Politics of Breastfeeding

I catch myself forgetting how non-mainstream a lot of my own ideas are, like breastfeeding (though that's becoming a more normal concept since Thing 1 was born 14 years ago), work-life balance, my beliefs about gay marriage (I'm for it), and etc. There's a recent article in the New Yorker that deals with breastfeeding and pumping that I found interesting. Now, maybe this is on my mind a lot more because of the pending birth of Thing 2 in only a matter of weeks. When #1 was born, I was still a poverty-stricken college student with that wonderful flexible schedule that allowed me to pursue my own interests while maintaining a healthy balance of time with my new son.

Today, I'm a full-time employee who appreciates the beauty of a dual-income, but who also doesn't want to neglect what I feel is an important part of my mothering choices. My dilemma will reveal itself in about April when I return from maternity leave: How will I manage pumping? Do I need to balance myself on a toilet in the single-stall bathroom that's located near my third-floor office? Will I be able to produce enough? How do I keep my supply high enough? How emotionally uncomfortable will this make me as I try to feed my new child?

Truthfully, I'm not pleased with the options (or lack thereof) that parents - and mothers in particular - have when they are forced to choose between work and family. Like, why on earth isn't parental leave paid? According to several sources (check here, here, here, and here.), the US is one of four countries that doesn't provide for paid maternity leave! The others are listed as Swaziland, Liberia and Papa New Guinea. We've got the FMLA, which allows for 12 weeks of UNPAID leave, which means I need to use up my vacation and sick days if I want to keep on top of my monthly bills. And it's only available to me if I work for a company that employs 50 or more. So, fortunately I have this option, but must return to work after 8 weeks with zero sick leave - let's just hope Thing 2 doesn't catch a cold till I stock up more sick days!

And I'm one of the lucky ones...too many parents are struggling with part-time, hourly wages that keep them at just below full-time so they don't get to enjoy the health care benefits that my family has.

And people wonder why I'm so P-O'ed so often!