Momma's First Night Out

On Saturday night, I met up with several friends to celebrate our friend Niki's birthday. We met at her house to get things started, then walked to dinner at a restaurant in Westport, and then hopped on a trolley that took us all over the city.


This was the longest time that I was going to be away from Amelia. I was so excited to go out (finally!), but also was feeling a little anxious about leaving my little girl. With stored milk in the freezer, a can of formula for back-up, and a hand pump in my purse, I headed out the door for a night of food, friends, and some much-needed fun.

My first drink was a celebratory one - a glass of vino. Oh, how I had dreamt about that glass. Even though I hardly drink...ever...it had been almost a year since I had had one, and boy was I looking forward to it.



Yes, it was everything I had hoped it would be.

At the first trolley stop, I realized I had to pump. Unfortunately, there was only a one-stall women's restroom, and man, was that place hoppin'! There was no way I would be able to pump in there without holding up the line and royally pissing a bunch of ladies off. So, my fellow pumper Beav and I went to the waitress for help. After discussing several possibilities including going to the bar across the street, going into the bar owner's private office (he politely declined), and sitting in the stranger waitress's car (creepy, but a nice offer), one of the waitresses had the idea to make the men's restroom unisex so I could hog the women's restroom to pump. Holy headache, Batman. Try going to a happy place to let your milk down while listening to women bitch outside of the door about having to pee in the men's room.




After that fiasco, we hopped back on the trolley and headed to the next spot. But first, we got to hang out with this guy, and his '80's-dressed friends. Hi-larious.



By the time we hit the Power & Light district, wouldn't you know, it was time to pump again. This time, Beav had to pump too, so we waited in line at another bar until the handicapped stall at the end opened so we could both go in together. It wasn't long before the restroom attendant was yelling at us to get out. All I could think to do was yell back, "UM, SORRY! WE'RE NEW MOMS PUMPING OUT BREAST MILK IN HERE!!!" From then on, we heard, "Everybody in here except for the two ladies in the big stall need to hurry up and get out!" Beav and I just stood there and laughed. And pumped milk out of our boobs. And thought about how we'd never forget that moment. Ever.



My friend Anne and I headed home not too long after that so I could get back to my wonderful little family (that was doing just fine without me, by the way).



It was a fantastic night out for a birthday worth celebrating. Yes, I was exhausted the next day (although we somehow still made it to church). I was also bummed that we had to give Amelia a few bottles of formula (although she miraculously survived them :-)). And worst of all, I felt out of sync with my sweet girl, which brought on the guilt trip, hard core. But I NEEDED to get out. BADLY. And now that I've done it, I'll know what to expect and prepare for next time.



HOLLA -