After I wrote about breastfeeding last month, I realized I need to talk about pumping, especially as a working mother. Similar to when I first started breastfeeding, it was hard for me to grasp what pumping would feel like or how it would work before actually doing it. During my pregnancy, I made sure to research breast pumps, and I talked to my insurance about what was covered and where I could get one. Being my Type A self, I made a whole spreadsheet about breast pumps. If I couldn’t prepare myself for what it would feel like to pump, at least I could prepare myself for what pumps were out there!
After I had M, I pumped after each time I breastfed her, and I would get a little milk each time, which I slowly saved over time. In my own head, I thought if I pumped between her feedings, that it would take away from milk that she would get at her nursing sessions. And I had to work hard for that milk. If I was distracted or stressed, I could visibly see in the bottles how much less milk I was making, which discouraged me at times.
