Uh, where is her pump?
Look at this woman. Do you look like her when you express milk for your baby? If so, please explain yourself.
One night this week, we sat in a cafe with two other moms and started comparing notes about where we pump at work and where we have pumped. Here in California, our employers are legally obligated to provide us with a room that locks and has a plug AND is not a bathroom. I am grateful. I realize many of you are not so lucky.
We got the idea that we should collect pictures of these environments so that we can honor the organizations that do it right and mock those that do not. Please photograph your pumping place and post it to our Flickr pool.
photo credit: sarah gilbertDo you have a pumping story that is tragic or funny? Share it here. And tomorrow, take your camera to work so we can all see your pumping space.
[...] activity: The Pumping Project (Share your [...]
i pumped for 6 weeks when i finished the school year. i had a fellow teacher walk in on me when i was pumping in my classroom at work once and forgot to lock the door. he was a bit taken-aback, but we both laughed it off.
another much more painful story is that i continued to pumped so i could give my girls sippee cups. they wouldn’t take frozen expressed milk, so i ended up throwing a TON of milk away. i actually thawed every drop and measured it…76 ounces!! i couldn’t believe that they wouldn’t take it. they loved nursing and wouldn’t take the thawed stuff.
Its so funny to read this today because as I was pumping today at work in the crappy bathroom I was thinking how much it sucks. Everyone I work with uses formula just because and thinks I am weird…I think THAT is weird. At my last job I worked for a small house museum and shared an office with a 21 year old male intern. I was allowed to pump in my office (which used to be a bedroom btw) but would have to ask him to leave our office. He would stand out in the hall and listen to my pump go (eeee-rrrr-eeeee-rrrr). How embarrassing. Our state just passed a bill that will be in effect in July that there must be a place for women to pump and store milk-Praise God!
Hmm, as far as weird pumping places go I have quite a good one. When my son was three weeks old my husband and I went to a convention here in town. (Megacon! Anime, comics, gaming, and more…we’re geeks) I had pumped the day before but I didn’t know he would go through it all so quickly.
So in the middle of the con we go over to the side of this giant open space and find a plug. We ask the people using it if they could just inch over a little and let us use one of the outlets for the pump. They moved and I set up on a little chair with the pump in my husbands lap and a jacket over my chest.
Our two friends stood on either side of the stroller in front of us to somewhat sheild us from veiw. But it was this big wide open space and we were just right out there in the open. It was…interesting to say the least but thats about the extent of my weird pumping stories.
Breast-feeding though…I’ve walked and breastfed him recently which is just odd. ^^
I was able to breast-feed for 7 months. I work as a nurse (i am a nurse and i did nurse, ha-ha) so my workplace is all female except for Dave, token male nurse (we call him that to his face, it’s okay). It went very well. I was hoping to breast feed for an entire year but dumb-dumb me decided to do CPR out-of-state. We were visiting my in-laws in Indy. While driving to see the rest of the family, we witnessed a street sweeper truck run a red light at 55 MPH, totally smashing the first car in line at the light. Unfortunately, the gentleman didn’t make it. Problem is, since there was blood exposure, I had stop breastfeeding. The real problem was the coroners office refused to release the fellows HIV and hepatitis status. *FYI- as part of good samaritan law, you do have the right to that information* After 6 weeks of antiviral drugs, anit-hepatitis shots in the rump, and lots of threats to the coroners office and with the help of my doctor, I finally got the information. But the new problems: very low output from 6 weeks of pumping and the development of 2 teeth. I am pregnant with number 2; so I’m going to try again for the year goal. This time, no mouth to mouth.
I am SO glad I found this. I was actually routed here through the 101 Cookbook site.
My own blog turned one yesterday! (woohoo!)
I exclusively pumped for our second daughter for seven months as she was born with a cleft palate. As a stay at home mom, I primarily pumped on the couch sitting indian style, never pumped sitting the way the woman is up there in the pic, although once I ordered the halter that she’s wearing things became MUCH easier.
I pumped for 28 days in the NICU and at relative’s homes without hands-free accessories and lemme tell you… nothing is MORE boring than sitting there holding a couple of horns onto your boobs. Watching the clock is about the ONLY thing you can do . My Father in law once commented that it was “nice” that the pumping room at the NICU had a window. Ummm.. yeah, but the curtain blocked it once you were in the chair and pumping (THANK GOD!)
I quickly learned to not worry about people walking in on me – even had a nurse apologize for walking in on me as I pumped in the hospital the evening of my daughter’s cleft repair. I chided her that she was certainly not the first and would probably not be the last.
Our two year old daughter would run around with my pumping halter on singing that she was going to “make milk just like mommy!” LOL.
The strangest place by far that I pumped was when I was admitted to a mental ward for Postpartum Depression. They were nice enough to give me access to an exam room and allowed me to keep my supplies in there by the end of the weekend. It was very unreal to have the nurses waking me up to go pump.
I certainly plan on adding this to my blogroll and will definitely pass this on to other pumping mama’s I know! What a great great idea! Thank you!
Warmest,
Lauren
[...] two have a terrific site, Rookie Moms. At their website, they’ve started a section called The Pumping Project in an effort to get women to open up about their experiences as well as hold Corporate America [...]
I’m the doting mom of a 6 month old and still nursing and pumping. I’m lucky to have a great employer that has 3 “Mother’s Rooms” in our building.
With such great facilities, you’d think there couldn’t possibly be a funny story….except when you factor in my mommy brain. I keep forgetting to lock the door! Luckily I know all the other mommies that use the room, but the poor janitor got quite an eyefull when he came to clean the room.
