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The Milk Memos: How Real Moms Learned to Mix Business with Babies-and How You Can, Too
This one-of-a-kind guide to balancing motherhood and work is based on actual journals kept by a group of IBM women during their visits to the company's employee lactation room.
It all began when IBM manager Cate Colburn-Smith sat down in the company's employee lactation room, shed a few silent tears, and wrote the following on a paper towel: I'm a new mom and today is my f...more
It all began when IBM manager Cate Colburn-Smith sat down in the company's employee lactation room, shed a few silent tears, and wrote the following on a paper towel: I'm a new mom and today is my f...more
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
March 15th 2007
by Tarcher
(first published 2007)
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About a month ago, I saw a breakdown of breastfeeding duration by mothers' employment status and realized that it's totally normal that I'm the only mom I know right now who breastfeeds AND works full-time outside the home--only 11% of moms who work full-time make it to the recommended 12-month mark. ELEVEN PERCENT, people. So when I came across The Milk Memos, I was thrilled to have access to a breastfeeding support book that doesn't try to talk you out of working (cough The Womanly Art of Brea...more
This is a must read for all working and pumping moms. It promotes breastfeeding and what better way can it be done if not through mother-to-mother support?
I enjoyed reading the journal entries of the pumping moms working at IBM where they shared their breastfeeding, pumping and parenting wisdom. The journal entries are also interspersed with helpful tips and advice for other mothers re-entering the work force after having a baby. Though it is very informative, I cannot relate to it 100% because...more
I enjoyed reading the journal entries of the pumping moms working at IBM where they shared their breastfeeding, pumping and parenting wisdom. The journal entries are also interspersed with helpful tips and advice for other mothers re-entering the work force after having a baby. Though it is very informative, I cannot relate to it 100% because...more
I fit the profile for this book exactly, but I wasn't that into it actually.
Fortunately for me I work for a great organization that has a nice lactation room and I have a very supportive office environment, so I have not faced half the problems these women did. And at least at this point, I haven't had to leave my baby with a stranger.
It's a super breezy book, one that you can easily skim and read the parts that you want. There are a lot of how to's in this book, most all of which I've read so...more
Fortunately for me I work for a great organization that has a nice lactation room and I have a very supportive office environment, so I have not faced half the problems these women did. And at least at this point, I haven't had to leave my baby with a stranger.
It's a super breezy book, one that you can easily skim and read the parts that you want. There are a lot of how to's in this book, most all of which I've read so...more
A brutally realistic picture of life as a working mom. The focus of teh book is continuing to bresatfeed your baby once returning to the workforce, but it was also interesting to see how differently each woman handles returning to work, the pressures of work, being separated from their baby, fitting in pumping, and the change in their focus from work to family. You won't have any illusions that being a working mother is easy, but it is inspiring to hear about other women who did it and to try to...more
Dec 20, 2010
Shelli
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Shelli by:
Jen Lassalle
Shelves:
parenting,
read-in-2010
This was an easy, fun read for women thinking about returning to work while still pumping breastmilk for their babies. It really put into perspective the thoughts, feelings, conflicts, emotions, etc. that I might be facing in just a few short months. I can't wait to meet my sweet baby, but I hadn't really thought much about what it will be like to return to work. I appreciated the first-hand accounts from the women who started this journal. Thanks for the heads up!
Practical tips for new working moms
This is a helpful book for both pregnant career women and new moms returning to work. While the journal entries are pure fluff, they are interspersed with practical tips about pumping, childcare, weaning, etc. as well as some very interesting facts about breastfeeding. It also addresses the guilt and other emotions many new mothers feel when they return to work.
This is a helpful book for both pregnant career women and new moms returning to work. While the journal entries are pure fluff, they are interspersed with practical tips about pumping, childcare, weaning, etc. as well as some very interesting facts about breastfeeding. It also addresses the guilt and other emotions many new mothers feel when they return to work.
Last year, I only went into the storage closet at my work occasionally. Now, I spend about 40+ minutes in there daily pumping milk for my son. I am the only person that occupies my own little "pumping palace" so I don't have someone to write back and forth to. Luckily I had The Milk Memos to read instead. I appreciated that the book was warm and lighthearted but with plenty of tips and facts on breastfeeding, pumping and succeeding as a working mom. I'd definitely recommend it to any nursing mom...more
This is a great book for women returning to work after having a baby, and planning to pump at work. I had some anxiety about doing this (and my baby isn't even born yet!), but the "milk mamas" in this book are inspiring, informative cheerleaders. They gave me the confidence that I can do this, and even grow to enjoy it in a way.
