Working Mom Wednesday

This week is World Breastfeeding Week so it is only fitting to make this week’s Working Mom entry about breastfeeding. Last week I attended a BabyTalk session at work focused on nursing toddlers. The room was FULL of moms who breastfeed beyond the first year. In fact, in my place of work over 75% of the moms continue to breastfeed past the first year. This was astounding to me! And it made me wonder why so many of us, as working moms, choose to breastfeed. Obviously, for a mom who works outside the house, pumping is often a big pain and many of us experience complications that come with trying to pump enough milk for our children. All of this adds stress and hardships to the breastfeeding experience yet we persevere. Why is that?

In part, I think working for an organization that values breastfeeding and understands the importance of it and the health benefits for the child and mom make it easier. Also, having (nice) lactation rooms provided, a lactation consultant (who I called and emailed late into the night when Olivia was a newborn), and providing sessions like BabyTalk where nursing moms can come together to talk are encouraging. But also, so much of why I am still breastfeeding has to do with the bond it allows for Olivia and me. There is so much guilt associated with having to leave your child to go to work, at least this way we have our special time in the morning before I rush out the door. And in the evening it is our quiet time together. I know that through nursing I have provided her with antibodies to protect against illness and nutrients to help in development. I feel a sense of accomplishment that I stuck it out through all the breastfeeding difficulties that occur the first year and now we can enjoy a non stressful (no pumping) nursing experience that benefits us both.