week 19 (adventures in hands-free pumping) 127-133 days

while pregnant with boo i came across a hands-free pumping bra in our hospital's healthlinks store. the bra featured two large round holes where the wearer's nipples would be. i could not imagine wearing such a contraption and shared a good laugh with boo's daddy over the idea of it. fast forward a few months of pumping three times a day, everyday, and suddenly the idea of being hands-free sounds like a blessing. for the past couple of weeks ive been wearing the easy expression bustier which is a simple one piece design that zips up the front. i immediately discovered theres a learning curve to being hands-free and i apparently am on the slow end of the curve. i could not figure how to adjust the pump flanges with the bra on if my nipples werent centered. i received the following tip from easy expression:

"After you put on the bra and flanges, simply lift the top of the bra out a little bit so you can see nipple placement. The bra will expand out and support the flanges while you use your other hand to adjust your breast/nipple. Once you do it a few times you can do the re-adjust without even looking."

doubting my hands-free ease, i gave it another shot. i used the bustier at home as well as at work. not surprisingly, the more i used it the easier it got. i cringe at the thought of being walked in on at work while wearing the bustier, but the comedic value overrides the fear. pumping hands-free to me means that i can answer the phone at work without having to squish both boobs in one hand (now theres an under-rated skill). it also means i can play with boo in the morning while i pump. i've even joined misty in her habit of typing and pumping (im actually pumping right now!). i may have laughed at being hands-free a few months ago, but it only took me a week of practice to proudly say "look boo, no hands!!"