Breastfeeding: Pumping At Work (Part 3)

A long, long time ago (yes, in a galaxy far, far away) I asked a few working moms to answer some questions about how they managed to pump while at work.  Jessica is one of the oh-so-gracious ladies that participated in this anecdotal compilation.  

Jessica is a mother of two sweet girls.  Meredith is seven years old and Caroline is two.  Jessica works in the corporate world for a biotech company called Biogen Idec. 

Aren't they gorgeous??

What kind of work do you do and how long are your work days?

I have a desk job and generally work 8-5.

How long were you on maternity leave?

I returned to work full time after 12 weeks of maternity leave.

How long did you breastfeed your children?

I nursed my first baby for about 5 months and now I actually kinda kick myself for stopping when I did because that’s when it gets so much easier. Although at that time, I was in school at night for my MBA and I spent lots of time away from my baby, so I’ve had to make peace with that now that it was the right thing for both of us.

I had 5 years between my two children and knew that I would do my best to breastfeed for at least 5-6 months again, but I surprised myself by going for a full 13 months this time.

I was more prepared this time since I knew what to expect and other than the sleepless nights, it was much easier this time. Less cracking and bleeding (ouch!) and she really took to nursing quite well. I set small goals for myself, like I’ll make it until she’s 3 months old, so that it didn’t seem so daunting to think of potentially going for a whole year. Then everytime I got to one of those goals, I was never quite ready to stop. Gradually, I worked my way through the whole year- some by setting those small goals and some by being too stubborn to give up! 

What, if any, apprehensions did you have about continuing breastfeeding and pumping after your maternity leave was up?  

I was quite nervous about going back to work because for a few weeks beforehand, I had started transitioning her to a bottle just to get her used to it and she hated it! I bought every kind of bottle under the sun and she just hated them all. Everyone told me she’d eat if she got hungry enough and sure enough, she finally caved on my first day back and did fine with bottles after that (ended up with Dr. Brown’s).

Where did you physically pump at work?

We have a wonderful mother’s room with partitioned spaces, power source and a fridge. Biogen Idec was even recognized in Carolina Parent magazine for having great resources for nursing mothers.  

Describe your pumping at work schedule.

I pumped twice a day for about 30 minutes each time (from setup to cleanup) once in the late morning and once in the afternoon, so I was always ready to nurse as soon as I got home. I used a Medela pump and also used their cleaning wipes (in our new building there is now a sink to use). 

What did you pack in your pump bag?

I packed my bag with a cooler bag & ice pack, plenty of storage bottles, the Medela wipes and a hand towel to lay on my lap to protect my clothes from inevitable drips or the dreaded spill. My Kindle or other reading material was a huge help to pass the time. I know I read more in that time than I have since!

Any other working-mom-pumping-related 
thoughts you'd like to share?

I have several friends who also pumped for the full year and I felt like I had cheerleaders keeping me going when I had those rough days. I think the support system and camaraderie was one of my biggest success factors. I never anticipated making it 13 months, but with small milestone goals and lots of support, I made it and am so happy I did! I used to think people who talked about missing breastfeeding were crazy, but now I really understand because I actually long for that closeness with my baby from time to time now too!

My advice is to push hard through the first few months- they are by far the hardest, but if you can get through it, the reward in the end is totally worth it! That being said, I also fully believe that each mother has to make the best decision for herself and her baby. Don’t allow yourself to feel bullied one way or the other.

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Thank you so much, Jessica for taking the time to answer my questions!  And for your patience with me turning this into a blog post almost a year later!

Questions?  Leave it in the comments!

Breastfeeding:  Pumping At Work (Part 1)

Breastfeeding:  Pumping At Work (Part 2)

Breastfeeding: Pumping At Work (Part 2)

Here's another story from a working mom about how she managed pumping at work.

Meet Brandy.  She spends her work days behind a desk as a software developer.  Landon (3.5 years) and Oliver (9 months) call her mom.  She has a fantastic blog you should check out here.  Her thoughts on pumping at work: 

How long are your work days, on average? 

8 hours with one hour lunch

How long were you out on maternity leave?  

10 weeks for both 

What, if any, apprehensions did you have about continuing breastfeeding and pumping after your maternity leave was up?

