Hoover and Nursey McNursesALotWith Zane I had a child who LOVED to eat. The boy was a hoover vacuum cleaner. A gourmand of the life’s nectar that is breast milk. He was a good, regular eater - predictable, even.
With Eily, I have a child who LOVES to nurse. She likes the breast milk, but more importantly, she likes to be snuggled up next to me eating directly from the Mama Tap. What is predictable about Eily is that she’ll want to nurse at any and all times and she is not discouraged by…say…a room full of colleagues…or having just eaten 10 minutes before…or her mother’s self-consciousness.
So I work with some pretty amazing people who are completely open to our nursing during meetings, phone calls, idle chit chat. But seriously, they must be thinking that I’m a bit of an exhibitionist – Eily nursed during two of my meetings last week. For the record, Eily attended exactly two of my meetings last week.
Now thankfully, I have someone coming in to provide childcare during the two days a week I work, - Memo to self: keep the working to two days a week!- but things happen. I utter things like, “I can come to the meeting if I can bring the baby.” People, say “yes”, and the next thing you know, there’s a meeting, a baby, and a partially exposed booby.
And don’t tell me that I can cover her up with a blanket. This is theoretically possible, but when you’re nursing for pleasure, your baby wants a view. And I suppose I could move her onto a schedule, but I feel like we’re already moving in that direction and I’m really comfortable (on the 5 days a week I’m not working) letting her lead the way on this. Call me child-centered.
Or a fool.
But I’m not actually looking for advice here. I know what I’m going to do: I’m going to keep nursing my child on demand. I’m going to feel a bit squirrelly about it when it happens in professional situations. I’m going to be discreet, and I’m not going to apologize. AND…I’m going to blog about it to receive affirmation and support.
(cue affirmations and support)
8 comments:
Oh my Lord. I am such a loser. I went to comment and got sidetracked. Now it's been so long (read: 20 minutes) that I now forget what the post was about.
Well, whatever. You are wonderful and I'm sure whatever you said was profound and well thought out.
Or something.
Hey - if they keep saying bring the baby, they can't be worried about it. You're doing what's best for her, and that's the most important thing. :)
Yeah!! You know all of that activism will reach her on a subliminal level eventually. Your biggest problem is when she turns it against you. I'm really proud that you're baring all for the benefit and love of your little gal. Was that good enough affirmation?
ZZ
Yay for feeding her when she's hungry or wants comfort. Screw the blanket. Just go to meetings topless. And hurray for a new post-when do you have time for blogging? XO. -m
Can't relate. Not even that Kirk was such a craptastic nurser. But I work in Corporate America. Bringing the baby to a meeting at all was never an option, much less nursing during it.
Yay boobies?
dramamama-
well you probably have just a few things on your mind these days...and no need to go back and re-read, i am amazingly profound.
sue-
thanks! making sure that i'm hanging on to that whole "best thing for the baby" thing here. :)
zz-
since you at no time in your comment called me a tramp, i think it was fabulous affirmation.
m-
ha ha - topless to meetings - ha ha! okay, that's just going to make me smile for the rest of the day.
no time to post really, that's why i'm so sporadic these days and also why i haven't called you back. (although i loved your message)
belsum-
yay, boobies!
yeah. i figured that several folks who read this blog would have trouble relating because a) they don't/didn't nurse their babies, b) they don't work outside the home right now or c) they nursed and worked outside the home but those two worlds would never combine. then i realized that there is actually a d) those who don't have boobies at all.
yay to the fellas who read the blog!
Baby's got to eat.
None of my kids would ever take a bottle before the age of 6 months, so I had to take them everywhere. By the second kid I refused to sit in a toilet stall, or cut off any oxygen with blankets and whatnot. I did wear loose shirts I could pull up from the bottom and kind of drape so that only about 1" of actual breast was exposed, and that mostly blocked by the baby's head from most angles. There were people who chose to be bothered, and people who chose to look away. Whatevs. My kids were/are happy, healthy and not one of the three has had an ear infection yet. I say, "Deal with it, society!" This is what we do.
Atmikha
atmikha-
look at you with the fabulous affirmations and support! thanks for that!
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