The pumpspot

Episode 1: Trailer Apr 21, 2020

The pumpspot is a non-judgmental space bringing stories, community and real connection to you as you feed your family—from home, from the workplace, and throughout the world. Our nourishing conversations with everyday and inspirational voices explore the emotional, challenging, and beautiful ways in which we nurse, pump, and navigate parenthood. It's a bright light in a world of bathroom stalls and broom closets. Listen in and let us feed you hope, encouragement, and support—all in the name of milk and motherhood—because no one should do this alone.

Episode 27: Professional Support for Working Parents Jan 21, 2021

Averjill Rookwood (The Corporate Doula) is a passionate doula who is trained to serve in the holistic fertility, birth and postpartum arenas. She also brings over fifteen years of employer benefits management experience to the table to assist her clients behind the scenes with the business of healthcare. Amy and Averjill talk about what both employees and employers need in terms of holistic support for working parents, and Averjill shares amazing insights, both for parents and companies who truly want to support one another through this time period. It's more important than ever as we are seeing such an exodus of women from the workforce due to COVID-19.

Episode 26: Running and Mothering? Yes You Can! Jan 06, 2021

In today's episode, Amy sat down with Whitney Heins and Laura Norris of The Mother Runners. Join them in conversation about what it's like to be both a runner and mother, how that changes during pregnancy and postpartum, and why now, more than ever, is a great time to get your shoes on and get outside. They also spoke about how motherhood makes us better runners, and running makes us better mothers, and when we really embrace the fusion of the two we're able to thrive as athletes, casual runners, and parents. Enjoy!

Episode 25: A Different Journey with Every Baby Dec 16, 2020

Lisa, on our team, had to go have a baby in order to be a guest on the pumpspot, and today is that day! Lisa is in a very special season of postpartum as she is home nursing and navigating life with her sweet fourth baby. She came back to talk about how different the journeys of motherhood are with each baby and we talked about breastfeeding, her favorite products, and what postpartum mothers really need. Enjoy!

Episode 24: Kate Torgersen Built Milk Stork By Fulfilling a Need Nov 18, 2020

This week on the pumpspot we were so excited to sit down with Kate Torgersen, the founder and CEO of Milk Stork and a mother of three. Kate founded Milk Stork when she was traveling and pumping for her twins, and was floored by the lack of resources, support, and understanding available for working, traveling, and pumping parents.

Amy and Kate talk about what their journeys have been like as founders of breastfeeding companies, what the state of life is like for working parents right now, and how we can all do better to drive change.

Episode 23: Normalizing Postpartum Life with Comedian Christine Meehan-Berg Nov 04, 2020

Welcome to the pumpspot! We are here sharing nourishing conversations about the beautiful, challenging, and wonderful ways that we feed our families. In today's episode, Amy sits down with Christine Meehan-Berg. Christine is a comedian, mother, and an early advocate for mothers in the world of comedy. She and Amy have a very open and honest conversation about the challenges of postpartum, breastfeeding, and what it's like to be navigating a very male-dominated world. Christine brought her whole self to this conversation and we hope that you will enjoy it as much as we did.

Episode 22: Your Pelvic Floor Health Oct 21, 2020

This week our very own Nina Emlen spoke with Sarah Reardon for a fascinating episode about pelvic floor health. Sarah is a pelvic floor physical therapist who has an incredible wealth of knowledge to share with us about pelvic floor health, normalizing a visit to a therapist like her, and her personal experiences as a breastfeeding, working mother of two.

Sarah has been really open and honest on social media about her experience. She's made us laugh, she's taught us so much about our personal health, and we hope that you will enjoy this conversation between Sarah and Nina.

Episode 21: How Mothers Esquire is Changing The Conversation for Women in Law Sep 30, 2020

There are some unique challenges to navigating both parenthood and a career in the legal profession, especially when it comes to breastfeeding and taking the bar exam. For this energetic, vital conversation Amy sat down with Amanda Fisher, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California Irvine, and Jamie Szal, a tax attorney who calls Maine home, just like Amy. Both of these women are members of Mothers Esquire and they are passionate about changing the world for mothers in the field of law. They covered everything from breastfeeding, to what it was like for Amanda to take the bar exam while pregnant, to Jamie pumping in the middle of the Supreme Court, and their "Pump Up the Bar" campaign. This episode feels especially relevant right now, and if you tune in to find out the name of Jamie's pump, you'll see why.

We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did, and as always, if you want to continue the conversation please join us over on the pumpspotting app.

