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Work. Pump. Repeat.: The New Mom's Survival Guide to Breastfeeding and Going Back to Work
The practical, relatable, and humorous guide to surviving the difficult, awkward, and rewarding job of being a breastfeeding, working mom.
Meet the frenemy of every working, breastfeeding mother: the breast pump. Many women are beyond “breast is best” and on to figuring out how to make milk while returning to demanding jobs. Work. Pump. Repeat. is the first book to give women what they need to know beyond the noise of the “Mommy Wars” and judgment on breastfeeding choices. Jessica Shortall shares the nitty-gritty basics of surviving the working world as a breastfeeding mom, offering a road map for negotiating the pumping schedule with colleagues, navigating business travel, and problem-solving when forced to pump in less-than-desirable locales. Drawing on the war stories, hacks, and humor of working moms, and on her own stories from her demanding job and travel in developing countries, she gives women moral support for dealing with the stress and guilt that come with juggling working and breastfeeding. As she tells the reader in her witty, inspiring manifesto, “Your worth as a mother is not measured in ounces.”
2015 Axiom Business Book Award Winner (Silver) in the category of Women/Minorities
Meet the frenemy of every working, breastfeeding mother: the breast pump. Many women are beyond “breast is best” and on to figuring out how to make milk while returning to demanding jobs. Work. Pump. Repeat. is the first book to give women what they need to know beyond the noise of the “Mommy Wars” and judgment on breastfeeding choices. Jessica Shortall shares the nitty-gritty basics of surviving the working world as a breastfeeding mom, offering a road map for negotiating the pumping schedule with colleagues, navigating business travel, and problem-solving when forced to pump in less-than-desirable locales. Drawing on the war stories, hacks, and humor of working moms, and on her own stories from her demanding job and travel in developing countries, she gives women moral support for dealing with the stress and guilt that come with juggling working and breastfeeding. As she tells the reader in her witty, inspiring manifesto, “Your worth as a mother is not measured in ounces.”
2015 Axiom Business Book Award Winner (Silver) in the category of Women/Minorities
208 pages, Hardcover
First published September 8, 2015
271 people are currently reading
778 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Shortall
2 books13 followersJessica Shortall is a thirty-something working mother of two, with a career dedicated to the intersection of business and doing good. For five years, she was the first Director of Giving for TOMS Shoes, a job that had her literally circumnavigating the globe with a breast pump.
Jessica started her adult life as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan, and has worked in the non-profit, start-up, corporate, and human rights worlds in the U.S. and internationally.
Before she had children, Jessica enjoyed travel, yoga, cooking, and wine. Today, her interests include just keeping it together, and also wine.
In the news and on the web
Jessica is a featured writer and interview subject on breastfeeding, pumping at work, women's rights in the workplace, and America's ridiculously crappy approach to maternity leave. She writes regularly for The Bump and has been featured on The Huffington Post, Working Mother Magazine, BlogHer, and Every Mother Counts, with posts that are consistently viral and widely shared.
Jessica started her adult life as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan, and has worked in the non-profit, start-up, corporate, and human rights worlds in the U.S. and internationally.
Before she had children, Jessica enjoyed travel, yoga, cooking, and wine. Today, her interests include just keeping it together, and also wine.
In the news and on the web
Jessica is a featured writer and interview subject on breastfeeding, pumping at work, women's rights in the workplace, and America's ridiculously crappy approach to maternity leave. She writes regularly for The Bump and has been featured on The Huffington Post, Working Mother Magazine, BlogHer, and Every Mother Counts, with posts that are consistently viral and widely shared.
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October 20, 2020
This is a guide for new mothers who wish to continue breastfeeding and, therefore, must pump after returning to work.
I read this book because I wanted to feel a little solidarity, and I was curious if there were any tips or tricks I hadn't heard before even though this was not my first rodeo. I did find out a few new things. I learned that one is not supposed to shake breastmilk or combine milk at two different temperatures. I have always shaken bottles to mix the separated milk and just dumped freshly pumped milk into containers already in the fridge without chilling it first. Now I am more hesitant to do both of these things although I would like to report that the milk never, noticeably, spoiled.
