stewardess called attention to the situation. Pumping in the bathroom is DISGUSTING. EFFING DISGUSTING. Let me cook your dinner in the bathroom, chop the veggies on the toilet seat, and tell me if it sounds appetizing. Yeah, I think not. And I wouldn't expect my CHILD to eat that meal, EITHER. 
 
The airline needs to issue a formal apology and that stewardess needs to be written up and provided with some serious sensitivity training.

Playground Slides and your Toddler: A surprising risk!

Okay, so last weekend I broke my toe at a birthday party for an older child, one of my husband's co-workers. Anyhow, a long time ago I read an article about how children can break their legs on slides when they are accompanied by an adult; because, their little legs or feet can get caught on the side and the adult's body weight can cause a fracture.

Anyhow, I was paying more attention to keeping Nugget safe from fracture by keeping her entirely up in/on my lap, and wasn't paying attention to my own appendages. So, yeah. I broke my toe. Isn't it pretty?







But read the articles here: Article from Oregon Live and Blog on NY Times

I'm posting these here on my blog so that I can easily reference them later on for other parents when I explain about the safety risks associated with keeping your kid "safe" on the slide.

Wordless Wednesday: Art with the Nugget

I originally wrote this review over at The Nurse Mommy, and wanted to share for Wordless Wednesday. We don't do much art at home since she does a lot at school, but I will most definitely be doing more after I saw how great she did with this activity! <3

Life as a Wife, Mummy, and Nurse: Thrush {#BFBlogHop}

Life as a Wife, Mummy, and Nurse: Thrush {#BFBlogHop}: When I had mastitis and was placed on antibiotics, my OB-GYN told me to watch for signs and symptoms of thrush.  Thankfully, I did not get ...

DIY Hands Free Pumping Shirt

***Warning- there are breast/cleavage shots below, if you are easily offended or don't want to see, just close the page*** 

As I'm sure you all know, I am a huge breastfeeding advocate. Want to know a funny thing? When I took my breastfeeding class a few months before Nugget arrived, I told the class leader that my goal was to be a super-efficient pumper by 4 weeks, so I could return to work before 6 weeks.  I'm certain the lady teaching the class thought I was a nut.

The joke was entirely on me. I didn't have any idea what I was  getting into.

The first time I had to pump, I was anxious and cried because it was 1 week after Nugget was born. I had to start pumping so soon because my milk supply was taking forever to come in fully, and she was a slow gainer. Thank God we had an amazing pediatrician and nurse practitioner that were both breastfeeding supporters and educators in the community. Formula supplementation never even crossed their lips. 

There are so many things about nursing that I never knew existed, never expected to make it through, and most importantly, how much my daughter loves nursing- it's our mommy and me time. When she's sick, it's her comfort. How can I deny her something that is so perfectly composed for her? I never expected to be so in love with nursing my daughter, never expected to fight so hard to be able to nurse through so many problems, and never expected to nurse past one year.

Well, in order to be successful with nursing as a full-time working mother, I had to become an efficient pumper by the time I returned to work at about 8.5-9wks postpartum. Since, I started pumping at 1 week post-partum, I began to create a decent freezer stash (and oversupply). But, the thing about pumping is, it's really inconvenient to be holding the flanges with both your hands; they don’t just suck in place. Especially inconvenient when you've got a newborn to tend to, or even just be able to eat a sandwich with two hands while you've got a couple minutes to yourself while pumping before baby wakes.

Most women buy hands-free pumping bras. I was on an unpaid maternity leave and could not justify spending more than $30-40 for something that may or may not hold up the girls properly while pumping. So, the OT in me had to bust out the creativity and come up with something on my own.

So onto google I went in search of something I could buy cheaply that was quality – I admit that I was a Pinterest avoider at that point, I knew I’d be sucked into the vortex of everything that is Pinterest. These were my options:

The top two are pinterest ideas.  
I only owned one of each: a nursing bra and sports bra.
Rubber bands and velcro- my boobs are entirely too heavy for.
The bottom two are the typical tube bra type hands-free items 
on the market- which aren't guaranteed to hold up giant milkies.

One of my colleagues was a pumping mother and warned me that there would be the occasional interruption while pumping and she has had people walk in on her a couple times. So, the idea of a bra only didn’t seem like the best choice, just in case I got walked in on. So, tank top it was; I have a million tank tops. I could pump with my back to the door and no one would see anything. No biggie at all!  Here’s what I did, instructions on the photos!

One more thing that's so amazing about these tops, is that if you have one of the "hands free" battery operated pumps (the clip on kind or even the backpack kind), you can clip the pump directly onto the shirt.

Step 1: Mark the points where your nipples SHOULD point at attention.

Step 2: Fold like a princess seam in prep for cutting

Step 3: Cut slits or holes. This is a personal preference. 
I ended up preferring the straight slit method after making about 10 of these.

Circular version

Step 4: Make sure the flanges fit the slit/holes

Step 5: Get your pump on mama!

So what's the hold up? Have you made you one yet?!