"When you're a new mom,
you have a lot of different priorities.
I mean theres so many things
coming at you, and so many
decisions, and so many choices to make
And for me it was very important to say
Breastfeeding is the first thing that needs
to be payed attention too."
"It's nurishing
of the spirit almost.
It's the connection that you have
beyond just milk."
"Hi I'm Cate Colburn Smith.
I'm a business professional,
breastfeeding advocate,
and a mom.
I wrote the book
'The Milk Memos'
about my own experience
returning to work and continuing
to breast feed my daughters.
And we created this video to educate,
motivate, and inspire you to keep
breast feeding after you go back to work."
"I always, always knew, I would
breast feed.
I'm a dietician.
That's the optimal feeding
for infants.
The American Dietetic association
is the organization I follow
as a dietician,
and that's what they recommend."
"I mean we read about it all the time
that breast fed babies
they do better in every aspect of life,
and I wanted to give my son that advantage
that breastfeeding offers."
"It's very cost effective
and you dont have to
wake up in the middle of the night
especially when they are you know, feeding
every two hours.
I didn't have to get up in the middle of the night
and go shake a bottle."
"One of the benefits that I really saw was
I got sick, I wasn't sure if it was the flu
but I did get really sick
and I was scared for her to get
sick, and she didnt get sick.
And so it really protected her
from any sickness that I had."
"It's your time to reconnect with your
child.
The separation between mother and child
is easier when you're nursing,
hands down, no questions asked."
"Just to be able to
unconditionally love her during
that moment I think is
is the best feeling that you can have."
"The American Academy of Pediatrics
strongly endorses breast feeding,
because they know it results in the
healthiest outcome for
babies and mothers.
And their recommendations are that
every baby, with rare exceptions
would be breast fed.
And they recommend exclusive
breast feeding for the first
six months.
We know that exclusive
breast feeding helps extend
the duration of breast feeding
and exclusive breast feeding
gives the most health benefits to
the babies.
These benefits are dose related.
So the more fully you breast feed
and the longer you breast feed
the more benefits to the baby."
"Breast feeding is a natural thing
but it won't happen on its own.
To really make it work,
you'll need to have a plan
and have it be a high priority.
And ultimately remember why you're doing it
it's for your baby."
"So I knew that there was going to be obstacles
that would happen, that would take place
because I heard it from other women
but I knew that it was going to be my goal
no matter what obstacle came up
that I was going to breast feed
up until one year."
"I read something in a fitness magazine
that said if you have to make yourself
your priority
and if youre going to exercise you have to
put your exercise on your calendar.
And I just thought well my baby
is my priority right now and its
the same thing
I'm going to put it on my calendar
that's it, that's my time
every day."
"To be able to pump
so that I can come home
and breast feed my baby, that really, ultimately
because pumping is
as humorous as it is
it's not the most fun thing.
you do have stuff attached to your breasts
you do kind of feel like a milk maid sometimes.
It's not glamorous.
If this is what I need to do in order to be able
to come home and breast feed my baby
that is why I'm doing it."
"It's a means to an end."
"It is."
"As great as breast feeding is
unfortunately some women face challenges
It may be physical issues
or
for some women
there are challenges in the workplace
with coworkers, and management."
"Work was my priority also
unfortunately my coworkers
didn't feel comfortable with that.
They had a lot of resentment built
they weren't telling me
and they would go individually
and file complaints to my boss."
"They would say
'When are you taking home your boob juice?'
or
just little remarks.
But to me it was like okay it was kind of
funny, but at the same time
I knew they were trying to make a point."
"..And her response was 'I don't think that's a good idea.'
and as a professional
you're not garaunteed breaks.
And again thats another point
where, if I was strong enough
and assertive enough
I could have said
'There's a breast feeding law that supports me.' "
"Research shows that
workplace lactation programs
benefits employers in many ways.
Health care costs are lower
because mother and baby are healthier.
There is lower absenteeism.
Higher productivity and job satisfaction
improved employee loyalty,
and a positive image for the employer
in the community."
"We didn't have our first illness
until my son was eleven and half
months old.
So I never take off work
because my child is healthy."
"Them being so supportive
has made me feel a lot better
about coming back to work
and a lot better about staying
with my current company."
"I still met all of my requirements
you know, getting my paperwork done,
making sure that I was
meeting with our clients, returning phone calls
all that stuff."
"A lot of times when I would
come back from a pumping session
I would definietely feel more focused
in my work."
"To me it brought in more of a way
recruit other individuals
for working for that company
because they knew that they were
family oriented."
"All of society benefits when our babies
are breastfed
because we have healthier citizens.
You have to remember that infants today
are leaders tomorrow and so
having a baby that has
optimal brain development from the
composition of the milk
and has the health benefits
of breast feeding.
It is really a win for everybody.
We save significant healthcare dollars
when we promote breastfeeding."
"I encourage you to set a goal for how
long you'll continue breastfeeding
after returning to work.
Know that you can achieve that goal
and even go beyond it,
and that there are tons of resources
to help you.
On ColoradoBreastfeeding.org
there is great information and links.
You can turn to your Pediatrician,
A lactation consultant, and most of all
to other working moms
who have continued breastfeeding
and gone through exactly
the kinds of things you're experiencing."