I knew it would be hard work because I didn't respond well to the pump. I didn't prepare enough with my first son. I should have pumped and stored more on leave but I didn't know to. I had to learn a lot as I went (pump strength, flange size, how long to pump). I knew more with Oliver and prepared more. I pumped from probably week 1 to build supply. I rented a hospital grade for 3 months. I wanted to trick my body for as long as I could. I also got to nurse Oliver at work so I didn't have to pump as much. That was a BIG help. I didn't have to worry about making up the ounces as much.

What was your pumping schedule at work? Number of pumping sessions? Duration of each session? 

With Landon I pumped 4 times at work. Almost every 2 hours by the end. It was torture. With Ollie I pumped maybe twice and once was just after I got to work to get any extra. He only took 1 bottle for the first months because I nursed him every other time. Because of my office, I would work and pump. I aimed for sessions to be 30 min but sometimes i would get busy and it would be 45 min.

Did your sons have trouble interchanging between bottles and breastfeeding? 

Never. Landon started a bottle at 4 weeks and Ollie at 2. I always gave them a bottle before bed to make sure they were used to it and made babysitting easier.

Where did you physically pump at work? 

I have my own office with locked door.

How did you handle washing of pump parts for multiple pumping sessions at work?

I kept my parts in a tall cooler and reused. This saved massive amounts of time.

Where do you store your milk during the work day?  

Breakroom fridge

Describe what you packed in your pump bag.

Flanges. bottles. lanolin. pump bra. medela pump wipes. A cloth diaper to dry off :)

Any other working-mom-pumping-related thoughts you'd like to share?

http://liberatingworkingmoms.com/category/working-it-out/breastfeeding/

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Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions, Brandy!  

Do you want to be a part of this Pumping At Work blog series?  Email me!  baacuff (at) mac (dot) com.

Questions?  Leave it in the comments!

Breastfeeding: Pumping At Work (Part 1)

Breastfeeding: Pumping At Work (Part 3)

Breastfeeding: Pumping At Work (part 1)

I want to share some stories with you about adventures in pumping at work as told by some of my friends.  I find it helpful to hear real stories from real people tackling real life obstacles that I'm facing, too.  First up:  Angela!

Angela is on her feet most work days as an elementary school teacher (3rd grade).  She is mom to 16 month old Isabelle. She had this to say about pumping at work:

How long are your work days, on average? 

My average work day is 9 hours--7 hours with kids and two hours of work on lesson plans, paper work, meetings, etc.

How long were you out on maternity leave?  

I was on maternity leave for 8 weeks.

What, if any, apprehensions did you have about continuing breastfeeding and pumping after your maternity leave was up?

My main concern about continuing to use breast milk after returning to work was the time it would take to keep up with the supply Isabelle would need.  She has always been a VERY good eater and was drinking 6-8 ounces at a time from about 3 months old!  I knew from hearing about other mother's experiences that I would have to pump as many times as she ate if I wanted her to only have breast milk.  That would be a minimum of 3 times during my school day.  This seemed daunting because of the lack of flexible time in my schedule.  I knew it was possible because other teachers at my school had done it, but it definitely added a big element of stress to returning to work...something I didn't really want to do to begin with.

Did that original plan change after you went back to work?  

I managed to stick with my original plan/schedule that I anticipated.  I was able to be relatively flexible with times between pumping sessions, which I had to figure out as I went along.  My biggest obstacle was minimizing the impact on my students while I was out of the classroom.  My "personal" schedule and my class schedule were not compatible.  If I had pumped when it was most comfortable for me, I would have had to have a sub for about 20 minutes 3 times a day.  That seems minimal when I think about it now, but it was a big burden on teacher assistants (though they never complained) and reduced my time actually teaching my students.  Finding a balance of doing what is best for Isabelle and what is best for my students...this was the first in a long list of times that I've had to do that.  I managed to rearrange things to only leave my kids once a day.  It made it a little bit harder on me because I pumped during lunch and planning times, but it didn't impact my supply.  Problem solved.

What was your pumping schedule at work? Number of pumping sessions? Duration of each session? 

The schedule I stuck with the longest was as follows: 8:45-9:05 (during my students' arrival time--didn't miss any instruction); 12:30-12:50 (my lunch time--another staff member picked my students up from lunch); 3:45-4:05 (during dismissal--didn't miss any instruction.  My times included prep and clean up.  I actually only pumped for about 10 minutes most times.

Did your daughter have trouble interchanging between bottles and breastfeeding? 

