Pumping fail

10:00 AM, March 22nd. I carefully placed two bottles full of milk with breastshields still attached in the cup holders in my car. Crap. The fit is not so snug. The whole way home I prayed there wouldn't be any bumps (or Wisconsin potholes) as I drove with one hand and tried to keep the bottles steady with the other. What a great first day back at work after maternity leave.

Let's rewind to earlier that morning....5:30 AM. I cursed the alarm and carefully snuck out of bed so as not to wake the peanut, who was sleeping in her swing next to our bed.  Half asleep, I went to the cabinet and grabbed two bottles with the breastshields/connectors/vales already assembled (first mistake). Side note: this is how I store them in the cabinet, so that there is no need to waste time putting them together when my boobs are about to explode. Then, I threw the bottles in a big ziplock bag (second mistake).

7:30 AM: time to pump.  I put on my pumping bra and started reading through my gazillion e-mails.  I felt great after the milk sucker managed to get more than 10 ounces out of me.  Then came time to unhook and disassemble.  I went to grab the bottle caps and realized that I forgot them.  Nice one, Mama G.  Well, at least I could stand them up securely in the cooler bag I brought.  Oh wait, I didn't bring it.  So I wrapped up the bottles (with the breastshields attached) in a handful of napkins, put them back in the ziplock bag and stood them up in the way back of our work refrigerator...and hoped that it wouldn't end up in someone's cereal.  Uggh.

Not my finest moment.  But I did manage to get all 10 ounces back home safely.  M couldn't stop laughing as I walked in the door with my ziplock baggy full of milk.  Moral of the story ladies, make sure you have everything you need for pumping before you head off to work!

More about being back at work at a later date.  This super organized type-A planner needs to go hang her slightly completely unprepared head in shame.