Mary Lynn Rajskub on Being Away From Her Baby

When my son, Valentine, was about 2 months old, I had to go to New York for four days on business. So I had to learn to start pumping. And I became a pumping fool. I pumped before I left, and started stockpiling my breast milk in the freezer so that my boyfriend could feed him.

So I went to New York, and I was convinced that Valentine was going to fall apart with out me. I'm his mommy, y'know? Of course he was going to need me! So there I was, in my hotel room, pumping, keeping my breast milk on ice. Suddenly I thought, "Maybe I should Fedex it." I was really worried that my son would be at home starving. Well, guess what? Valentine was actually fine on bottles. He was eating great, and my boyfriend said he started sleeping better. And he even just started mixing in a little formula. So I ended up just pouring the pumped milk down the sink. Suddenly, the pumping and dumping felt a little ridiculous. Part of me was sad, like, "Wow, he's sorta fine without me. Maybe my baby doesn't need me so much?"

So in a way, it was really just harder for me to be away from him than it was on him. But also, in a way, it was a comfort, too. After all, his dad should get to feed him every once in a while, too. And I should be able to be away from my baby from time to time, right?

Besides being a mom, actress Mary Lynn Rajskub is best known as Chloe on 24.

What else is on Mary's mind?

Birth Strategy