Breastfeeding supply company Medela just announced a partnership with the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago that will help make life a lot easier for mothers who need to pump milk for their nursing babies while they are traveling. While it appears that this program is currently one-of-a-kind (it's not even offered in any of the other Hard Rock outlets), a number of establishments throughout the U.S. and the rest of the world are instituting practices and offering amenities to support nursing moms and babies. Read on for more info about the new Medela/Hard Rock Chicago program and some of the other venues that are discreetly lending a helping hand--or room actually.

If your maternity leave is quickly coming to a close but you're not yet ready to give up on breast-feeding, you've probably already figured out that you'll have to pump your milk while you're away from your baby. For many women, this is an anticipated challenge--an intimidating challenge, but not one that is insurmountable. By planning ahead you can set yourself up for success. If you are going back to work full-time, you'll want to keep a few things in mind. 

While I firmly stand by the thousands --if not millions-- of women hoping to normalize the act of breastfeeding, I can't say that I understand the choices of every breastfeeding enthusiast, especially those that involve wearing breast milk around your neck. However, it appears that dozens and dozens of women are interested in doing just that. Several Etsy purveyors have built their shops around selling kits that allow mothers to dehydrate or plasticize a portion of their breast milk and turn it into jewelry.

Sabrina Boing Boing, a Brazilian model and boob-obsessed exhibitionist, posted pictures of herself breast-feeding on Instagram. What's the big deal, right? Breastfeeding is natural and should be celebrated. Actually, not if you're doing what Ms. Boing Boing Instagrammed herself doing ... Keep reading to see the disturbing pic.

Texas Republican State Representative Debbie Riddle has inflamed potential voters after making a statement against a proposed bill that could allow women in the state to file suit against individuals who interfere with their attempts to breastfeed in public. Riddle posted on her Facebook page that she believes "women need to be modest" and insinuated that nursing in a public place is inappropriate. More than 1,000 commenters defended babies' right to eat when they're hungry.

Another mom is now defending her right to breastfeed.  Australian woman Regan Matthews was reportedly asked to stop nursing her 9-month-old by café owner Ash Houghton, who allegedly went so far as to call breastfeeding in public an "offense to humanity."  The story soon caught the attention of the group Lactivists Australia, who decided to join forces with Matthews and take action.

Before the birth of my son, I read a single book on breastfeeding. It had a lot of great advice for getting started and handling problem situations, but once I actually started nursing, I found it lacked a lot of practical tips that would have been awesome to know ahead of time. One of those things was what specific products would prove helpful--invaluable even--throughout the course of my nursing relationship with my little guy. I'm going to share with you some of the products that have helped me continue to nurse my son for almost a year now--some of them you've probably heard of, but there are a few that might surprise you.

Check them out below.

Breastfeeding has a lot of benefits, and for many women, one of those benefits is that no matter where you go or how far you are from home, your baby's next meal is never in question. Not only do you not have to worry about remembering to bring a bottle with you, you also don't have to worry about finding a source to heat up milk or finding old bottles lined with sour milk in the bottom of the diaper bag you haven't used in a week.

Nope, when you nurse, your baby's next meal is always at the ready and involves almost no set up or clean up--it's a perfect option for on-the-go families, especially in the early months when your little one isn't mobile and or super-aware of his surroundings (it admittedly gets a lot trickier as they get older). In an attempt to take full advantage of this, I've found myself nursing in some pretty interesting places, and no, I've never gotten so much as a funny look. Here are the five stragest places I've had to nurse: