The Breastfeeding Working Mom...OOPS!

So as you know I'm an exclusive breast feeder. I'm of the school of thought that if it isn't broke, well then, don't fix it. By this I mean, unless it's for a medical reason, formula shouldn't be used. I know that everyone has their own opinion, but that's mine.

So with all of the information about the benefits of breastfeeding vs. formula feeding I decided to breastfeed. Luckily for me I live in a state (Minnesota) where it is illegal to throw a patron out of ANY PLACE because they are breastfeeding. Also, in Minnesota employers are REQUIRED to allow nursing mothers the time needed to pump their milk for their child (though this time does not need to be paid) and a safe, clean, and sanitary place to do this.

Currently I pump once while I'm at work because I'm only here for 5 hours right now, though later I will be pumping 3 times a day once I start back full time. All I need is my pump right? WRONG! I need the breast shields, the cords, the collection containers, the tops for the collection containers and the electrical cord. Today I did NOT have everything I needed. I had everything pumped, cleaned the items that needed to be cleaned, and was then going to put the milk containers into their little cooler. I looked in the cooler for the caps for the collection bottle (where I normally have them). What did I find? NOTHING! I forgot the caps at home!

So I'm standing there looking at these bottles with 4oz of precious mommy milk in each one (two bottles total, and two different feedings for Logan) and no cap to put on them to keep the milk from spilling. I'm thinking...thinking...thinking. Then I see it. My Ice Mountain water bottle on the side of my pump. It had never been opened, no lips have touched it. I had one moment of thinking, "but what about the water, I don't want to waste it." Then I thought of the alternative and wasting two meals of Logan's. Nope, that milk quickly went down the drain, since I had just filled my bladder with a different bottle that was in the trash now. In went Logan's milk...or the Mommy milk as we like to call it.

The next problem to solve was "How do I store it in the bag and not have it go bad?" You see I could put it in the fridge and mark as 'mommy milk', but the fridge here does not get cleaned out often, things rot in it, it stinks, the smell seeps into your food...basically, it’s disgusting. So if I wouldn't put my own food in it, I'm definitely not putting Logan's in it. So into the bag it had to go.

Breast milk is good for 4 hours outside of the fridge at room temperate, but I still like to keep it cool anyway. So I put it in the bag, and it was not able to fit into the little milk cooler since that's made for 5 ounce baby bottles, not a half litter bottle of water. I finagled the ice pack by it and got the cooler over it a little at least so the iciness stayed around in that area, hopefully. Needless to say, I got creative!

So my lesson has been learned....ALWAYS be sure to have the caps to the collection bottles with me!