Most breastfeeding books barely mention pumping, so it is a novelty that is this book's exclusive focus. This book also assumes that the reader, as a nursing mother, will return to work on a regular basis while most breastfeeding guides assume that the reader will not be working while nursing. As the only First World country without a federally mandated maternity leave, most women who are breastfeeding will have to return to work 6 to 12 weeks after giving birth. As HR at my job told me "after 6 weeks you are no longer physically unable to work" -- spoken just like someone who has never given birth or been the primary caregiver of a newborn/infant. This book is here to guide you through the rough transition back to work. Its greatest flaw, however, is that it is aimed at predominantly white collar workers. Some of the advice will generalize to us lower level peons, and some will not. Most of the anecdotes are from professionals, and it would have been nice to include the occasional lower level worker such as a supermarket cashier, waitress, library clerk, or sales associate.
The book is divided into four sections:
*Section 1: Getting Ready for the Insanity
*Section 2: Your Boobs at Work
*Section 3: Road Trip!
*Section 4: Oh Sh*t: What to Do When Things Go Wrong
Section 1
Section 1 is the most helpful. It starts with basics of supply and demand. Then it discusses how to choose a breast pump. "When they talk about pumps, they talk about single, manual pumps vs. double, electric pumps as if these are all equally usable choices for a working mother. Please let me clear all of this up for you: If you are going back to work, you need a double electric pump" (page 25). Then it explains the different pump parts and includes a packing list for pumping at work. Because the author has high socioeconomic status, she recommends buying a manual pump to have on hand for emergencies as well as spare pump pieces to keep at work and even suggests buying a second pump just to leave at work. This is bit more feasible now that insurance is required to cover a basic double electric pump, but not everyone can drop several hundred dollars on a spare pump and spare pieces especially after paying thousands of dollars in deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses for the birth.
This section features Pumping School, which will school the reader in pumping. It discusses introducing bottles, so that a babies will even accept a bottle. It covers how to store, freeze, and thaw breast milk (page 46) as well as how to properly train all caregivers to do these things. As a cautionary tale about what might happen if caregivers aren't properly trained, one poor woman's husband took all 15 bags of frozen milk out of the freezer, thawed them all at once, and then threw them all away when one of the bags leaked. I am willing to bet that they are now divorced.
The guidelines for how long milk is good are on pages 47 to 48. Cliff Notes: milk at room temperature is safe for 4 to 8 hours, milk in the fridge is good for 72 hours to 7 days, milk in the freezer is good for 3 to 6 months, milk in the deep freeze is good for 1 year, and thawed frozen milk in the fridge is good for 1 to 3 days. If you can stomach the idea, taste fresh milk, so you know what good milk tastes like in case you're ever attempting to determine whether or not a container of breast milk has spoiled.
Exclusive breastfeeders may not have the slightest idea how much milk their babies take at each feeding, so the guidelines for intake by age are on pages 50 to 51.
This section also explains breastfeeding rights at work. I didn't care for the sheer amount of bootlicking to HR that the author suggests in order to be allowed to pump at work. Yes, there is no across the board legal protection for breastfeeding mothers needing to pump at work. However, any organization large enough to have an HR department will fall under the federal law requiring employers to "give 'reasonable break time for an employee to express breastmilk for one year after the children's birth each time such employee has need to express the milk' and to provide 'a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breastmilk'" (page 59).
All of the groveling makes it seem like lactating mothers are asking for a special privilege and not to exercise a right. Sometimes employers will not accommodate you unless you demand rather than ask. So, if breastfeeding is really important to you, you need to be battle ready. Don't hem and haw, apologize, and say things like "If it's not too much trouble ...". You are undermining yourself and your cause. You are also setting a bad precedent for all the pumping mothers in your organization who will come after you.
Section 2
Section 2 is the down and dirty about pumping at work. It includes instructions on many work-related things such as how to talk to your boss about things directly related to your breasts. Back to the bootlicking and making a big show of gratitude, the author spends a lot of time discussing how to create a usable plan (chapter 8, pages 75 to 95) to be allowed to pump at work. See my previous comments about needlessly groveling.
Chapter 9 covers time, privacy, and awkward coworkers (pages 96 to 107). There are a lot of tips and painful anecdotes. The author defines four types of coworkers: the resentful one, the inappropriate comment-maker, the "I'd rather not know" guy, and the best thing that has happened since you went back to work. Basically, some people will help you, some people will actively try to hinder you, and some people will do neither.