Episode 20: Inducing Lactation and the Path to Feeding as the Non-Gestational Parent Sep 16, 2020

Is it possible to breastfeed your baby if you didn't give birth? That's a question we've heard a lot and so we've invited a guest who has a beautiful story and answer to that question. Lisa had the pleasure of speaking with Paola Mitchell, all the way from Australia. Paola has a really special feeding story as both she and her wife breastfeed their baby boy. Lisa and Paola talk about both the challenges and joys of inducing lactation as the non-gestational parent. They talk through the medical process of inducing lactation, the challenges of pumping at work, and why Paola is so happy to have made this decision for her family.

Episode 19: Exclusive Pumping is Breastfeeding Too Sep 11, 2020

The journey to feed does not look the same for every mother, every family. For some, the journey might be made up entirely of pumping. Exclusive Pumping is a form of breastfeeding and a part of the feeding journey that many mothers experience for many reasons, and it's one that comes with a lot of challenges, a lot of commitment, and a lot of time spent with your breast pump! We've gathered three exceptional women who all have experience exclusively pumping for a special round table discussion.

Sarah Lang is an IBCLC, a registered nurse, and the founder of Milk Sprouts based out of Indianapolis.
Jasmine Tillery is a New Jersey native, a wife and mother, a quality engineer in the aerospace and defense industry, and also the founder of Money and Momming.
Amanda Glenn is a Certified Lactation Counselor, an expert on exclusively pumping breast milk, and is the author of the Exclusive Pumping Schedule Workbook, Weaning from the Pump, and the Ultimate Pumping at Work Planner.

Tune in as we talk about what exclusive pumping is, why parents might exclusively pump, and what these extraordinary women have learned in terms of tips and tricks to share with our pumspotting community.

Episode 18: Celebrating Black Breastfeeding Week (and beyond) with BMBFA Aug 27, 2020

To continue celebrating National Breastfeeding Month and uplift Black Breastfeeding Week, we took this opportunity to celebrate with an inspiring and enlightening roundtable discussion! Amy convened with Kiddada Green, Founding Executive Director of the Black Mother's Breastfeeding Association (BMBFA) and co-founder of Black Breastfeeding Week, and Lead BMBFA Mommy Ambassador Malikah Garner and Victoria Washington, treasurer of the Black Mother's Breastfeeding Association to discuss the joys, challenges and disparities, stories, and strength within the community of Black breastfeeding mothers. These women share their passion, their moments of triumph and struggle, and the wisdom that followed. Join us as we celebrate, encourage, and commune with our breastfeeding family. The bond of nourishment truly unites us all.

Episode 17: A Family Affair: The Role of Partners in Feeding Aug 19, 2020

To continue our celebration of National Breastfeeding Month, Amy sat down with Tom Johnston. Tom is a midwife, a lactation consultant, a father to eight breastfed children, and an assistant professor of nursing at Methodist University. Tom brings a very unique perspective both professionally and personally, not only on fatherhood but also on the microbiome, and the magic of milk. He spoke in detail about breastfeeding as a family affair, how much nourishment is much more than the physical, and why at the end of the day what matters most is love. We hope you enjoy this episode!

Episode 16: The Best Breastfeeding Pep Talk Ever Aug 12, 2020

We know there are hard days, long nights and so many challenges to overcome within the feeding journey. We know there are many moments you need the reminder that you are strong and capable and that you can keep going. This episode is here to pour every ounce of encouragement into you, whether you're breastfeeding, chestfeeding, exclusively pumping, or anyplace in between. It's filled with uplifts and words of wisdom from the pumpspotting community to help inspire and energize you on your journey. We are in awe of you. You can do this.

Enjoy this episode with Amy and Lisa, and jump on our app or IG to share your thoughts with us after.

Episode 15: The Circle of Nourishment: A Milk Donation Deep-dive Jul 21, 2020

This conversation explores all the ways we give and receive the gift of breast milk. Lisa sat down with Abby Malman Case of Mothers’ Milk Bank, and Mothers’ Milk Bank Baby Café in Denver, Colorado for an inspiring and educational conversation about the life-giving world of milk donation. Abby is a mom of two, an international board-certified lactation consultant, and a vital part of our pumpspotting family. Abby shares her story with Lisa and her lifelong passion for helping mothers give and receive the gift of nourishment.

