Praise for Pumping Moms
This morning on The View, Whoopi Goldberg joked with Elisabeth Hasselbeck that she would be giving her a breast pump and that it is “the gift that keeps on giving.” Funny and true.
It made me think of the breastfeeding mothers who are so dedicated to making sure that their babies receive breast milk that they pump when, for a variety of reasons, they cannot physically breastfeed their babies.
When my oldest was a baby we had latch problems. I was determined that he should have breast milk instead of formula so I took out my brand new Medela and got to work. It was awful. I got about two ounces in 20-30 minutes. Eventually he was able to latch on enough to get what he needed.
When I returned to work part time when he was six weeks old I would spend my short lunch break in the “nursing mothers’ room” pumping away. I never produced much and three weeks later his daycare teacher was calling me at work asking me to come nurse him because he was going through 16 ozs in three hours. By the time he was 10 weeks old I had transitioned to working from home and put away my pump.
I didn’t bring it out at all for my second son and only once or twice (with the same pitiful results) with my third.
Mother who pump exclusively blow my mind. What dedication! What strength! Working mothers who pump for their babies (sometimes in less than comfortable environments) are incredible. Moms pumping for their precious preemies are extraordinary.
If you know a proud pumping mama, give her a pat on the back and let her know what an amazing breastfeeding mother she is! 
November 17th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Thank you for this! Due to unresolved latch issues and severly inverted nipples, I EP’d my first daughter for 9 months before my supply dried up. I always felt like a second-rate breastfeeder because I didn’t have the same closeness with my baby that breastfeeding moms did. It was difficult to keep up that kind of dedication when I didn’t feel like I got the same benefits from it as BFing moms who could hold their babies to their breast and bond while they fed. It brought tears to my eyes to read your thoughts and know that sometimes our efforts as moms don’t go unnoticed.
November 24th, 2007 at 12:52 am
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