Interestingly, she didn't mention older women who were forced to use manual pumps in bathroom stalls if they wanted to pump at work in the resentful category. From my own experience, these women were worse than the men who think maternity leave is "vacation" and time and space in which to pump is a special privilege probably because they should logically be an ally for breastfeeding working mothers. But instead of being happy that things have improved for the younger generation, some women are resentful and angry that current nursing mothers don't have to suffer the same indignities that they did. This caught me off guard, so I'm giving you a heads-up.
Like being visible pregnant, pumping at work often gives people -- both men and women -- license to say things to you that will technically cross the line into sexual harassment. Choose your battles carefully. The best advice for inappropriate comments is to turn the other cheek as hard as that may be. As the author says, "Meeting these things with anger doesn't always serve your goal of getting your job done and getting home to see your kid" (page 107). Remember, "Responding in anger doesn't always make you look or feel good; getting the job done usually does" (page 143). This is really really hard, but it's good advice.
If you're unable to ignore it or for anything particularly egregious, your best course of action is to document the incident and then privately report it to your supervisor or HR. Be prepared, however, that you may be reprimanded for not being able to "take a joke" or being "overly sensitive" especially if you raised your voice at your coworker in response to the inappropriate remark(s). Although the Weinstein fallout and #MeToo campaign might now force admin and HR take such complaints more seriously, as far as my own experience goes, I was told that I shouldn't have "snapped" at my coworker because he was only "joking." Ha ha ha, I was being hostile and bad sport who just couldn't take a joke. My bad.
The chapter on pumping in strange places (pages 108 to 121) can be helpful. Oh, all the places you will pump!
Section 3
Section 3 is all about pumping on business trips, which wasn't applicable for me as a lower level worker. I couldn't relate to the harrowing experiences of pumping during international travel, and personally I found the author's obliviousness to her own privilege as an upper level employee to be annoying.
Section 4
Section 4 covers what to do when things go wrong, and they will. There are some good hacks to use if you forget important pump pieces.
Chapter 17 "All the Feelings" (pages 186 to 203). The author makes the pleas for mothers to see things in perspective (page 189). She points out that if one mother talks about her breastfeeding goals, that doesn't mean she is judging anyone else's. Yes, please stop personalizing everything! It is a cognitive distortion, and it only makes you miserable. This is really hard because people do tend to take anything said about highly emotional topics very personally, but what other people do and talk about doing really has nothing to do with you most of the time.
The author also reminds readers of the fact that "the breast is best" slogan that everyone now resents was created in response to the better-living-through-chemistry idea from the mid-20th Century that taught generations of mothers that breastmilk was nutritionally inferior to formula (pages 193 to 194). Women believed for decades that breastmilk wasn't good for babies. Crazy but true! "The breast is best" campaign counteracted this and is responsible for encouraging breastfeeding. Many of us never would have even attempted breastfeeding if it weren't for this campaign.
Again, please keep things in perspective. Formula was invented to feed babies whose mothers can't or won't breastfeed them. The fact breastmilk has a slight nutritional edge doesn't mean there is anything wrong with formula feeding. Ignore the extremists on both sides of the debate and just do what is best for your particular situation. You are the authority on your own life. You know your particular needs and limits.
I was also happy to see included a small section on people who “shame” you for working although I think "criticize" would be a better (and less dramatic) word choice than shame. Some people, particularly women of a certain generation and/or sociocultural group, expect women to either stop working or not work while they have small children, and they will tactlessly make comments. The best response is to simply say "Yes, I am still working" and then refuse to engage in the conversation any further. They won't understand that it's not the 1950s anymore and that a second-income is required not to slide into poverty or that a woman might need to work in order to feel personally fulfilled, so there is not point arguing or explaining. It isn't you; it's the other person's worldview.
There's also a small section on how to respond to people who say breastfeeding is easy. I had no idea people believed this -- or at least anyone who had ever attempted to breastfeed. New mothers are usually shocked to discover that even though breastfeeding is natural (as in once the placenta detaches chemical signals cause a woman's body to begin lactating), there is a steep learning curve. Anyone who tells you that breastfeeding is easy has no idea what s/he is talking about. Don't sweat it.
I read this book because I wanted to feel a little solidarity, and I was curious if there were any tips or tricks I hadn't heard before even though this was not my first rodeo. I did find out a few new things. I learned that one is not supposed to shake breastmilk or combine milk at two different temperatures. I have always shaken bottles to mix the separated milk and just dumped freshly pumped milk into containers already in the fridge without chilling it first. Now I am more hesitant to do both of these things although I would like to report that the milk never, noticeably, spoiled.