Thank you for supporting the pumpspot as a platform to uplift, educate, and bring mamas together. Enjoy this conversation with Lisa and Abby…

Episode 14: How do we navigate motherhood in an age of radical change? Part 3 with Mackey Roberson Jul 10, 2020

This platform is a place where we value community conversations and elevating voices around real topics, issues and mothers. With that in mind, we wanted to bring you a very timely conversation with Mackey Roberson, a lactation consultant, a mother to 8 , and a true champion of the nourishment journey. Mackey is an inspiration to the mothers she guides, with over 24 years of breastfeeding under her belt.

This episode is the third in our series of conversations with Black mothers and leaders. Without further ado here’s the conversation between Amy and Mackey.

Episode 13: Breastfeeding at work: what working, feeding families really need Jun 29, 2020

As a community-inspired breastfeeding and pumping platform, we're focused on helping parents feed both their families and their careers. Nourishing a baby impacts every aspect of your life, and that includes your time in the workplace. Support for nursing and pumping parents has to come from many places, from employers. The companies we work for have such an important role to play in a successful feeding journey. Listen in as Amy and Lisa talk about pumpspotting at work - our corporate lactation program - specifically designed to help all types of organizations become part of the solution. Fitting in the palm of your hand, this employer app-based program offers access to a global community, a custom company chat portal, 24-7 support from lactation consultants, internal lactation room coordination, and so much more. We discuss why this program is so important, how companies can begin to think about the business benefits of breastfeeding and pumping, and the role they play in making an impact. Join us.

Episode 12: How NASA is blazing a new path for working parent and breastfeeding support in the workplace Jun 22, 2020

If we can get working mothers to space, we can certainly make space for them here on earth. Lisa and Amy sit down with Susan Schuh, Rachael Copeland, and Erin Sholl from NASA to explore how a company and its employees can unite to change workplace support for families. Tune in to hear how NASA is building a parenting community and rethinking breastfeeding support at work. We had the great pleasure of gathering with NASA employees and leaders to talk about what working parents really need in September when we pulled Barb, our Breast Express RV, up to the Johnson Space Center. What we learned is that whether astronaut or engineer, attorney or administrator, flight director, or father, we all struggle as we nourish, work, and navigate the parenthood transformation. We also were reminded that we all share in the journey and are never alone.

Episode 11: How do we navigate motherhood in an age of radical change? Part 2 with Ericka Polanco-Webb Jun 17, 2020

On this platform, we value candid community conversations that elevate voices around real topics, issues, and motherhood experiences. For part two of our series of conversations with Black mothers and leaders, Lisa spoke with Ericka Polanco-Webb. Ericka is a motherhood journalist, mom to five, and a doctoral student focusing on innovation and strategy. In this honest conversation, she explores barriers, opportunities and risks ahead that must be reckoned with in order to create lasting change.

Episode 10: How do we navigate motherhood in an age of radical change? Part 1 with Jenny LeFlore Jun 12, 2020

This platform is a place where we value community conversations and elevating voices around real topics, issues and mothers. With that in mind, we wanted to bring you a very timely conversation between Lisa from our team, and Jenny LeFlore, a mother, a champion for mothers, and someone who is tightly woven into our community…really an extension of the pumpspotting family. Jenny is a community builder herself. She lives in Chicago, Bronzeville specifically, with her husband and 3-year old son. This episode is the start of a series of conversations with Black mothers and leaders.

Episode 9: How do we care for the mental health of mothers? with Dr. Catherine Birndorf + Paige Bellenbaum of The Motherhood Center May 21, 2020

How do we talk to ourselves, take care of ourselves, and come together in a time of postpartum (and pandemic) to support maternal mental health? We spoke with Dr. Catherine Birndorf and Paige Bellenbaum, co-founders of The Motherhood Center, about postpartum depression, managing anxiety as a new mom, challenges during the pandemic, and the importance of community. Dr. Birndorf and Paige share the story of how they came together to form The Motherhood Center of New York to offer supportive services and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders treatment (PMADs) for new and expecting moms plus ideas for nourishment and navigating emotions during a transitional time.

Episode 8: Birth In the time of coronavirus: Paige Carroll, CPM and Blair Hicks, CNM May 14, 2020

As we continue to explore COVID-19 through the lens of mothers and women, we wanted to learn more about how the birthing and postpartum experience has been impacted. To help us look at this topic from a few different angles, we spoke with Blair Hicks Terrell, CNM, who is a practicing midwife at a hospital in Knoxville, TN - and also happens to be expecting her first baby very soon. We also catch up with Paige Carroll, CPM, owner of Welcome Home Midwifery, a home birth practice in Knoxville. Theses conversations were so inspiring and revealing. They remind us of the the strength women display as they adapt, grow and lift each other up as they bring new life into the world. Thank you for coming along as we hear their stories.

