I have a 4 month old daughter, who I am currently breast feeding. I love being able to bond with her and to nourish her with out having to go to the store (I'm all about convenience). I love that there are health benefits to what I'm doing for my baby. I also pump when at work to avoid the need to supplement.
I LOVE my work environment as a nursing mom. Everyone seems to have nursed, pumped, had a spouse or relative who pumped, or to just think it's an important thing. I've even gotten "you go girl" type comments for pumping when I'm away from baby. And you know what? I do go! I feel proud that I'm committed to this. I do wish, though, that it was such a normal thing that it isn't often seen as a struggle, a thing you do despite the odds against pumping at work and nursing long term.
The truth is though, the odds are against the working and nursing mom. It seems to be getting better. I mean, I hear it's getting better. In my line of work, breaks don't come at scheduled intervals and schedules can be maddening. There's no guarantee that the most private place will also be the most clean place to handle breast milk. This is so common, and yet is a huge step up from when I was a grad student. That setup was hellish for a nursing mom!
I know I'm borderline beating a dead horse here. We know nursing is important. We know society can make it hard in the workplace, in public, or even at home. But it's still worth another mention. I hope that when my daughters grow up, they won't have to be seen as nursing heroes, just regular nursing Joes.
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