Most breastfeeding books barely mention pumping, so it is a novelty that is this book's exclusive focus. This book also assumes that the reader, as a nursing mother, will return to work on a regular basis while most breastfeeding guides assume that the reader will not be working while nursing. As the only First World country without a federally mandated maternity leave, most women who are breastfeeding will have to return to work 6 to 12 weeks after giving birth. As HR at my job told me "after 6 weeks you are no longer physically unable to work" -- spoken just like someone who has never given birth or been the primary caregiver of a newborn/infant. This book is here to guide you through the rough transition back to work. Its greatest flaw, however, is that it is aimed at predominantly white collar workers. Some of the advice will generalize to us lower level peons, and some will not. Most of the anecdotes are from professionals, and it would have been nice to include the occasional lower level worker such as a supermarket cashier, waitress, library clerk, or sales associate.
The book is divided into four sections:
*Section 1: Getting Ready for the Insanity
*Section 2: Your Boobs at Work
*Section 3: Road Trip!
*Section 4: Oh Sh*t: What to Do When Things Go Wrong
Section 1
Section 1 is the most helpful. It starts with basics of supply and demand. Then it discusses how to choose a breast pump. "When they talk about pumps, they talk about single, manual pumps vs. double, electric pumps as if these are all equally usable choices for a working mother. Please let me clear all of this up for you: If you are going back to work, you need a double electric pump" (page 25). Then it explains the different pump parts and includes a packing list for pumping at work. Because the author has high socioeconomic status, she recommends buying a manual pump to have on hand for emergencies as well as spare pump pieces to keep at work and even suggests buying a second pump just to leave at work. This is bit more feasible now that insurance is required to cover a basic double electric pump, but not everyone can drop several hundred dollars on a spare pump and spare pieces especially after paying thousands of dollars in deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses for the birth.
This section features Pumping School, which will school the reader in pumping. It discusses introducing bottles, so that a babies will even accept a bottle. It covers how to store, freeze, and thaw breast milk (page 46) as well as how to properly train all caregivers to do these things. As a cautionary tale about what might happen if caregivers aren't properly trained, one poor woman's husband took all 15 bags of frozen milk out of the freezer, thawed them all at once, and then threw them all away when one of the bags leaked. I am willing to bet that they are now divorced.
The guidelines for how long milk is good are on pages 47 to 48. Cliff Notes: milk at room temperature is safe for 4 to 8 hours, milk in the fridge is good for 72 hours to 7 days, milk in the freezer is good for 3 to 6 months, milk in the deep freeze is good for 1 year, and thawed frozen milk in the fridge is good for 1 to 3 days. If you can stomach the idea, taste fresh milk, so you know what good milk tastes like in case you're ever attempting to determine whether or not a container of breast milk has spoiled.
Exclusive breastfeeders may not have the slightest idea how much milk their babies take at each feeding, so the guidelines for intake by age are on pages 50 to 51.
This section also explains breastfeeding rights at work. I didn't care for the sheer amount of bootlicking to HR that the author suggests in order to be allowed to pump at work. Yes, there is no across the board legal protection for breastfeeding mothers needing to pump at work. However, any organization large enough to have an HR department will fall under the federal law requiring employers to "give 'reasonable break time for an employee to express breastmilk for one year after the children's birth each time such employee has need to express the milk' and to provide 'a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breastmilk'" (page 59).
All of the groveling makes it seem like lactating mothers are asking for a special privilege and not to exercise a right. Sometimes employers will not accommodate you unless you demand rather than ask. So, if breastfeeding is really important to you, you need to be battle ready. Don't hem and haw, apologize, and say things like "If it's not too much trouble ...". You are undermining yourself and your cause. You are also setting a bad precedent for all the pumping mothers in your organization who will come after you.
Section 2
Section 2 is the down and dirty about pumping at work. It includes instructions on many work-related things such as how to talk to your boss about things directly related to your breasts. Back to the bootlicking and making a big show of gratitude, the author spends a lot of time discussing how to create a usable plan (chapter 8, pages 75 to 95) to be allowed to pump at work. See my previous comments about needlessly groveling.
Chapter 9 covers time, privacy, and awkward coworkers (pages 96 to 107). There are a lot of tips and painful anecdotes. The author defines four types of coworkers: the resentful one, the inappropriate comment-maker, the "I'd rather not know" guy, and the best thing that has happened since you went back to work. Basically, some people will help you, some people will actively try to hinder you, and some people will do neither.
Interestingly, she didn't mention older women who were forced to use manual pumps in bathroom stalls if they wanted to pump at work in the resentful category. From my own experience, these women were worse than the men who think maternity leave is "vacation" and time and space in which to pump is a special privilege probably because they should logically be an ally for breastfeeding working mothers. But instead of being happy that things have improved for the younger generation, some women are resentful and angry that current nursing mothers don't have to suffer the same indignities that they did. This caught me off guard, so I'm giving you a heads-up.
Like being visible pregnant, pumping at work often gives people -- both men and women -- license to say things to you that will technically cross the line into sexual harassment. Choose your battles carefully. The best advice for inappropriate comments is to turn the other cheek as hard as that may be. As the author says, "Meeting these things with anger doesn't always serve your goal of getting your job done and getting home to see your kid" (page 107). Remember, "Responding in anger doesn't always make you look or feel good; getting the job done usually does" (page 143). This is really really hard, but it's good advice.
If you're unable to ignore it or for anything particularly egregious, your best course of action is to document the incident and then privately report it to your supervisor or HR. Be prepared, however, that you may be reprimanded for not being able to "take a joke" or being "overly sensitive" especially if you raised your voice at your coworker in response to the inappropriate remark(s). Although the Weinstein fallout and #MeToo campaign might now force admin and HR take such complaints more seriously, as far as my own experience goes, I was told that I shouldn't have "snapped" at my coworker because he was only "joking." Ha ha ha, I was being hostile and bad sport who just couldn't take a joke. My bad.
The chapter on pumping in strange places (pages 108 to 121) can be helpful. Oh, all the places you will pump!
Section 3
Section 3 is all about pumping on business trips, which wasn't applicable for me as a lower level worker. I couldn't relate to the harrowing experiences of pumping during international travel, and personally I found the author's obliviousness to her own privilege as an upper level employee to be annoying.
Section 4
Section 4 covers what to do when things go wrong, and they will. There are some good hacks to use if you forget important pump pieces.
Chapter 17 "All the Feelings" (pages 186 to 203). The author makes the pleas for mothers to see things in perspective (page 189). She points out that if one mother talks about her breastfeeding goals, that doesn't mean she is judging anyone else's. Yes, please stop personalizing everything! It is a cognitive distortion, and it only makes you miserable. This is really hard because people do tend to take anything said about highly emotional topics very personally, but what other people do and talk about doing really has nothing to do with you most of the time.
The author also reminds readers of the fact that "the breast is best" slogan that everyone now resents was created in response to the better-living-through-chemistry idea from the mid-20th Century that taught generations of mothers that breastmilk was nutritionally inferior to formula (pages 193 to 194). Women believed for decades that breastmilk wasn't good for babies. Crazy but true! "The breast is best" campaign counteracted this and is responsible for encouraging breastfeeding. Many of us never would have even attempted breastfeeding if it weren't for this campaign.
Again, please keep things in perspective. Formula was invented to feed babies whose mothers can't or won't breastfeed them. The fact breastmilk has a slight nutritional edge doesn't mean there is anything wrong with formula feeding. Ignore the extremists on both sides of the debate and just do what is best for your particular situation. You are the authority on your own life. You know your particular needs and limits.
I was also happy to see included a small section on people who “shame” you for working although I think "criticize" would be a better (and less dramatic) word choice than shame. Some people, particularly women of a certain generation and/or sociocultural group, expect women to either stop working or not work while they have small children, and they will tactlessly make comments. The best response is to simply say "Yes, I am still working" and then refuse to engage in the conversation any further. They won't understand that it's not the 1950s anymore and that a second-income is required not to slide into poverty or that a woman might need to work in order to feel personally fulfilled, so there is not point arguing or explaining. It isn't you; it's the other person's worldview.
There's also a small section on how to respond to people who say breastfeeding is easy. I had no idea people believed this -- or at least anyone who had ever attempted to breastfeed. New mothers are usually shocked to discover that even though breastfeeding is natural (as in once the placenta detaches chemical signals cause a woman's body to begin lactating), there is a steep learning curve. Anyone who tells you that breastfeeding is easy has no idea what s/he is talking about. Don't sweat it.