Episode 7: To all the moms: A special Mother's Day episode from the pumpspotting community May 10, 2020

In this episode, Maren and Rebecca (from the pumpspotting family) join Lisa and Amy to read Mother's Day messages sent in from the pumpspotting community. On this day of moms, more than ever—we honor you. We celebrate you. We wrap you in love from afar and wish you a beautiful day and moment to appreciate how far you've come.

Happy Mother's Day!

Episode 6: What you should know about breastfeeding during this pandemic with International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Kara Kaikini May 04, 2020

As COIVD-19 has taken our communities by storm, we’ve had the honor of bearing witness to women’s strength, flexibility and generosity as they care for their families and communities. Within the swirl of news and so much changing day-to-day, our community of moms have shared their worries and important questions, like: Can I keep breastfeeding if I’ve been exposed to Coronavirus? What safety precautions do I need to take when pumping out of the home? How do I find time to feed with both a full family and a full load of work at home? To get answers, we sat down with friend and lactation consultant Kara Kaikini. Kara is the president of the Maine State Breastfeeding Coalition, a trusted breastfeeding educator at Maine Medical Center, and a really lovely mom to two.

Episode 5: To be both a nurse and a mother in the trenches: Part 3 Interview with Jenna Mannini Apr 30, 2020

Navigating motherhood in a time of coronavirus is a challenge. Doing so while working in healthcare today is even harder. Amy talks with nurses who are in the trenches, currently treating Covid-19 patients in the U.S. She spoke with Viviana Guitart (Part 1), Jessamyn Phillips (Part 2) and Jenna Mannini (Part 3). These women are all nursing mamas going through the real life experience of serving our society as heroes while keeping their little ones safe and nourished at home during a pandemic. We wanted to know what their day-to-day was like, where they draw strength from, and how they are struggling, thriving and meeting this dual reality of life head on. Join us as they share what life is like on the front lines.

Episode 4: To be both a nurse and a mother in the trenches: Part 2 Interview with Jessamyn Phillips Apr 28, 2020

Navigating motherhood in a time of coronavirus is a challenge. Doing so while working in healthcare today is even harder. Amy talks with nurses who are in the trenches, currently treating Covid-19 patients in the U.S. She spoke with Viviana Guitart (Part 1), Jessamyn Phillips (Part 2) and Jenna Mannini (Part 3). These women are all nursing mamas going through the real life experience of serving our society as heroes while keeping their little ones safe and nourished at home during a pandemic. We wanted to know what their day-to-day was like, where they draw strength from, and how they are struggling, thriving and meeting this dual reality of life head on. Join us as they share what life is like on the front lines.

Episode 2: From Bathroom Floors to Breast Express RV: The pumpspotting Story With Founder Amy VanHaren Apr 21, 2020

The founder of pumpspotting, Amy, takes us on her journey of what was once an idea quickly rejected on a reality TV show to where it is today—a powerful community of mothers in the pumpspotting app. Amy shares how her personal struggle to nourish her son led her on a unique quest to nourish other mothers, going from pumping on a bathroom floor to sleeping on a 40-foot Breast Express RV to building a tech startup that solves the pain points of breastfeeding in the workplace. By meeting and sitting with moms all over the US, hearing their stories of strength and a resounding need for encouragement, uplifting words, and kindness, Amy discovered a role for pumpspotting in changing the way women feed their families. Listen in as Amy retraces the steps that led to pumpspotting becoming a voice for women, and considers what the future holds.

Episode 3: To be both a nurse and a mother in the trenches: Part 1 Interview with Viviana Guitart Apr 21, 2020

Navigating motherhood in a time of coronavirus is a challenge. Doing so while working in healthcare today is even harder. Amy talks with nurses who are in the trenches, currently treating COVID-19 patients in the U.S. She spoke with Viviana Guitart (Part 1), Jessamyn Phillips (Part 2) and Jenna Mannini (Part 3). These women are all nursing mamas going through the real life experience of serving our society as heroes while keeping their little ones safe and nourished at home during a pandemic. We wanted to know what their day-to-day was like, where they draw strength from, and how they are struggling, thriving and meeting this dual reality of life head on. Join us as they share what life is like on the front lines.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected