MÜTTER STILLEN & ELTERN

Do you "do" New Year's Resolutions?  Some moms do, some moms don't.  Here's a list of some resolutions to consider for you and your families when looking at the New Year ahead:

Holiday music, decorating gingerbread houses at the library, Santa Claus on the fire truck -- these are all signs it's holiday time in my community.  In my house, though, it wouldn't be Christmas unless one of my children is sick or has a fever.  This is just the way it's worked out the past few years.  One year it was the flu - and we were all quarantined.  Last year it was a stomach bug and this year the littlest one has a fever so we won't be doing our normal Christmas Eve routine tonight.

Last night I was watching an old episode of Law & Order from 2000, named Mother's Milk.  They addressed the concepts of inexperienced motherhood, breastfeeding, lactation consultants and the dreaded "failure to thrive".  I found it very interesting that almost 15 years later some of the same concepts are today affecting mothers we speak to about breastfeeding.

This hectic time of year reminds me of my awkward moments in breast pumping.  The most awkward was answering the front door to our mailman Kevin (who has three kids my sons' ages).  He held out the holiday packages very gingerly, never lost eye contact, and rushed away from the porch before I could yell "Happy Holidays" or "Don't forget your cookies in the mailbox".  I closed my door and looked down - my shirt was unbuttoned, nursing bra was undone on both sides because I had been nursing and pumping at the same time:  I had flashed my poor mailman because I put the pump and baby down to run to answer the door.  Poor Kevin.  I made a normal moment for me a very awkward moment for him.

I live next door to wonderful people.  Mr. and Mrs. D have been happily married for almost fifty years and raised three children in a small house.  They came over to meet each of my sons within hours of us arriving home from the hospital with them.  They're great people, inside and out. 

My children know this is my favorite holiday - the one without the presents, the one without candles to blow out, the one without crazy amounts of candy.  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it's the one where we sit down together, enjoy each other's company, and share what we're thankful for.

There's nothing like the holiday season in New York City.  The tree, the shopping, the roasted peanuts, the parade, the parties -- but what about pumping?

His arrival was the most peaceful moment of our lives.  The midwife and nurse left the room, and my husband and I looked down at our red-headed angel and agreed - he was perfect. 

When I returned to work after having my first child, my boss was a full-time working mom and our employer was a small division of a large, multi-national corporation.  I am thankful that my superiors and co-workers were so accommodating to help me comfortably pump but still get my work done. 

I was recently in Chelsea for a series of work meetings and was able to steal five minutes alone to visit the High Line.  It was a beautiful fall day, the sun was shining, and I felt a few minutes of calm and quiet  - even while being in the middle of New York City.

I recently had coffee with a friend who is 9 months pregnant and she was sharing comments that some of her male co-workers had made during her pregnancy.  Most common are statements about how she should try her best to schedule her delivery as close to the due date as possible so that she won't miss work before she's "scheduled to".  This made me laugh at first because the men she was working with really don't seem to understand how the birthing process works (such as the BABY is in charge) --  but then I remembered some of the insensitive comments I had received while I was pregnant:

I have a first grader who loves to read all kinds of books - including anatomy books.  This week I had a meeting with his teacher about a class party and she revealed that he shared his anatomy books with the class recently.

I'm friends with lots of moms who run.  Moms with three kids, moms with four kids, moms with toddlers, moms with newborns, traveling moms, and even one avid runner friend who was running a 5K several times a week right through her 40th week of pregnancy (with her OB's approval).  I'm amazed at these moms -- how do you do it?

Do you remember your first time holding your baby?  The first time you became a mom and your baby looked up at you?  How did you feel? 

"Every woman should have a purse of her own," said Susan B. Anthony, a key player in women's rights. Imagine what Ms. Anthony would say about a woman and her travel pump bag. Most moms who express milk know what they should keep in their pump bags, the general list of items to take usually contain the following:

My two year old was crying in the backseat today, upset that his juice cup was empty and I couldn't refill it. 

Do you pamper yourself anymore?

Do you think such a thing as a “Dream” breast pump exists? Using your pump sometimes feels like a chore, but considering you’re bringing the pump with you to work, to parties, to family functions, and to playdates – it deserves more consideration than simply what your friend is lending to you or what your insurance company covers for you.

These are the words my sister said as she handed me her Medela Pump In Style double electric pump. She had used it to express milk for her twins in 2006 and she was passing it on to me in 2008 for my oldest son. I didn’t realize how much she meant that this “machine” would really be my best friend.

This was advice from my friend Marnie, the only breastfeeding mom I knew when I had my oldest son in 2008.  Sure, my mom had breastfed me back in the late 70’s but she didn’t have advice about breast pumps.  My lactation consultant was straight from La Leche League and warned me I should wait to breast pump, so I was taking Marnie’s advice about pumping.