Guest Post: My PumpEase Changed My Outlook On Breastfeeding

This guest post is brought to you by Jen from Life With Levi

First things first – I need to let you know that I am a brand ambassador for PumpEase. Even if I wasn’t, I’d still be promoting them to all of my friends. I was a paying customer before I started working with them, and honestly, my PumpEase changed my life.

Before you roll your eyes and think I’m exaggerating, let me explain. I exclusively pumped for my son for a full year. I’ve logged well over 9,000 hours with my breast pumps. That’s right, pumps as in plural. I’ve had 4 pumps during the time I was pumping for my son.

I didn’t choose to be an exclusive pumping mom. I wanted to have a close nursing relationship like many other moms do. I wanted to bond with my baby over breastfeeding, but due to two breast abscess surgeries shortly after Levi was born, traditional nursing wasn’t an option for us.

So I reluctantly turned to a breast pump so I could feed my son. Every time he ate, I’d pump to keep up my supply. Through the night, around the clock, I was a pumping machine.

I was blessed with a great supply, I was able to donate milk on two occasions. The first time was kind of a happy accident -  I donated about 300 ounces to a local mom who was unable to breastfeed due to her own medical issues. The second time was during BlogHer with several other pumping moms.

Ok, so what does all of this have to do with PumpEase?

Simple. My PumpEase made pumping easier. Not just easier, but also kind of fun.

I’ve been able to go places and do things I never would have imagined were possible while pumping.

This is the photo that started it all – me getting ready to pump while shopping on Black Friday last year:

Since then I’ve also pumped while driving (HUGE timesaver), while working out, and while mowing the lawn.

I don’t pump in wacky places all the time. Normally I use my PumpEase to pump while blogging, while catching up on Twitter, or while reading a book.

My PumpEase allowed me to look at pumping in a new light. Instead of a chore, suddenly pumping was a much-needed Facebook break at work. Or a chance to catch up on homework. It wasn’t just me sitting around feeling like a cow attached to a milking machine. My pumping time became ME TIME.

I think any mom, breastfeeding or not, can relate to that.

Jen is a boring business analyst by day, college student by night, and rockstar mommy ‘round the clock. She lives in MN with her husband Jason, her son Levi, and their 3 dogs – Bailey, Kahlua, and JD.

You can find Jen over at Life With Levi, on Facebook, or on Twitter.