May 24, 2017
Takeaways:
* So much practical advice for parts, goals, storage, practice runs, backup shirts and parts at work, flying with baby -- just amazing and relevant and straight forward and supportive all around. Refer back to it and kindle highlights!
* do NOT apologize.
* try to feed milk cold from the fridge #shamgoals
* be alert for over feeding
* get a ziplock bag stash going at work and in my bags
* "If someone is not getting the hint and keeps asking where I’m going, sometimes I will just say, “I have to go be a mom for a few minutes.” If I’m feeling salty, I’ll hit them with, “I am going to go use a machine to extract milk from my body.”"
* "Guilt sucks, but it’s got nothing on shame. Shame finds the bottom-most part of your soul and takes up residence there. It colors how you look at everything and it sticks around for a long time. I want to leave you with a reminder that you have nothing to be ashamed of, no matter how breastfeeding turns out for you. You are not a failure. Your worth as a mother is not measured in ounces. Say it out loud. Write it on the inside of your pump bag. You’re a great mom doing a hard job, and I hope you’re really proud of yourself."
* "Getting obsessed with counting is a very real danger."
* "All of this is just a friendly reminder—to myself as much as to you—that not everyone is trying to make you feel like crap about whatever particular thing you end up beating yourself up about."
* So much practical advice for parts, goals, storage, practice runs, backup shirts and parts at work, flying with baby -- just amazing and relevant and straight forward and supportive all around. Refer back to it and kindle highlights!
* do NOT apologize.
* try to feed milk cold from the fridge #shamgoals
* be alert for over feeding
* get a ziplock bag stash going at work and in my bags
* "If someone is not getting the hint and keeps asking where I’m going, sometimes I will just say, “I have to go be a mom for a few minutes.” If I’m feeling salty, I’ll hit them with, “I am going to go use a machine to extract milk from my body.”"
* "Guilt sucks, but it’s got nothing on shame. Shame finds the bottom-most part of your soul and takes up residence there. It colors how you look at everything and it sticks around for a long time. I want to leave you with a reminder that you have nothing to be ashamed of, no matter how breastfeeding turns out for you. You are not a failure. Your worth as a mother is not measured in ounces. Say it out loud. Write it on the inside of your pump bag. You’re a great mom doing a hard job, and I hope you’re really proud of yourself."
* "Getting obsessed with counting is a very real danger."
* "All of this is just a friendly reminder—to myself as much as to you—that not everyone is trying to make you feel like crap about whatever particular thing you end up beating yourself up about."
October 15, 2015
This book was just what I was looking for. The perfect combination of advice and peptalk. 50 blogs about breast-feeding and going back to work all rolled into one book.
August 5, 2017
This book is excellent. A must read for breastfeeding moms going back to work. So much valuable advice and encouragement.
February 12, 2025
Great balance of humor, facts, and the reality of returning to work as a mom. I feel more prepared heading back to work and validated in so many feelings and worries I’ve had leading up to my return! 🥹
June 21, 2022
The end honestly has me bawling.
When my husband became a teacher & coach, and I became a teacher, I knew I’d be a working mom. I’ve always dreamed of being a stay at home mom, but that’s not in my cards. I’ve accepted this. I’m okay with it. But I really want to continue breastfeeding as best I can while working, so I was pumped (lol) when I found this book.
The book itself has some SOLID tips & advice. As a teacher, at least half of it doesn’t really apply to me, but I’ve still been able to glean some solid tips, tricks, and advice from this book. I’ve already used it for giving Finnian his first bottle and for having my sister-in-law (pump master) come over & help me put on & use my pump properly (bc honestly, I was winging it).
I thought about giving this book 3 stars simply because a lot of it doesn’t apply to me as a teacher, BUT THE ENDING, Y’ALL. When the author is dishing out encouragement & stating all the ways that fellow moms are standing with you through every difficult decision with nursing, pumping, and/or formula-feeding… man, it slew me. I’m still crying over it.
All in all, this was solid & helpful. I know I’ll be referencing some of it when summer is over & I return back to work. (I listened to the audio on Libby & have screenshotted the ebook lists via Libby.)
