My name is Kirsten, and like you, I'm a working mother. I know, "every mother is a working mother", but I'm a mother who works outside the home, who sends my babies to daycare, and a mother who breastfeeds.

I also happen to be a scientist (PhD in Anatomy and Neuroscience, you can call me "doctor", but only if you want to) - and a writer, a teacher, and an advocate for breastfeeding mothers everywhere. I'm studying to become a Lactation Consultant someday, and my special interest is helping working mothers to be able to breastfeed whenever they choose to.

But I was just working a standard desk job when my first baby was born, and that was my education and initiation into the world of working and pumping. I absolutely believe in the importance of breastfeeding for a child's physical and emotional health, and I've been lucky enough to steer my professional life to include breastfeeding education and promotion - not bad for a scientist and technical writer!

I started breastfeeding my babies for a few simple reasons - family history of milk allergies, dislike for the formula companies "advertising" strategies - but I kept doing it because I love it. I love the closeness with my children that breastfeeding provided, I even loved feedings in the middle of the night, because it gave me a special time with my baby when I'd been gone all day. I ended up pumping for a year for each of my two children (both beautiful and perfect, of course), and kept nursing them for as long as they wanted to. It was hard at first, but it does get easier as every month goes by, and after that first birthday, breastfeeding became something that I hardly thought about, I just did it.

The reason I was able to continue breastfeeding was that I found support. I found an amazing group of women online - none of us lactation experts, but all of us dedicated to breastfeeding our babies, no matter what our work situation. We build a supportive community, and a lot of us have stayed together - since 1999!  This website is dedicated to the women of W&P and WPE - you know who you are!

Mothers work outside the home for so many different reasons, but ultimately we all do it because we believe it's best for our families. No-one should feel judged or like less of a mother because she works, and that's why I've created this website. I wanted to create an online home for working mothers, partly to help mothers keep breastfeeding but also to provide a welcoming community for working mothers.

Being a working mother is isolating. You miss play-groups, library story hour, and all of those places where stay at home mothers meet each other and get to chat. I was lucky enough to find a supportive online community when my first baby was only 6 months old, and through that community I have grown more confident as a mother, more sure about the choices I've made. I want to make that kind of community available to others.

My other project in the works is a book about breastfeeding for working mothers - any interested publishers are welcome to contact me - it's going to be good! When the book is finished, I will certainly post more information on this website.

Thanks for joining me in this new venture - WorkAndPump.com!

Kirsten