Isabelle had no problem going between nursing and bottles.  She has always been a flexible little thing.

Where did you physically pump at work? 

I pumped in a little random "phone room" about the size of a closet in our teacher's lounge.  It was unofficially designated the pumping room in the school.  (When you work mainly with women of child bearing age, you have one of these.)

How did you handle washing of pump parts for multiple pumping sessions at work?

Luckily, there is a sink outside the room where I pumped.

Where do you store your milk during the work day?  

I stored milk in the refrigerator in the teacher's lounge.  I had to CLEARLY label the bag because there was more than one pumping mom at my school at the time.

Describe what you packed in your pump bag.

I really just had the pump parts and a towel in my bag.  I was pretty fast, so I didn't need a lot of things to keep me busy.  There was a clock in the room with me, which was the only other thing I needed.

Any other working-mom-pumping-related thoughts you'd like to share?

One unexpected change I made in the middle was that I stopped nursing altogether after about 2 months back at work.  Pumping was a lot faster than nursing, because Isabelle nursed slowly.  It took me 45 minutes to nurse her--it only took me 10 minutes to pump as much as she wanted.  I doubt I would have made that leap if I hadn't been pumping because of my return to work.  I enjoyed nursing after the initial adjustment period; however, the schedule and busyness of working made efficiency the priority.

I was very lucky because nursing and pumping for me were relatively painless and hassle free.  My main issues with it involved the amount of work and planning it took to pump enough milk every day: making sure the room was available and unlocked when I needed it, making sure I had coverage for my class when I asked for it, making sure I had all the parts packed, making sure I remembered to get the milk out of the refrigerator EVERY day before I left school, making sure I remembered to pump at the right time (a few minutes off could impact multiple people.)  All of those little details added onto the millions of teacher and early parenting tasks were very taxing for me.  I was very relieved to be finished and glad that I made it the 6 months I wanted to complete.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions, Angela!  

Do you want to be a part of this Pumping At Work blog series?  Email me!  baacuff (at) mac (dot) com.

Questions?  Leave it in the comments!

Breastfeeding:  Pumping At Work (Part 2)

Breastfeeding:  Pumping At Work (Part 3)

Breastfeeding Issues

**warning:  lots of boobie talk ahead.  If breastfeeding or boobie talk isn't your thing, feel free to read this other (benign) post. **

While pregnant with James, I didn't know what to expect regarding breastfeeding.  I wanted to give it the ole college try, but I wasn't willing to lose my mind over trying to make it work.  I talked a little bit about it here and here.  Basically, I breastfed him until he was six months, and then transitioned to formula.  He was always a quick nurser and rarely fell asleep at the breast (instead would usually pop off wailing).

While pregnant with Reese, I didn't give it much thought before she was born.  Been there, done that.  I figured we would figure it out together and it would be no big deal.  I did not anticipate having trouble.  Unfortunately, we did experience some challenges.

When she was weighed for the first time, minutes after her birth, I knew feeding was going to a big, big focus for us since she was a big, big girl!  Bigger babies can have blood sugar issues when they are born, so feeding them as soon as possible is important.

Sometime in the first hour, she latched on well and ate for 15 minutes or so.  It was a good first feeding, in my book.  Her blood sugars were fine, for which I was grateful.

Over the first few days, she was eating well and latching okay, or so I thought.  I met with a lactation consultant while in the hospital just to make sure all was well.  After we went home, two days later, I noticed my nipples were really, really sore.  Other moms warned me about this when I had James, but I never really experienced it.  But this time...WOW.  I also noticed when Reese was done nursing, my nipple would be creased.  A baby that is latched well shouldn't cause this to happen.  On day four, I went back to the hospital with Reese to have another lactation consultant appointment.  Sheri was great.  She helped me try some new positioning techniques to help Reese get more of my nipple in her mouth, hopefully reducing her pinching the bajeebies out of my nipples!  If you asked Reese during this process (which I didn't, but I feel free to speculate), she wouldn't have said anything was wrong.  When she was hungry, she ate until she was full.  End of story.  She seemed to be getting plenty of volume, based on weight checks at the pediatrician, and was sleeping (some, as any newborn does).  It was just ME having trouble with feeding her that was the issue.

