One Mother's Journey Back to Work
Gretchen Anderson-Minshew
Boise ID US
From: NEW BEGINNINGS, Vol. 14 No. 2, March-April 1997, pp. 41-2
We provide articles
from our publications from previous years for reference for our Leaders and
members. Readers are cautioned to remember that research and medical information
change over time.
It's 7:00 AM and I am feeling
full. The news hour on "Idaho at Sunrise" is finished, and now instead
of focusing on heads of state, civil wars, and natural disaster, my
thoughts turn to my baby. It is time to pump. I disappear from the television
newsroom and zip across the station to a ladies' lounge where I have
set up a small but comfortable pumping station. In the next ten minutes,
I express about nine ounces of milk. I place it in an insulated bag
with an ice block, wash the parts to my pump, and head back to the newsroom.
I am set for the next three hours.
The Decision to Breastfeed
When I became pregnant, women
would approach me and ask if I planned to breastfeed my baby. I was
fairly certain I would. But what swayed me was several women telling
me that it was a great way to drop the pregnancy weight and get my body
back in shape. Since I have a job in the public eye and I had gained
almost 50 pounds, this appealed to me. For purely selfish reasons, I
decided I would nurse.
It wasn't until I attended
my first La Leche League meeting that my thinking changed dramatically.
The mother of my best friend is a former LLL Leader and she hooked me
up with a special LLL Group for working mothers. The topic of that first
meeting was "returning to work and the use of breast pumps." My eyes
widened when the LLL Leader used a balloon to demonstrate the suction
power of some of the pumps. "You mean to tell me that's what's going
to happen to my breast?!" I was in the last months of pregnancy. My
body had changed in many interesting ways, and the sight of a pump pulling
the balloon halfway into a clear cylinder was almost more than I could
take. The mental picture of a pump doing that to my breast made me light-headed!
Fortunately, there were several other professional women at the meeting
who had successfully used breast pumps while at work. They calmed my
fears by explaining I would get used to the suction, and that it wasn't
as bad as it looked. Plus, they explained the incredible benefits of
breastfeeding. For example, they told me how no man-made formula can
match the biological makeup of human milk, and no supplement can nurture
the growth of my baby like my own milk. I was convinced that breastfeeding
was what I wanted for my baby.
Getting Started
Hannah Helen Mabel Minshew
was born in June of 1994. When the hospital staff brought her to me,
I didn't have the first clue on proper diapering, let alone breastfeeding!
I was a woman, a wife, and now a mother who wanted a baby, but I had
rarely been around babies. As I attempted to nurse my daughter, I was
nervous and unsure. As I held that darling little girl to my breast,
she and nature took over. I was surprised at how intensely she suckled.
My toes would curl with every postpartum contraction that came with
nursing. I had to use my birthing class breathing exercises to get through
it at first. However, as the hours passed, we mastered nursing--and
diapers.
Due to my daughter's vigorous
latch-on, I had extremely sore nipples. They were red and blistered.
When it became almost too painful to nurse I called one of the LLL Leaders
in my area. I thought I was doing something wrong. Were the blisters
a sign that my daughter wasn't getting enough milk? With the telephone
cradled between my head and shoulder and Hannah in my arms, the LLL
Leader literally "walked me through" it. Hannah latched on like she
had so many times before and I was relieved that we had been doing it
right all along. I had never spoken so openly to another woman about
my breasts. Through our candid yet comfortable conversation, the small
problems were discovered and resolved.
Back to Work
When I returned to work,
I did so with breast pump in hand. Since time was of the essence, I
wanted to be as efficient as possible. I rented the best pump I could
find. At first, I used the Medela double pumping model. Later, I switched
to the Ameda-Egnell "Elite" breast pump. Both are good pumps and easy
to use. I preferred the Ameda-Egnell pump because of its design and
clear-plastic pumping kit. Even with renting a pump, I realized a cost
savings through few visits to the pediatrician's office and no need
for infant formula.
As soon as we say our goodbyes
on "Idaho at Sunrise" I slip back into the ladies' lounge and pump for
ten minutes. I can pump a total of 12 to 16 ounces during my shift.
During the time I spend pumping, I read the local newspaper. Since I
awake at 4 AM and am at work shortly after 5 AM, there is little time
to read the paper before going on the air. Those ten minutes also buy
me some quiet time—something that is not common in the news business.
When I return to the newsroom
after pumping, my "Sunrise" colleagues want to know where I have been.
I use the opportunity to promote breastfeeding. My male co-anchor, Roland
Beres, has been especially interested and supportive. We have had frequent
conversations about the benefits of nursing. Roland realized one clear
benefit: if I continue to breastfeed, my child is healthy and I am not
home with a sick baby. While most of my co-workers are supportive, there
are a few who can be cynical and even cringe at the mention of breastfeeding
and pumping. Though we're nearing the 21st century, some people still
view breastfeeding as taboo.
A Kinder Gentler Reception
Other co-workers are very
supportive. The women who frequent the lounge while I am pumping always
have words of support. They'll often sit down on a nearby couch and
keep me company. It's a rare and interesting way to promote co-worker
relationships!
Many women are eager to talk
with me while I am pumping, so I now realize I missed out on opportunities
for similar conversations in the past.
A fellow anchorwoman, Laurel
Porter, is raising four children. Over the years, she has breastfed
each one of them at least through the first 12 months. I remember using
the ladies' room and seeing Laurel pump. At that time, I was a single
woman with my sights set on my career. I didn't ask any questions or
even talk with her when she was pumping. I assumed it was a personal
thing and she probably preferred to be left alone. Now I feel I missed
out on something—whether it was information, education, or just good
conversation.
But that memory came to mind
when I considered pumping at work, and I thought if Laurel could do
it, so could I. Laurel and I have talked at length about motherhood,
breastfeeding, and the news business. She says she misses the days of
nursing her children. "It's a special part of motherhood. I'm glad I
had the opportunity to nurse and wouldn't have done it any other way."
Laurel is now a lead anchor in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
While it's important to have
support from your employer, you need the support of your husband. My
husband, Buster, has supported me on a practical and emotional level.
He knows the benefits of human milk and his support has helped me to
balance breastfeeding and working outside the home. Returning to work
and being able to continue breastfeeding has been very important to
me. It is a real accomplishment. I am especially proud that I can serve
as an ambassador for breastfeeding. I breastfeed in public, and I have
had no negative response to it. Ideally, I would like to mother from
home, and I have set goals for that. But for now, I have found success
in mothering and breastfeeding while working away from home.
Last updated 11/12/06 by jlm.
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