Hello, and Welcome to The Pumping Mommy! My name is Heather Grace. I am a proud mommy of 4. Two boys and two girls! After my first son was born, I remember scouring the internet for information on breastfeeding and pumping and baby gear.
It was difficult to find the answers to my questions all in one place. The experience of countless searches and reading through many sites to find information lead me to create this site. A one-stop shop all about pumping and baby stuff. I’ve done the scouring for you!
So, why write about pumping, you ask?
I spent nearly my entire adult life working for “Cooperate America.” I worked for one of the largest companies in the world and worked 50-60+ hours a week. I know what it’s like to try to balance work and personal life. Having a new baby and working full time can be very overwhelming. Now throw the stress of pumping and breastfeeding into the mix and it can be downright discouraging. Not to mention some bosses, co-workers, and companies can be less than supportive.
I had many questions about how to keep my breast milk supply up, how often to breast pump, how many ounces of breast milk would my baby need at daycare, how to juggle breast pumping and nursing, what were my rights as a breastfeeding employee, what stroller was best, which nursing bra to buy, etc, etc, etc.
Eventually, I made the huge decision to leave my corporate job after my second son was born and stay home.
It was after having my second baby I realized how unique and different each baby can be especially when it comes to breastfeeding. My second son gave me an entirely new challenge related to pumping and nursing. He would not take a bottle; I couldn’t leave him for any length of time since he would scream if offered the bottle. He had severe reflux. He struggled to gain weight and my milk supply was low. It was very tiring and difficult.
My third baby, my sweet girl, was a very easy baby. She was so calm and happy all the time. She took to breastfeeding right away but was a lazy latch-er in the first few days after birth. She would position herself after a few sucks to just taking my nipple (nipple only equals sore, bleeding nipples…). After helping her re-latch, again and again, she got the hang of it and we never looked back.
My fourth baby is such a snuggler. If she is tired, upset, uncomfortable, overwhelmed, etc she has to be held by momma which usually results in nursing. She doesn’t sleep long periods of time at night and needs to touch me when she is sleeping. She has gone on nursing strikes, however, and at other times seems to nurse around the clock! She is the most precious little thing but her breastfeeding journey has been one of my more exhausting ones!
These are just some of the struggles that nursing moms face every day. They might seem trivial in some ways and big in others but all are different and at times can be frustrating. My experience with all my babies was completely different! No two babies are alike, just like no two mother’s breastfeeding journey is alike.
I learned a lot in my journey of nursing and raising four infants. I spent countless hours educating myself on breastfeeding and pumping. I became largely involved in online communities dedicated to breastfeeding and loved helping other moms get answers, solve breastfeeding problems and gain confidence in what they were doing. It led me to take several breastfeeding courses and earn my credentials as a Certified Breastfeeding Counselor.
I often saw the same questions, issues and misinformation come up again and again. My main goal for this site is to help other moms in search of information and support just like I was. To be a place with factual information, not opinions. I take great pride in my work and have carefully selected the content of this site.
I hope you find this a place of great encouragement and support whether you are a working mom, a stay at home mom, exclusively pumping, pumping occasionally, or just trying to increase your supply! Or maybe you need some honest reviews and feedback on certain baby products.
If you ever have any questions or want to share your journey, I would love to hear from you! Simply leave a comment and be sure you sign up to receive my newsletter as I add new content regularly so you don’t miss a thing! You can also find me hanging out on social media. Join me over on Facebook and Pinterest for more amazing content and find other moms just like you!
I wish you the best in this crazy journey we call Motherhood!
Thank you for visiting,
Heather Grace
Author of thepumpingmommy.com