After that appointment on day four, I left feeling encouraged that WE COULD DO THIS.  We had to work on positioning and such, but it could be done.  So for the next ten days or so, I tried and tried to get her positioned well, with her chin ever so slightly overextended.  But despite my best efforts, I couldn't consistently get through a feeding without wincing in pain.

I had an idea to try using a nipple shield.  After talking on the phone to lactation consultant Sheri about my brilliant plan, I headed off to the store to find one.  I was so excited to try it out with our next feeding.  Nipple shields can be used for a lot of different reasons (like a mom has very flat nipples that don't give the baby much to latch on to), but I was hoping to take advantage of the SHIELDING properties.  I needed protection from this wee babe that was killing my boobs!  The first feeding that I tried it with was fan.tas.tic.  I was able to relax while Reese nursed.  I wasn't in pain.  She seemed to not mind the shield and ate happily. I thought <cue angelic chorus>  "Aaaaaah!!!  This is it!  We found our solution!"  I felt hopeful again.

It became apparent fairly quickly, however, that when we used the nipple shield, Reese had to eat for a lot longer time period.  Like an hour.  Because of the layer of plastic between us, my body didn't respond to her the same way.  Maybe my milk didn't let down as much, or it didn't flow as easily.  Hard to say.  All I know is she had to eat for a long time to get the same volume that she was getting pre-nipple shield.  Hmmm...perhaps not the miracle cure I thought it was...  I tried using the shield every other feeding to see if that would help my nipples heal a little bit, while still regularly giving Reese an unencumbered feeding.  This worked okay, but it still practically brought tears to my eyes when she would nurse without the shield.  We needed another solution.

When I took her to her two week check-up at the pediatrician, it got ugly.  The sweet, kind, compassionate pediatrician asked me how I was doing and I started sobbing.  (side note--I'll bet they deal with a lot of weeping moms in the peds office.  If I were the doctor, I would've been thinking "Aw geez...we've got another crier...")  I told her I was really, really, freakin' tired.  Reese was eating all the time because we were using the nipple shield because I couldn't get her to latch well (or tolerate her latched) without it.  She had their lactaction consultant come in right away to work with Reese and I.  After examining Reese, this lactation consultant speculated that maybe Reese was slightly tongue tied.  She said her frenulum looked a little bit tight.  She recommended making an appointment with an ENT, so we did.  She also helped me work on positioning using a brest friend pillow.  Up until this point I'd been using a boppy.  I left that pediatrician appointment feeling hopeful once again that this will work out for us!

I switched completely over to using the brest friend pillow and ditched the boppy (which I used the whole time with James...different strokes for different folks, I guess.)  Within a couple of days, we went to our ENT appointment.  The doctor was very kind and sympathetic to our latching woes.  After checking out Reese's tongue, however, he said she looked just fine.  No frenulum clipping necessary.  This was both good and bad news.  Good news that Reese didn't need a minor procedure performed.  Bad news that we were right back where we started with no new magical solution on the horizon.

I left that appointment feeling discouraged, disheartened and less than hopeful about our nursing future.  I didn't realize how important breastfeeding was to me until I thought about the prospect of not being able to make it work.  Apparently I cared about it more than I thought I did.  I had to give myself my own "Don't lose your mind over breastfeeding" speech that I give to moms in the NICU where I work all the time. The speech goes something like "You are not a bad mom if you don't breastfeed.  Your self-worth is not tied up in whether or not your baby gets formula.  Nutritionally speaking, breast milk is the best thing for your baby.  But what is best for your baby is a healthy/happy mom.  If your sanity comes into question over breastfeeding, then it no longer becomes what is best for your baby."  Etc, etc, etc.

Unable to decide at that moment to throw in the towel completely, I made an interim decision to pump and feed her expressed milk.  So I pumped.  For a week.  Then another week.  Then another week.  For three weeks.  I didn't even try nursing her in that time.  She took bottles like a champ.  Pumping didn't hurt.  It was a pain in the butt with all the pump parts and bottles to wash, but at least I was pain-free.

Side note:  I remember reading a blog post from another mom (Jessica) where she described her breastfeeding challenges with her second child.  Go read her story.  She pumped for a MONTH and then worked back up to breastfeeding her son.  When I read that in 2011, I thought to myself "There is NO WAY I would do that.  Breastfeeding isn't that important to me that I would exclusively pump and bottle feed for a month."

