I sucked up my new people nervousness and went to a La Leche League meeting Wednesday night. Our Bradley Class recommended trying one out and to be honest, before they even mentioned it I had already thought about giving it a try. Nothing like a little support for the ta-tas before they take over my life. Yes, I am feeling dramatic about all of this.
On to LLL …
I showed up to find out I was the only one there. Turns out the daytime meeting is much more popular. Anyways, I talked with the gal for a bit. She gave me some great encouragement and invited me back. She also recommended looking into hands free pumping … anyone have experience with that? It looks … uh … not cuddly like nursing. See here.
I’m sensing this whole La Leche thing is a conglomerate of stay at home moms. Which is cool, but working moms can breastfeed too. Whatever ends up happening post maternity leave I’ll be a breastfeeding mama. That I know. I’m that freakin’ determined.
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Sorry… I just don't think I could do that whole hands-free thing… just reminds me of milking a cow. I had a Medela Pump In Style and I would definitly recommend a good quality pump, but I guess I liked the idea that I was in control or something.Book suggestion "So That's What They're For!" by Janet Tamaro
I've got the medela hands free pump! I love it, if you add up 6 times at least pumping a day at 20 minutes a session it ends up being 2 hours of sitting there. It makes it nice so you can do dishes, clean bottles and do chores around the house.
I didn't go hands free but did master the art of holding both suckers with one hand briefly so I could do a short reply to an email or IM at work (which consistent of, "yes", "sounds good" or "I'll get back to you on that".)
I have heard that about the LLL before, that Working moms feel excluded. It's certainly not on purpose, but I think it's a matter of 1. fewer working mothers breastfeed (SADLY!! And this is a societal issue) 2. Working moms don't have as much time for such activities 3. They feel excluded. I went to a LLL picnic last month (though I'd never gone to any meetings) and while I was basically in heaven, I do wish there were more groups like that, catering to different niches of breastfeeding mothers so that everyone could have such a great group. It's good you went though! Hopefully you will visit again. I would have stopped breastfeeding long ago had I not had my internet support groups (the breastfeeding community on livejournal, the #breastfeeding hashtag on twitter & friends I made there, and kellymom.com). Finding that support system anywhere is definitely one of the most important prep steps any mom can do.I was never able to pump (sadly!) or I would have loved a hands free thing, though it horrifies me to look at! I had a maedela harmony manual, and I don't know if it is me or the pump, but it wasn't awesome. A lot of people love it though, so it might just be me!
You can totally pump and be a working mommy! I made the commitment before my son was born that I would nurse as long as possible. At that time my goal was 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding and we've already made it that far! Now I hope to do it for a year (or more if we're up to it!). The best things I ever invested in were a good pump (Amaeda Purely Yours) and a hands-free pumping bra (Pumpease). I totally don't mind pumping at work and can still get a ton of stuff done! Good luck to you and don't give up- you can do it!
Hands free is definitely (in my opinion) the way to go if you are going to pump. Much more efficient, and though you do feel a bit like a cow at least you will be done with the whole gig in half the time. My second son didn't start out on the boob, he had latching issues, so for the first month and half I pumped and bottle fed. Thank goodness he eventually took to the tap and I was able to hang my pump up for only occasional use, but I am glad that I figured out to go hands free.Also just something that worked for me, I didn't buy an actual hands free pumping bra. I just took a well fitting bra I already had and made holes for the pumps to fit through. A little ghetto but it saved me forty some dollars.