Book report: The Milk Memos

Colburn-Smith, Cate and Serrette, Andrea. The Milk Memos: How Real Moms Learned to Mix Business with Babies --- and How You Can, Too


My score
6/10

My review
From the first page, it was a bit of a tear-jerker.  How did all these women, from different backgrounds and careers and interests, know exactly how I feel every day I leave my son to go work?  This book is based on a series of interactive notebooks started by Cate in the employee lactation room at IBM.  Nursing mommas enter with pump and pen, and exit with milk and thoughts scrawled across pages of these shared notebooks.  These mommas balance work and family, but are they happy?  How does the momma that leaves her infant in the arms of another --- be it daycare, nanny, or even spouse --- answer to herself that she's doing the right thing, when every inch of her being wants, with incredible force, to be reunited with her child?  How does the momma that's at home with her child advance her career?  What can a mom whose boss just doesn't get it do?  From Cara's first day to Andrea's learning to love breastfeeding, and eventual weaning, this tale is a good glimpse, albeit too condensed, of emotional roller-coaster of a working mom's first year.