My First Day Back at Work

It was my first day back to work and like any mother I was dreading it! It started at four in the morning with the blaring sound of the alarm clock.

I said to myself, "How am I ever going to make it through this day?" I looked in the bassinet at a beautiful sleeping 6 week old and proceeded to get dressed for work. I am in the Marine Corps so I had to press my uniform and shine my boots, all of which I now realize I should have done the night before.

I got the storage bottles down and put them on the table and went about my business. I got myself dressed when a very hungry Kiley woke up for her morning feeding. Knowing I really didn't have the time to breastfeed her, I cuddled her in my arms and placed her on her favorite breast anyway. Fifteen minutes later I scrambled to get out of the house to get to work on time. "I can't be late for morning formation on my first day back at work."

I peeled out of the driveway making a list of everything that I needed to bring to work with me. Pump, got it, ice bags, got em, boob pads, got those too! I said to myself, "That's everything."

I got to work, got out of the car and brought with me my pump, my backpack, and my cooler. You'd think I was moving in. I sat at my desk for the first time in months! I said to myself, "It feels good to be back!" I called the Marines to a morning formation and passed to them the plan of the day, then went inside to start the tasks.

Drip drip went the left breast all over my cammies, then the right one joined in. Great, I knew I forgot something. So I headed upstairs to pump at work for the fist time. I changed the saturated boob pads, then sat down in the bathroom stall to pump. As if leaking on my cammies wasn't enough, the cord to the pump wouldn't reach into the stall, and it was the only plug in the bathroom. I had the rented lactina select so I couldn't go pump in my car! So I went outside of the stall and plugged it in then sat back down in the stall again. Lifting my cammie blouse I got ready to pump, cones on the breast and everything when realized I can't turn it on from in here. So I went out again and turned it on thinking that it can't get any worse than it already is.

I sat down to pump, trying to find humor in the disastrous morning, so that I can relax enough to let my milk flow, and boy did it flow! I filled both sides with six ounces of milk! "Awesome pump," I thought to myself as I disconnected them from my breasts and buttoned my blouse. I reached into my bag to get the bottles for storage and oops - they are still on the kitchen table at home. I had twelve ounces of milk and no where to put it. The only bottles I had were the collection bottles.

I told myself not to panic and grabbed for some more boob pads. I left the cones still attached to the collection bottles and stuffed boob pads in the holes so that milk wouldn't leak out! I sat them in the cooler and secured them making sure they wouldn't tip over. I then proceeded to call the sitter and have her bring me the storage bottles so I could pump the rest of the day and not have to waste any milk.

I went home that night a nervous wreck, looked at my baby girl and said to myself, "I wish I could stay home everyday with you!"

I learned a very valuable lesson through all this chaos though, and that lesson was always prepare ahead of time and put everything, including storage bottles, in the car the night before. I now have two bottles at work just in case. Might I also recommend practice runs of how it will be getting ready for work and while you are at work. My first day back will be a day I will never forget!