Mom of the Month - October
Congratulations to our October Mom of the Month
Rebecca Y. of Michigan
(Soon to be a New Freestyle Mom)
Essay Question: What activities would you do if you could pump hands-free?
Essay Answer: The best of both worlds!
I am a first-time expectant mom who will be returning to a demanding career as a field sales representative after my maternity leave (with Dad staying home as Mr. Mom!). I am passionate about breastfeeding my child for his/her first year, but the challenges I face once I return to work will be extremely difficult. My office is my car, and I spend my work days driving from account to account, sometimes traveling hundreds of miles in one day. I won't have the privacy of an empty conference room or storage closet to escape to while pumping my child's nourishment - I will most likely be searching for an out-of-the-way parking lot, and storing my expressed milk in a car-adapter powered refrigerator until I get home. Given the extreme difficulty I will face in providing my child with the best food nature has to offer, a product such as the Medela Freestyle Pump seems to be a godsend - a compact, lightweight breastpump model that will enable me to feed my child despite the unique restrictions of my career.
I resent the stigma that a working woman can't have it all - a successful career *and* a healthy, breastfed baby. I believe that the Medela Freestyle Pump is my gateway to the best of both worlds.
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Mom of the Month - September
Kate D. of Massachusetts
(New Freestyle Mom of 3 children)
Essay Question: What activities would you do if you could pump hands-free?
Essay Answer: It would sure make me smile!
Oh the things I would do if I could pump hands-free!
There's so much to do as the mother of three.
If I pumped in the morning, I could jumpstart my day.
With my hands free to do things, I'd keep chaos at bay.
I could brew up the coffee and butter the toast,
And into the crockpot I might throw a roast.
I could read the newspaper or watch some tv,
but much more likely I'd fold some laundry.
I could catch up on phone calls and pay all our bills.
To do this with both hands would give me a thrill.
I could change dirty diapers and wipe little noses.
Perhaps I would even arrange some red roses.
I could set out a snack and tie my kids' shoes.
I'd read my boys stories before their afternoon snooze.
With my hands free of pumping, I'd surely be able,
To get supper ready and set the table.
With three boys under four, my life can be busy.
There's so much to do it can make me quite dizzy!
All the things I would do if I had a Freestyle!
If I was Mom of the Month, it would sure make me smile!
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Mom of the Month - August
Pam J. of Florida
(Freestyle Mom of 3 children)
Essay Question - What activities would you do if you could pump hands-free?
Essay Answer - Medela Freestyle to the Rescue!
Take one mom with 2 kids, age 6 years, and 9 years. Follow a weekly schedule that includes laundry, housecleaning, making breakfast and dinner daily, packing lunches, helping with homework, and grocery shopping. Add piano lessons, Cub Scouts, and baseball practice. Throw in being an elementary school teacher with a classroom of 22 students with lesson plans, papers to grade, and parent conferences. On top of all that, she has a three month old baby that she's nursing 6 times a day. Welcome to my life!
My youngest child (born May 2008) was born prematurely and had trouble nursing, so I rented a Medela Symphony pump to pump my milk until she was able to nurse. I continue to use the pump daily to stock up my milk for when I return to work. As an elementary classroom teacher and a mom of two active boys with little free time in my day. I have enjoyed nursing my baby all summer and now have to return to school. It is very challenging for me to get everything accomplished for my class and my family while taking care of the baby and trying to pump. I am a great at multi-tasking, but am limited with only two hands. It is also stressful to try and pump when I have a list of things that need my immediate attention. Being a teacher, I cannot just go into the bathroom for 20 minutes to pump. I also cannot pump while teaching a class of students. I usually end up trying to pump while my students are at lunch or during my planning, but then I am unable to get anything else accomplished because I need both hands to hold the pump. Once, I tried grading papers while pumping and I ended up losing most of the milk I had pumped on the floor. The pump is great, but bulky and hard to carry along with all of my other teacher stuff.
With the Freestyle Pump, I could grade papers, call parents, check my e-mails, eat lunch, and take care of other daily classroom tasks during the breaks. This would greatly reduce my stress and allow me to keep up my milk supply so caretakers can continue feeding my little girl my milk without having to supplement with formula. I am torn because I can't stay home with her to nurse full time. Having the Medela Freestyle would give me peace of mind that I am doing what is best for my baby.
- Check back in November to see our October Mom of the Month.
