Technology for moms has come a long way — and TODAY's Dylan Dreyer knows it.
During Thursday's "Overheard on Third" chat with co-hosts Al Roker, Sheinelle Jones and Craig Melvin, Dylan revealed that she was secretly pumping while recording the show.
"Mama's got to make some milk," she said. "I have to feed Oliver and this is taking a little longer than I planned for, so I've got portable pumps and I'm all hooked up and ready to go."
She pulled back to show her co-hosts the hands-free, wearable breast pump hidden beneath her shirt.
Turning to the side, she joked, "I got some work done on my maternity leave."
Craig and Al were bewildered, while Sheinelle mused at how far breast pumps have come since she was a new mother.
"I think it's fascinating," Al said.
Dylan later told us that she had no qualms about discussing pumping with her co-hosts.
"I love Al, Craig and Sheinelle," she said. "There are no secrets. Anything we say between recordings is a free-for-all.”
And she's happy to contribute to the normalization of breastfeeding and pumping.
"I've never been embarrassed about pumping or breastfeeding," Dylan said. "To me, my boobs seem like elbows at this point. If it was socially acceptable, I'd do it anywhere, any time, but I respect that it can make people uncomfortable and I realize there's a time and place for everything. I've had to normalize breastfeeding even to my own mom, because it simply wasn't something she did with us."
While the coronavirus pandemic means the TODAY chats are happening virtually, there are some benefits to working from home.
"To be able to work and pump and put it right into the fridge instead of lugging a cooler bag back and forth to work is a silver lining right now," Dylan said. "Back when I was pumping with Calvin, I was traveling all over and bringing ice and a cooler bag through airports, which was a nightmare."
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She also revealed that she's using the Elvie, a "smart" breast pump that connects to her smartphone.
“Breastfeeding and pumping are a lot of work,” Dylan said. “I’m always thinking about the best time to squeeze it in. I change my plans around breastfeeding and pumping. And because it’s so much work, I’m really proud of myself. I did it for a year with Calvin and I hope to do it for a year with Oliver. It’s a labor of love that I want to give up on sometimes, but I haven’t yet. And until then I’ll keep whipping them out, as I like to say. And if that means pumping on the job, so be it!”