Well...Fast forward to the end of 2012 and that's almost exactly what I did.  After three weeks of pumping/bottle feeding, I started attempting to nurse her again.  She did great.  I didn't hurt afterwards.  The next day I tried a couple of times to nurse her.  Still did great, no pain.  Over the next week or so, I added in more and more nursing.  We eventually got up to 24 straight hours of nursing and no nipple pain.  Cue the Hallelujah Chorus.  She was about 7 weeks old at that point.

What changed?  Who knows.  Time really did help.  Maybe just the size of her mouth growing a little bit in that time frame made her latch differently.  I don't know.  All I know is I was so.incredibly.grateful. that our challenges seemed to be behind us.  She didn't have any trouble transitioning back to nursing from bottles.  This is partially why it makes me IRATE when lactation consultants preach that if a baby gets one single bottle feed, breastfeeding is RUINED.  Bull$h!t.  Even if my friend Jessica (mentioned earlier) and I are the only ones on the planet with success stories of bottle-to-breastfeeding (which I doubt we are), that's still two cases where it worked.  So people need to quit beating moms over the head about giving their babies bottles.  *stepping down from soap box*

Where are we now?  Reese nurses about 4-5 times per day.  In the evening before bed, she gets a 6-8 ounce bottle of pumped milk.  Before I go to bed, I pump and save whatever I get for the next night's feeding.  Most nights she sleeps through the night.  (glory and hallelujah!)  My plan right now is to breastfeed until she gets teeth.  Based on the drool factor lately, that may be any day now!  I'll transition her over to formula after that.

So.....that's our story!  Thanks for your time!

Listening and Parenting and One-Upping

I recently came across an excellent perspective on the challenges of parenting small kids on another blog,  www.stevewiens.com.  I don't know the man, but I.LOVE.HIM. for writing it.  My favorite part:  

"We know it’s true that they grow up too fast. But feeling like I have to enjoy every moment doesn’t feel like a gift, it feels like one more thing that is impossible to do, and right now, that list is way too long. Not every moment is enjoyable as a parent; it wasn’t for you, and it isn’t for me. You just have obviously forgotten. I can forgive you for that. But if you tell me to enjoy every moment one more time, I will need to break up with you."

Another similar post by Glennon Melton made me smile and breathe a little bit easier.  One of my favorite parts of this post about Carpe Diem: 

"Clearly, Carpe Diem doesn't work for me. I can't even carpe fifteen minutes in a row, so a whole diem is out of the question."

In both of these articles, what they offered me was validation.  I'm doing okay.  My husband is doing okay.  My kids are doing okay.  We're gonna make it.  Because, if I'm honest, when I tell you a story about my toddler completely winning against me in the battle of wills that took place earlier today, what I'm looking for is support. Validation.  Encouragement.  What I am NOT looking for:

"Wait until he's a teenager!"

"Just wait until Reese is older and they can really fight like siblings!"

"This is the easy part...later is SO MUCH HARDER..."

Thanks.  Thanks for that.  Thanks for nullifying whatever it was I was saying.  Thanks for one-upping me with your story about your teenager/middle schooler/grown child.  

The fact of the matter is that I don't think we (as people) are very good listeners.  It's hard to hear a story and not share whatever story comes to mind after hearing someone else's tale.  But I'm determined to get better at it.  

When a first-time pregnant mom tells me she's having trouble sleeping, I want my knee-jerk response to be, "You are so right!  Sleep and pregnancy seem to be mortal enemies!"  Instead of "Wait til the baby comes!  You'll experience a whole new level of sleep deprivation!"

When a childless, younger person complains that the dog kept them up all night, I'd like to offer my sympathies instead of saying I remember fondly the days when my cats were my only sleep interruption.  (I may or may not take that opportunity to tell them that dogs are worthless creatures anyway.  Oh wait, I think that defeats my point of being a better listener and validating people...  Well there goes all my dog-loving readers...)

Your hard is hard to you, whatever that is.  My hard is hard to me, whatever it is.  I'm tired of being one-upped, and therefore I want to make sure I'm not doing that to other people, especially other moms.     

Dear Adoptive Parents

I can't even imagine what your journey to adoption has been like.  Tumultuous?  Long?  Involving more paperwork and red tape than Congress?  Full of heartache and failed pregnancies?  Or maybe easy-breezy, short, and completely unexpected?

