Today was one of those insanely busy days, the kind that I had never come close to encountering prior to having my first child. On top of my regular clinical duties, I had additional responsibilities that had been "saved" for me since I couldn't do them while (inconveniently) out on maternity leave. The end result was that I ran around like a headless chicken trying to round with my housestaff, see consults, see clinic patients, fit in two pumping sessions, and deal with some seriously crazy patient scenarios, straight out of Grey's Anatomy.
Today, multi-tasking was the only way I could survive. I seriously had almost no time to sit still, I barely ate lunch (two hours after I initially heated it in the microwave), and always, always took the stairs.
My most peaceful moments were, coincidentally, while pumping. At least then I had no choice but sit in my office and internet surf or read my email (probably against OSHA regulations to walk around the corridors while pumping).
Of course, during my second pumping session, I actually paged the resident I was working with on consults to discuss our patients, you know, seriously multi-tasking. I made no excuses for the background whirring noise. "I'm pumping," I announced unceremoniously at the beginning. There was no time to be modest.
(I knew she was a mother; I certainly wouldn't have said this if she were a man.)
She chuckled. "I've so been there."
Which is why I love working with housestaff who are mothers themselves. There's an unspoken understanding.
They get it.
How considerate that someone saved up all those extra responsibilities for your return from leave. That person most certainly had not "been there!"
ReplyDeleteNo need to spare your male colleagues the knowledge that working mothers like yourself (and myself) indeed pump their breastmilk.
Hang in there. Enjoy the few peaceful moments of pumping. And, do savor the joys of breastfeeding.
I pumped during the entire telephone interview for my current job. I've never told my boss what that whirring noise in the background was.
ReplyDeleteBeen there, too!
ReplyDeleteAwesome!
ReplyDeleteI just read this through again, and can I say 'seriously' one more time? Seriously.
ReplyDelete