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Work. Pump. Repeat.

The Book to Help You Survive Breastfeeding and Going Back to Work

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Work. Pump. Repeat.

Work. Pump. Repeat.

Work. Pump. Repeat.

Work. Pump. Repeat.

Work. Pump. Repeat.

The Book to Help You Survive Breastfeeding and Going Back to Work

The Book to Help You Survive Breastfeeding and Going Back to Work

The Book to Help You Survive Breastfeeding and Going Back to Work

The Book to Help You Survive Breastfeeding and Going Back to Work

Jessica Shortall
Jessica Shortall
Jessica Shortall
Jessica Shortall
1 Campaign |
Dallas, United States
$7,375 USD 148 backers
122% of $6,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

Every year, millions of women go back to work while they're still breastfeeding, and the unknowns they face are daunting: What clothes can I wear? How can I build up a stash of milk at home? What kind of room will I need to pump in at work? And how the hell do I talk to my boss about my breasts? 

Women need straight answers and real support to survive working and breastfeeding.  I decided to write this book when I realized there is no non-judgmental, super-practical resource for this crazy time in a working mother's life. 

I interviewed hundreds of working mothers across dozens of professions (Cop pumping in a squad car at a crime scene? Check!). They made me pee-my-pants-a-little laugh (not hard for a new mom), they made me cry, and they taught me everything I could ever want to know about being a breastfeeding, working mother.

I also talked to Human Resources executives and business leaders who could tell me how to look like a champ while breastfeeding and working. 

This book represents the collective wisdom of these very smart people, so no one ever has to go it alone again. No judgment, no pressure, no Mommy Wars - just answers. It's my love letter to working moms, and it looks like this:


Advance Reviews

  • "...a solid advice guide that should be on the shelves of any woman who enjoys a career and who wants to return to it while continuing to nurture her child: a guide very highly recommended for its exceptional focus and well-rounded discussion of the realities of the venture." (D. Donovan, Senior eBook Reviewer, Midwest Book Review)
  • "The information in this book is spot-on the science behind lactation...written so that stressed working moms will understand it with no jargon to wade through.  Ms. Shortall tells it like it is and doesn’t sugarcoat the realities of breastfeeding and working. Bravo!" (Robyn Roche-Paull, BSN, RN, IBCLC, author of Breastfeeding in Combat Boots: A Survival Guide to Successful Breastfeeding While Serving in the Military)
  • "A must read for any mom who plans to pump at work...a thorough, practical, and relatable guide to the many challenges and rewards of being a pumping mom. Jessica nimbly avoids controversy and judgment and presents all the things a working mom needs to know, even the things she didn't know she needed to know." (JJ Keith, author of Motherhood Smotherhood)

Help Me Publish This Thing!

I've written this book at night, early in the morning, and during my kids' naptimes on the weekends. All it needs is one final push to get the paperback up on Amazon and available on Kindle and the other major e-readers. I'm fundraising to cover the self-publishing costs, which include:

  • Copy-editing, proofreading, and layout
  • Cover design - I still have to pay the designers who did the cover (thanks, www.bee-things.com...love you!)
  • Expert review by a lactation professional
  • Conversion to e-book
  • Promotion and marketing costs


The Impact

There is no "right" way to be a working mom, but by sharing what hundreds of working, breastfeeding mothers have already learned, I hope to take the mystery - and anxiety - out of this uniquely stressful time in a woman's life. 

This book is also a crash course for business owners, human resources executives, managers, spouses, and even policy makers, because support for women is good for business, it's good for families, and it's good for public health. More people need to know what breastfeeding and working is like, how women do it, and how businesses and laws can support them.

Finally, this book is putting a new voice into the world on the topic of breastfeeding, where there is just too much judgment, pressure, and competition. I figure if you're buying a book about breastfeeding, you don't need to be hit over the head with the "breast is best" hammer. You need a compassionate, knowledgeable friend to support you whether or not you succeed at your breastfeeding goals. Funding this book will help make that voice real.


Other Ways You Can Help

Your financial contribution would be awesome, and you'll be one of the very first people to receive the book. But whether or not you give money, you can help in other ways:

  • Share this campaign with your networks and friends - especially the pregnant ones. 
  • Connect me with influential, iconic moms. I'm still on the hunt for a couple more reviewers and blurb writers (for the cover), and would kill for an influential foreword writer. 
  • Share this project with friends and colleagues in Human Resources. The book would make a great training tool for HR staff who want to know how to support new moms when they come back to work.
  • Give a journalist with relevant interests the heads-up. I am not camera shy!


About Me

My career has spanned start-ups in the business, non-profit, and activist worlds, all tied together with the goal of doing good.  My path is random enough to include both a stint in the Peace Corps and an MBA from Oxford University. Most recently, I spent five years as TOMS Shoes' Director of Giving, where I had the privilege of helping build the One for One giving strategy for the now-iconic brand. It was in that role that I had my two children, and found myself traveling the world with a breast pump.  I write for The Huffington Post and do some public speaking via Washington Speakers' Bureau. This is my first book.

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Choose your Perk

Advance copy of the e-book

$10 USD
Be the first on your block to get an e-book copy (format of your choosing from among the major e-readers).
Estimated Shipping
January 2015
28 claimed

Emergency! Need manuscript NOW

$15 USD
New perk!! Are you going back to work before the end of 2014 and can't wait for January publication? Do you REALLY need this book NOW? I can't stand the thought of someone needing support and not getting it, so if this is you, back at this level and include your emaila ddress, and I'll email you the pdf DRAFT manuscript right away. Please note that I will make you SWEAR to me that you won't share it with anyone, because I am a perfectionist and don't want unpolished drafts floating around.
Estimated Shipping
November 2014
9 claimed

Signed paperback

$20 USD
Receive an author-signed paperback copy of the book, to read while you're on maternity leave, or surreptitiously during pumping sessions if you're already back to work. Paper copy = lots of opportunities to dogear, underline, and take notes! (U.S. shipping included; international shipping will be an additional $10)
Estimated Shipping
January 2015
58 claimed

Three-book gift pack

$50 USD
Buy bulk and save! Get three signed paperbacks to give at baby showers, or to share with bosses and HR folks. (U.S. shipping included; international shipping will be an additional $10)
Estimated Shipping
January 2015
21 claimed

Personal back-to-work prep

$150 USD
Schedule a one-hour Skype, FaceTime, or phone call with me to walk through your biggest concerns and challenges in breastfeeding and going back to work. No topic is off limits! And of course, you'll get a signed paperback, too. (U.S. shipping included; international shipping will be an additional $10)
Estimated Shipping
January 2015
2 claimed

Shout-out in acknowledgements

$250 USD
Get a personal shout-out in the book's acknowledgements. And, of course, a signed paperback. (U.S. shipping included; international shipping will be an additional $10)
Estimated Shipping
January 2015
2 claimed

1-hour consultation w/HR team

$500 USD
Get a one-hour Skype consultation with your HR team, to help them understand the perspective of new mothers returning to work. Topics can include ideal lactation room set-up, and helping expecting mothers talk to their managers. Of course, you'll also receive a signed paperback. (U.S. shipping included; international shipping will be an additional $10)
Estimated Shipping
January 2015
2 claimed

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