This is one of many of life's unfairness-es.  That's a word, right?  It's not fair at all that I wasn't even trying to get pregnant, or thinking about it, and managed to become so.  Meanwhile you guys tried and tried, maybe even were successful a few times at getting pregnant, but then it didn't last.  That's not fair.  I'm sorry.  I'm sorry if your path leading you here was a prickly, thorny, jagged rock path and there were no shoes to be found.

As our paths join from this point forward, there are a few things I want you to know.

• I want more than anything to see my child again.  From the moment I leave the hospital, an absolute emotional wreck, all I  will think about is "When can I see her again??!"  But I understand that you need time as a family to bond.  My guess is what you need me to know is that you need space.  Ultimately, I want what is best for her.  So if space is what you guys need, space is what you'll get.  But know that whenever you are ready, I'd love to see her again.  
• Relationships are fluid, dynamic things.  Whatever our relationship starts out like, good or bad, it doesn't have to or get to stay that way forever.  By investing time and attention and effort, we can build a positive, healthy connection.  Hopefully we can be really honest with each other throughout the process about what works for us, what doesn't, and what we want/need.
• Just like no two kids are exactly alike, no two adoptions are either.  While we can both gather support from others who have walked this path, our adoption is unique.  We will have to figure out what works best for us.  
• There will be times, like when we first meet, that will just be awkward, no matter what.  You may feel like you need to come across as well spoken, put together, and definitely not crazy because if you don't, I'll change my mind and not place my child with you.  I'll feel like I need to come across as well spoken, put together, and definitely not crazy because if I don't, you won't let me have a relationship with my child later on.  All of that is baloney.  Facades don't work long term.  You be you.  I'll be me.  We'll build on that.
• Most importantly:  I can be one of your biggest cheerleaders, if you'll let me.  You are raising my biological child.  I have a whole lot of interest vested in things going well for you and your family.  I want you to know I'm on your side, not against you.  If you ever doubt that, keep in mind that I chose you.  I chose you to be my daughter's parents.  I saw qualities in you, in your relationship to each other, that made me pick you above anybody else.  Please, please don't forget that!

Signed,
A loving birthmother

Breastfeeding and Football

Breastfeeding is a big time commitment.  Watching football is a big time commitment.  I've compiled a list of penalties, borrowing the names of which or the concept from football, but applying it to my experiences with breastfeeding.  Enjoy.

Roughing the Feeder:
Two possibilities here.
A)  The sweet little babe of a child beats the mom with clenched fists while attempting to nurse.  Usually involves crying, maybe by both involved parties.
B)  The aforementioned sweet child does not latch well, chomping on mom's nipple, causing excrutiating pain either immediately or over time as the non-well-latched-nursing continues.

False Start:
The wee babe latches, nurses long enough to cause milk letdown, then pops off.  Immediately the baby gets sprayed in the face from at least three different angles as the milk continues to flow fire-hose-style.  Typically this causes a pissed off baby and a soaked nursing pillow and shoulder/arm of the baby's outfit.

Illegal Motion:
While nursing well and latched beautifully, the innocent child has explosive, pervasive, blow out poopie that faster than lightning seeps throw every layer of clothing on mom and babe and soaks the nursing pillow.

Pass Interference:
While mom attempts to transition the infant from one breast to the other, somewhere mid-air the baby spews some large portion of what she's just eaten , usually hitting whatever electronic device is near by at the time. (TV remote, cell phone, ipad, etc...)

Offsides:
The freakish phenomenon that describes the serenely peaceful little one asleep on her side, quickly morphing into a screaming monster when removed from that peaceful position and unsuccessfully transitioned to a bassinet or crib.

Holding:
(Offensive) This foul involves older siblings.  While the baby is nursing, the older child(ren) will inevitably want to be held.  Waiting to be held is out of the question in their minds.  Space on mom's lap is no concern of theirs either.
(Defensive) When the husband accuses the nursing mother of simply holding the baby, who is no longer eating, but asleep at the breast, to get out of doing chores.  This foul gets called when trash needs emptying, dinner needs cooking, etc.

Personal foul:
Mom awakes abruptly in the middle of the night to the baby's cries.  She has 0.1 seconds to decide whether she should go to the bathroom first or feed the baby.  She decides to wait and feed the baby first.  While the baby is nursing, she very much regrets the waiting-to-pee decision.  The personal foul is what occurs if she cannot hold it any longer.

What did I leave off?  Have you experienced any of these scenarios? Or know someone who has?