Her Story.

Jessica Shortall is from New Jersey. She always had an interest in women’s issues and social justice issues. She was a Peace Corp volunteer, helped start up and franchise a non-profit organization, has her MBA, which led her to Tom’s Shoes and she built and ran the One for One program. She was the first woman to have a baby on the job. Her kids are now 5 and 2 years old now. There was so much to know about being a breastfeeding mom and pumping and returning to work and coordinating it all. She likes solving problems and the information she desperately needed, she just could not find. So, she decided to be the one to write the book she could not find. Her first big trip once she returned to work was taking a trip to Nepal, without her son. Jessica learned a lot of practical tips along the way. Like what to do when you are in a hotel room and they tell you they don’t have another refrigerator. Well, you lie! Tell them it is a medical need because when you ask nicely it is easy for them to turn you down. So you lie a little. And a medical need is respected and all of a sudden you will get a refrigerator.

Jessica Shortall felt a lot of pressure that was put on her by others to exclusively breastfeed her baby, and also the pressures she put on herself. She became quite manic and this greatly affected her maternity leave. She sought help and was prescribed a pill which caused her to have a really bad reaction. She describes her maternity leave as a really horrible time for her as her anxiety and panic attacks escalated. Jessica reached out to a lactation consultant for help. She explained  to her that she was having major problems, high anxiety and unfortunately this lactation consultant did not do her justice at all. She made her feel bad by saying that she needed to keep breastfeeding to get her son past the flu months. Jessica continued to do so, but surely put her mental health at a major risk. Jessica talks about what she did during her next pregnancy to prepare for her next post partum experience. She basically told her husband and a few friends that they were in charge of her mental health because she felt she could not think clearly and objectively during that time period. This was very smart on her part. Jessica returned to work and could not find the information she needed to prepare for this transition. She saw a problem and solved it by writing her book. Jessica gives some great tips on how to approach your boss or manager or HR person regarding your need to pump.

Book Suggestions: Work. Pump. Repeat.: The New Mom’s Survival Guide to Breastfeeding and Going Back to Work

Tips to make pumping easier and convenient –
1. Use flanges ( as a funnel) for pouring milk from the bottle into your bags.
2. Put empty bottles and flanges and put in a ziploc bag. Put this in fridge until you need to pump again
This saves you from washing parts in between.

Funny stuff: I was at a trade show and talking to Lansinoh reps and they were giving away foam breasts in 3 skin tones. At home, I found my two kids taking turns passing it back and forth and putting the nipple in their mouth. When I asked them what they were doing, they said: This one make chocolate milk and I thought that was so funny.

Things Jessica is currently work on: I am asking any mom who has a story to share to connects with me and tell your story. Join me on Facebook where you can share your stories.

Contact Info:

www.workpumprepeat.com
facebook.com/jessicashortallwrites
twitter @jessicashortall
instagram @workpumprepeat
TEDx talk on maternity leave: