Call me a quitter

It's official. I've stopped pumping. And oh has the guilt permeated my being.

Yes I did a great job of stock-piling our extra freezer at home with hundreds of ounces of milk before returning to work. Yes I had every intention of pumping my milk for Anna for months and months to come. Yes I do plan to continue nursing for as long as we're both willing and able.

But I just can't stand the pump any more. Between client deadlines, meetings and conference calls, my work day pumping session were getting less and less frequent...and were happening later and later in the day. It got to the point where I was pumping just before leaving in the evenings. As a result, my "supplies" were too low to actually nurse my baby at night. Umm...that's so not the point of this endeavor!

Enter, stage right, TONS 'O GUILT!

It's so obvious that Anna prefers milk to formula...and with each missed pumping session I think of her at school, choking down Similac with a "are you kidding me?" look on her face. While I still have a nice supply of milk in the freezer, this stockpile will only last for so long. Maybe another few weeks.

I managed to pump, during the Lily years, for 2 months after returning from leave before quitting. One more reason to feel guilty. I "tried harder" with my first daughter. Poor Anna -- definitely #2.

For those of you who have pumped for babies in the past, you so know what I'm talking about. You feel my pain...figuratively and literally. For those of you who made it longer -- Lisa, you are my hero! -- my hat is off to you. But I'm done. And, secretly, I'm thrilled to be done.

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about...well, I'll let Stephen Colbert do the talking!