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.