Speaking Our Truths

27 Stories of What It's Really Like to Breastfeed and Pump in the United States

• Pumping every three hours – including in the middle of the night – for nine months because you’ve been told “breast is best.”

• Leaving work to pick up a breast pump part you left at home at the local medical supply store because the lactation team at the hospital where you work won’t let you borrow it just this once.

• Braving through otherwise debilitating depression, anxiety, and insomnia because your medications aren’t meant to be used by breastfeeding parents.

• Returning to work after a few weeks of unpaid leave with your newborn to find a $1200 bill for insurance your company paid for you while you were out.

• Successfully persisting for two months to get your baby to latch right even when the management of the women’s shelter where you are staying is pressuring you to get your baby to stop crying during the night.

Over the course of the past year, we have heard about what parents in America go through to feed our children breastmilk. This research follows individual people on their breastfeeding journeys to explore the complex structural and institutional challenges that make breastfeeding a luxury instead of a choice – and provides some insights into what we can do to transform this reality.

All of the raw data from this research – 48 anonymized transcripts of interviews with parents and care providers – are openly available for the public to read and use.  If you would like to see data, please send an email to organizers@makethebreastpumpnotsuck.com with the following information:

1. Introduce yourself!

2. Tell us if you have any institutional affiliation.

3. Share how you plan to use these data.