Thank you for pumping, mom.

Hi, I'm Kathy. 

I'm a big fan of pumping. Not the act itself, but the results it produces (milk while I'm away from baby).

I pumped for over a year with both my kids and through 3 employers. I pumped because I wanted to keep breastfeeding even after I went back to work. I pumped because it's good for my babies. I pumped because at about seven months, my second baby decided she preferred the bottle because the milk came out faster. I pumped because my boobs would get too full sometimes. 

Fast math for two kids: 3 pumping sessions a day x 5 days a work week x 52 weeks = 780 pumping sessions!! If you multiply that times an average of 20 minutes per pump, I pumped for a total of 10 days and 20 hours. 

Whaaatttt?! So much pumping. 

Each employer had varying degrees of support for nursing moms.

One of the employers was the Navy. I'm still in the Reserves (I used to be on active duty) and as a Navy Diver and Bomb Tech, there aren't a lot of women where I work. And even less women with kids. Everyone was super supportive of me pumping, but they hadn't run into this need before so we kind of made it up as we went. Sometimes I had to pump in the bathroom, sometimes the back of a Humvee when we were out in the field, and later they were able to find a small room and a comfy chair for me.

My other two employers had special rooms for me and the best one even provided medical grade pumps in the mother's room. I totally recognize how lucky I am. I know some moms have a much harder time.

In my regular jobs, as much as I tried to Zen out and focus on pumping, I ended up working on emails and sometimes taking conference calls while pumping (thank goodness I could turn off video on VC calls!)

I absolutely needed my hands free to do things and couldn't stand holding my bottles. So I first got a bustier style pumping bra. But I hated taking my shirt on and off 2-3 times a day. Hated it. So much so that I contacted a manufacturer so I could design a better one. After getting a sample made and wearing it for a couple months, I had to share my awesome experience with other moms. And so, Tootsie Mama was born. 

Why Tootsie Mama? Because Tootsie was the pet name my spouse called me before I was pregnant and once I got pregnant with our first, it transitioned into Tootsie Mama. :)

I'm not a doula or nurse. I'm just a mom. A mom who has pumped a lot!

So that's me in a nutshell. Tootsie Mama is a small business. My mission is to help other pumping moms.

I'd love to hear about your pumping experiences and why you do it. 

I set up a Facebook group for pumping moms for just this reason. Please jump in and tell me about your pumping experience!

Kathy

P.S. Please join the Facebook group and tell me about yourself.

And here's the normal business-y stuff:

TootsieMama.com is an online retailer providing competitive prices on all things PUMPING MOM.  We aim to provide a memorable experience when you shop on our online store by offering quality products with top rated customer service.

We are based in San Francisco with offices nationwide. We distribute worldwide via FedEx, UPS, and First Class Priority Mail.

We have been operating since 2015 and have managed to build up a reputable establishment online. We have a great team and aim to grow our business more and more, offering our customers the best baby products available.

If you have any questions about our products or would like to check the availability of an item, please use the "Contact Us" page to get in touch.