On Wednesday, I said goodbye to Elle, picked up my lunch bag and purse and walked out the door.
I got to work and went straight to my desk.
I left the building on my dinner break for only the fourth time since returning from maternity leave in mid October. The first three times I had ventured out were for job candidate dinner interviews. This time, I went to Pier 1 to see if my local store had something my sister hadn't been able to locate at her local store.
When I left work that night, I walked down three flights of stairs and out the front door.
I went home, unpacked my lunch bag and sat down on the couch with my husband to talk about our days.
Why is any of this important?
Because I didn't take my breast pump to work on Wednesday. Or any day since then.
Since I wasn't pumping during a break from work, I could go run an errand. I could bypass the nursing mother's room on my way in and out of the office. I could go straight home and not have to mess with any milk or pump parts.
The pump is history. I have a freezer stash, but Elle is drinking a lot less breast milk these days, and I'm still nursing her when I'm with her. Being pump-less is ridiculously liberating. I mean, I know it was important in keeping up my supply and providing Elle with breast milk for her first year, but I couldn't take another day. I realized I didn't have to. And now I don't have to complain about it on the blog anymore, so it's win-win for everyone :)
And in the interest of including a photo with this post, I share this funny notepad I spotted at Pier 1:
congrats!! i know how awesome it felt to pack my pump away so i know your feeling must have been that strong TIMES ONE MILLION!!!!!!! go you! congrats again for pumping that long; i never could have been that dedicated. you rock!
ReplyDeleteCongrats! I love to hear success stories of moms who make it a whole year pumping--kudos, mama! And now for your well-deserved liberation...enjoy. :-)
ReplyDeleteI said goodbye to mine 2 weeks ago, the freedom at work is amazing!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!! This is HUGE deal.
ReplyDeleteI actually didn't mind the actual act of pumping at work. It was a nice little breather and a good excuse to take a break. I was always really fast though - 10 minutes per pumping session. However, I did hate lugging the pump to and from work and since my job requires me to attend meetings all over the city, finding places to pump was the WORST. I can't even tell you the number of strangers I had to awkwardly ask if they knew where I could pump.
So yes, I totally understand that feeling of freedom when I packed up the pump. You should give yourself an extra pat on the back (or a second glass of wine - whatever your style may be!)