When my husband became a teacher & coach, and I became a teacher, I knew I’d be a working mom. I’ve always dreamed of being a stay at home mom, but that’s not in my cards. I’ve accepted this. I’m okay with it. But I really want to continue breastfeeding as best I can while working, so I was pumped (lol) when I found this book.
The book itself has some SOLID tips & advice. As a teacher, at least half of it doesn’t really apply to me, but I’ve still been able to glean some solid tips, tricks, and advice from this book. I’ve already used it for giving Finnian his first bottle and for having my sister-in-law (pump master) come over & help me put on & use my pump properly (bc honestly, I was winging it).
I thought about giving this book 3 stars simply because a lot of it doesn’t apply to me as a teacher, BUT THE ENDING, Y’ALL. When the author is dishing out encouragement & stating all the ways that fellow moms are standing with you through every difficult decision with nursing, pumping, and/or formula-feeding… man, it slew me. I’m still crying over it.
All in all, this was solid & helpful. I know I’ll be referencing some of it when summer is over & I return back to work. (I listened to the audio on Libby & have screenshotted the ebook lists via Libby.)
Read
June 20, 20232 more months ….
January 4, 2019
brb, buying a copy of this for every single new working mom i know
December 16, 2015
I purchased this book after I had already been back at work (and pumping there) for a few weeks. It was mentioned by one of the ladies in my mom's group, though she hadn't read it but was asking if anyone had. I pretty much immediately purchased it on kindle and read it at night while nursing the baby.
Do I wish I'd had it sooner? Well, I don't think there was anything in here that is absolutely necessary knowledge for someone in my position. My job is pretty great when it comes to nursing mothers... there are nursing mothers rooms in every building and we can basically take as much time as we need during the day to make food for our children. I feel really blessed to have this opportunity, because this book made it abundantly clear that I am in the minority.
However, I did learn a few tricks and tips. And lots of good information about pumping and carrying breastmilk while traveling, which I haven't had to do yet but I'm sure it will come up eventually. Stories about milk spilling, awkward conversations with coworkers, showing up with weird stains on your shirt or pants... all obviously not necessary or even helpful except to make me feel less alone on this journey.
Anyway, it was a fun book. Jessica Shortall is funny but also incredibly supportive. She doesn't take sides in any of the controversial debates, just continually assures her readers that they are amazing moms no matter how long they decide to pump or breastfeed etc. Lots of good links, tips. I'd recommend it for first time moms :)
Do I wish I'd had it sooner? Well, I don't think there was anything in here that is absolutely necessary knowledge for someone in my position. My job is pretty great when it comes to nursing mothers... there are nursing mothers rooms in every building and we can basically take as much time as we need during the day to make food for our children. I feel really blessed to have this opportunity, because this book made it abundantly clear that I am in the minority.
However, I did learn a few tricks and tips. And lots of good information about pumping and carrying breastmilk while traveling, which I haven't had to do yet but I'm sure it will come up eventually. Stories about milk spilling, awkward conversations with coworkers, showing up with weird stains on your shirt or pants... all obviously not necessary or even helpful except to make me feel less alone on this journey.
Anyway, it was a fun book. Jessica Shortall is funny but also incredibly supportive. She doesn't take sides in any of the controversial debates, just continually assures her readers that they are amazing moms no matter how long they decide to pump or breastfeed etc. Lots of good links, tips. I'd recommend it for first time moms :)
March 28, 2017
This would have been 5 stars if I've never used a pump before. However, I've been pumping for a few weeks now so some of the information was irrelevant to me. However, I loved the overall tone to the book. As a FTM I am constantly questioning myself and my choices. I google more often than I should and generally doubt myself everyday. I love that she let all moms know they are bad asses and the choices each mother makes is for the good of their baby.
Definitely a great book for FTM. Just skip over sections, as needed.
Definitely a great book for FTM. Just skip over sections, as needed.
September 28, 2016
This is a helpful book mostly for those moms who never had to pump before. For me, I found it a bit redundant since I was exclusively pumping from the start due to latch issues. However, it did give me some good ideas for when I returned to work and how to manage my pumping schedule. It's a good read for new mom's who have to return to work who are nursing.
September 27, 2016
I'd already pumped for a year for one kid before reading this, but I still got a lot of great ideas and encouragement as I prepare to do this again for my second child. Such a positive and realistic attitude that is hard to find in anything about breastfeeding while working.
November 30, 2016
Great resource
I love the practical advice for pumping at work and how she wants what is best for me - no judgements.
