I fought the breast pump and the breast pump won.

I fought the law and the law won, I fought the law and the law won. I know you've all heard this catchy tune, but let's play a little switch-a-roo.  Remove the word law, and replace it with breast pump.  That's right, breast pump.  (A Medela Pump In Style Advance to be exact) Where could I be going with this?

During Karsyn's incubation period (aka...in the womb), Justin and I had several conversations about how we would feed our baby.  Would we take the "natural" route by breastfeeding, or the more convenient and pricey approach of feeding her formula?  We both knew that breastfeeding would be best for the baby, and not to mention more cost-efficient for us. (And of course, Justin thought it sounded cool, and couldn't wait to be a spectator)  But, with me going back to work full time, we needed to weigh both options.  We did, and as you've probably guessed by now, we chose the breastfeeding route.

Let me make this clear, breastfeeding is NO JOKE, and is not to be taken lightly.  It's a full time job in itself.  Since I've had Karsyn, almost 4 months ago, I've jokingly said that if being a Graphic Designer doesn't work out, I'll go work at a dairy as a milk maid.

Working full time and breastfeeding definitely makes for an interesting combination.  Did I mention that it's awkward?  Well it is extremely awkward, especially when the walls of the office are paper thin.  Often, my coworkers mimic the swishing sound of the breast pump outside my door.  Swish, swish, swish.  I feel like I pump ALL THE TIME!  In order to keep your milk supply up, you must pump on the same schedule that your baby feeds.  Therefore, you must pump at work.  My pump has become my best friend, or should I say, "breast friend."  It's been a good pump so far, and is worthy of its hefty $250 price tag (Thanks Mom!).  However, I have had to replace the power adapter once already. I noticed that there were stray copper wires coming out of the cord.  Immediately, I knew that this could NOT be a good thing.  I don't about you ladies, but electrocution via nipple is NOT my cup of tea.
Can you say nipple in a family friendly blog? (maybe "teet" is more appropriate)  But never the less, OUCH!

I know the thought of me being shocked by my breast pump may seem like an interesting story for you blog readers, but that's not the incident I am referring to.  I actually injured my elbow with my breast pump.  Yes, I said elbow.  Now you're probably thinking, how in the world...?  Well here's how...
Everyday at work when its time to pump, I shut the door and turn off the light.  I turn off the light because my office has a 4ft wide window that looks out into the warehouse. (Believe me, it's just as amazing as it sounds) If the light is on, you can see my silhouette through the window.  So to ease the number of boob jokes at work, and to keep the warehouse guys in line, I turn off the light.  The new power adapter that I bought has about a 4.5' cord on it, which is very convenient, but hazardous as well.  The outlet is on side of my desk, so the cord basically goes across my feet to be plugged in.  On this particular day, I did my pumping as normal, put away the valve, wrapped up the hose, placed the milk in the cooler, etc.....and then the phone rang.
I answered the phone and got completely side tracked.  My next step would have been unplugging the adapter, wrapping the cord around it and placing it in the bag.  Well...I forgot.  I got up to walk across the room and turn the light back on, and my feet were tangled in the cord.  You can already see where this is going.  Are you getting a visual?  I stumble, BUT I caught myself! I was able to catch myself on the corner of the desk.....with my elbow!  Luckily the light was off, so no one else witnessed this act. Thank goodness.  However, this spill left a nasty bruise, with soreness to boot.

As if pumping at work wasn't awkward enough, I now have a bum elbow...but on the up side, I didn't spill any milk!

Breast Pump-1, Alicia-0