I'm not a working mother, so probably I'm not in the right target audience for Milk Memos, but reading it mostly made me very, very sad. There's probably some useful information for people going back to work soon after having babies, but mostly it's the fictionalized banter of people who don't seem to enjoy their lives very much.
This book was alright, but I would have liked it more if it was stories instead of short notes. I also think it was crazy that they talked about bottle strikes but not nursing strikes. I was happy that they mentioned excess lipase because I don't think any of the other books I read have mentioned it.
Loved it! The perfect mix of fun, light-hearted stories and practical advice. This book cheers on any woman who tries to keep breast-feeding while working (under any circumstances and for any amount of time), touches on the joys and sorrows of trying to find that work-family balance, and is just really relatable.
Had some useful information and it was neat to read about other working moms and how they handled the whole experience. But the "Milk Mamas" thing got trite after the first page and by the end it felt like they'd run out of materials so they'd just repeated half of what they'd already said.
This is a great book for moms that are soon going to be saying goodbye to their maternity leave and returning to work. It mostly covers pumping issues at work, but it also discusses a wide range of topics that breatfeeding and pumping moms have to deal with, along with the emotional toil of leaving their children in someone else's hands.
The book is lifted from a series of notebooks kept in the lactation room at an IBM in Boulder, CO. Now that I'm back and working and pumping, so much of what th...more
The book is lifted from a series of notebooks kept in the lactation room at an IBM in Boulder, CO. Now that I'm back and working and pumping, so much of what th...more
Read this in less than 24 hours. I skipped most of the breastfeeding tips as I was only reading this for the journals that were being written back and forth. It took me back to the same struggles, joys and issues I had as a new first time working/pumping momma almost 2.5 years ago.
I devoured this book over the weekend. I have been planning on quitting breastfeeding soon (my son is 4.5 months), but the book was so inspiring I'm going to try and hang in there a little bit longer. A must-read for any breastfeeding mom returning to work!
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This is a great read for any Mom who is returning to work with a pump bag on her shoulder!
It would also be great for an expecting woman who is anticipating pumping as it has some great advice for women getting ready to pump.
It would also be great for an expecting woman who is anticipating pumping as it has some great advice for women getting ready to pump.
I loved this book, especially getting to hear women; strong, smart women who work and still balance taking care of their children. It was comforting to hear their trials and tribulations before I begin to experience my own!
A great read for breastfeeding moms preparing to return to work outside the home and for WAHMs.
The book is an easy read, funny and conversational. It would be a great addition to an at-work "lactation station" library.
The book is an easy read, funny and conversational. It would be a great addition to an at-work "lactation station" library.
Great advice from real working moms. I loved the humor and frankness in the journal entries and really appreciated the wide variety of types of moms and their priorities and belief systems about breastfeeding.
Picked this up for a couple bucks at a consignment shop - very quick read, with some helpful information. Good company for middle-of-the-night feedings and nice to hear some success stories for working moms!
This book was GREAT, it was exactly what I needed as I am preparing to return to work. A must-read for any first time mom preparing to return to work with her pump in tow! (or even without her pump)
I found this book to be both inspirational and reassuring. Geared towards mothers who are returning to work, really I'd recommend it for anybody who has to use a breast pump for any reason.
Such a great book: entertaining as well a informative. And most of all, so emotionally spot-on. Reading it felt like going to my new moms group, all those "I'm not alone?!" moments.
I think this is supposed to inspire women to keep pumping and working. What it was convincing me of was that I was lucky to have been at a wonderful company when I had my first baby and pumped in a luxurious private room shared only by one other woman - there were so many of them. All this made me want to do is quit working for the company I work for now, so I decided to stop reading it. But if you weren't spoiled by a wonderful employer and are looking for inspiration, perhaps it would be of so...more
I cried because I read this BEFORE I went back to work. It's the most emotional thing I've ever had to do - leave my 3 month old in daycare.
Apr 25, 2011
Kristy Ann
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Moms returning to the office
Recommended to Kristy Ann by:
Rhonda Patton Allain
Shelves:
favorites
Wonderful book for breastfeeding Moms returning to the workforce. Thanks Rhonda for suggesting this fabulous read! I wish I had read it earlier.
I read this while pumping at work. I quite enjoyed it... I could relate to the stories. They made me laugh and gave some good advice
Totally worth reading if you are considering breastfeeding your kiddo and not being a "traditional SAHM." Good information and humorous about pumping.
Very easy read with lots of advice as well as lots of stories - it definitely helped to read this before I went back to work!
If you haven't had to pump milk at work, you may not appreciate this book. It is a quick read and so right on!
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