I love the practical advice for pumping at work and how she wants what is best for me - no judgements.
May 2, 2017
Helpful, quick read that I hope prepared me well for my return to work.
July 20, 2017
Very fun to read...written with a brutally honest tone, dry humor, and practical tips
June 13, 2020
I wish I would have found this book about a year ago when I was returning to work after my first child. Although I finished my breastfeeding journey a few months back, I still loved this book and would highly recommend it to not only moms preparing to return to work while breastfeeding, but also employers, managers, HR professionals, and those who want to be supportive coworkers.
Learn how to be a supportive ally because most working moms could use it!
I also enjoyed the fact that this book was so much more than a "how to" and really offered support no matter the journey you are on. I loved this small part of the summary: "We are cheering with you when you make it to a breastfeeding milestone you never thought you'd reach. We are with you at the store when you buy your first canister of formula and you cry in the aisle. And we are with you when your baby drinks that formula. We are whispering in your ear that this is okay. This is good. You are still the same good mother you were yesterday." And "We are so, so proud of you for being a working mom and for giving this breastfeeding and working thing a shot."
Learn how to be a supportive ally because most working moms could use it!
I also enjoyed the fact that this book was so much more than a "how to" and really offered support no matter the journey you are on. I loved this small part of the summary: "We are cheering with you when you make it to a breastfeeding milestone you never thought you'd reach. We are with you at the store when you buy your first canister of formula and you cry in the aisle. And we are with you when your baby drinks that formula. We are whispering in your ear that this is okay. This is good. You are still the same good mother you were yesterday." And "We are so, so proud of you for being a working mom and for giving this breastfeeding and working thing a shot."
January 20, 2022
This book is a godsend if you're planning to pump and work. It gives a ton of practical advice and doesn't rehash general lactation advice. I learned more about pumping at work and getting myself and baby ready than I have from any friends who have come before me, such as making sure your baby practices with a bottle, how and when to practice your pumping schedule, testing out formula on your baby (how much and when), and a number of things that may come in handy. No judgement, just really practical and helpful advice!
January 13, 2019
This is a great book for first time mother's who are getting ready to go back into the workplace and still want to give their baby all the great benefits of breast milk. After reading through this, I've come to realize how truly blessed I am to have an employer who supports working mom's because not every employer does. This book will help you prepare for those situations and help you to expect the unexpected. And remember, your worth is not measured in ounces.
October 21, 2020
This book said exactly what I needed to hear before going back to work after having my baby. So much of the motherhood literature that I had seen prior to this book was targeted toward stay at home moms or completely lacked any information about pumping at work. So many sources talk about the benefits of breastfeeding, but there is a definite lack of helpful information about how to continue breastfeeding after maternity leave. I'm glad I found this book.
September 11, 2025
This book was helpful for thinking about all the logistics with pumping. I loved the positive energy that the author brings for people that are exclusively breastfeeding/pumping, using formula and trying to figure things out. She put the mental health of moms first.
September 6, 2019
So practical and also laugh-out-loud, heartwarmingly funny. Can't believe this is practically the only resource out there on this topic! At the very least, read the last page for a big pep talk / mood booster.
February 21, 2023
Short and sweet, helpful tips as I prep to go back to work.
April 27, 2023
Lots of good info, however as a second time mom I knew most of this. Would recommend mainly for first time moms
November 2, 2023
Helpful!
December 22, 2023
This is a must read if it applies to you.
September 12, 2025
100 out of 5 stars! Couldn’t recommend more!!
September 13, 2021
Wish I had read this with my first child.
February 1, 2025
Lots of good info with an easy, relatable tone! There was a chapter that felt like it could really use a modern re-write after ten years but in general this was a great quick read
October 29, 2018
I appreciated this book a lot--very practical and non-judgy. Makes up for what is lacking in other "comprehensive" breastfeeding books that give working moms one short chapter or induce guilt. This does not go into specifics of the mechanics of breastfeeding so is a good supplement for other information about that--it is much more about the logistics of pumping, dealing with workplace issues, maintaining supply, things like that.
August 18, 2021
I got half way through this on audible and needed to just buy it. I desperately wish i could go back in time and read this before my first-born. I feel so much more confident and prepared to pump at work when I go back after my 2nd baby. Ugh - SO GOOD. So helpful. Best book I’ve read yet about my freakin boobs.
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