It’s great to have a door that locks…I guess you just have to use them!
My employer has a pumping room with 3 spots for nursing moms including computer access and a phone. It is a nice setup and allows us to multitask. I feel lucky to work for a company that provides this benefit as well as flexible hours that help with daycare drop off/pick up.
Strange places I’ve pumped are all due to the travel required for my job. I’ve pumped in extremely busy airport bathrooms with my pump over a hook on the wall using either my battery pack or a nearby plug if there is one available. I’ve pumped in a stall wtih my pump on a diaper changing table using my battery pack. My least favorite experiences were in cars – once in a fast food parking lot with my coworker sitting across the way on a park bench. Onother time was as we were driving down the highway with my poor coworker driving. I got really good at positining quickly and pulling my shirt down over the shields. My favorite pumping (and nursing for that matter) accessory is a good nursing tank. I use the ones from Target, they ensure I’m not showing skin once I pull my shirt down over my daughter while she nurses or over the shields as I pump. I pumped for 13 months and continue to nurse at night, right now my daugther is approaching 15 months.
The waiting/family room of the Paliative care wing will we were waiting for my mother who was taken off life support to expire. Sadly that hopsital refused to loan me a pump when I first arrived without one and it took us 4 days to drive back to CT to get mine. They also refused to supply me with another place, instead suggesting that I pump in my mopthers room if I wanted more privacy.
At work I pumped in the facail room (I am a hairdresser) after all of this and 3 months of eping, I quit qorking even part time and just stayed home to pump and BF.
With my first baby, I pumped every day in a bathroom stall at my office. It wasn’t so bad until I had a woman come in one day and ask, “Are you okay in there?” I just said “Yes” and didn’t bother to explain.
Since then we have had an office remodel and I have my own office. I was pregnant during the remodel so I convinced my boss to put a lock on my door. I can now pump in complete privacy in my office and not have to worry about someone walking in. I do have to go down the hall to the kitchen to clean my pump parts, but that’s not so bad.
I work in an office of guys and my first couple days back they hadn’t thought to set up a place for me (nor did I think to ask) so I tried the bathroom which had outlets – but they didn’t work. So I ended up cramming myself into the air conditioned server room, in February!
Fortunately one of my co-workers was kind enough to switch workspaces with me and I now have an office to myself.
So I’m in month 10 of exclusively pumping for my little mouse who never took to the breast, and I can see the one-year horizon in sight!! I’m definitely one of those ‘pump in the car’ folks, I had a 35 minute commute until 3 weeks ago, so it was the only thing that made sense. I used one of the hands-free zip-up thingies
http://www.easyexpressionproducts.com/picture2.html
plus a Bebe Au Lait Hooter Hider
http://shop.bebeaulait.com/shop/originals/parfait
for coverage, and have mostly avoided the weird looks from truckers. Can’t do much about the suck-squish noises, but at least you’re not worrying, which makes for more milk! Those with supply issues, check out this supplement –
http://www.breastfeeding.com/all_about/all_about_fenugreek.html
I wouldn’t still have milk if it weren’t for this!!
Happy pumping.
In the back seat of a car during a particularly long road trip. It was easier (and faster) to give her a bottle in her carseat instead of pulling over to nurse so I just hoped no one was looking into our car windows as they passed us!
My employer found an empty room for me and added a chair and desk so I could pump. Later, someone moved into that room and they found another room for me. It was great. I stopped nursing/pumping just in time for someone else to move into that room. It wasn’t super cozy, but considering I work with mostly men, it was very much appreciated and very discreet.
[...] before you click away to check it out, have a look at the Rookie Moms pumping project and share your [...]
[...] Moms. Also, if you do pump at work and have a decent pumping environment, please take a look at the Pumping Project by Rookie Moms, which aims to collect pictures on flickr of pumping environments in organizations that treat [...]
I pump in a shower stall at work, with my power cord running under the door and across a busy hallway. It is an unmarked door between the ladies room and the men’s room. Not at all cozy, but it’s all mine and at least the door locks.
In my last office I would pump at one end of a huge 20 person conference table, however anytime someone was having a meeting, I was relegated to a bathroom stall with my pump hanging over the hook on the door. If no one else came in to the bathroom, I had to keep waiving my hand in the air to re-activate the motion-sensor light.
Most days I actually forget how ridiculous the whole situation is.
just uploaded two photos to Flickr. At my last client’s site, I pumped in a tally shack in a warehouse. Windows on all sides, including the door in which truckers enter. It was a good time. Sigh. Also routinely pumped in the car, zipping down the highway wearing a hands-free bra and a hooter hider.
Ha! I thought I was the only one pumping during my commute. But some days its the only chance I have to sit down with any degree of privacy.
[...] no attention span. I have done dream feeds with formula and breast milk combinations as well as pumped in dingy supply closets and on [...]
Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of this, but I have twice now pumped while I pumped gas (with a scarf on top).
I was all set with my pump, driving to work and realized I was almost out of gas, so had to stop to re-fill and by that stage with 12 hrs of milk waiting to be pumped (I don’t pump at night anymore), there was no choice!
If it happens again I’ll have to take a photo
When my baby was almost 8 months old, I went away for a weekend to watch a NY Giants game. Most of the weekend I was able to pump at my in-laws house, but I had to bring a hand pump with me into the stadium and pump in the bathroom. It wasn’t ideal, but it got the job done.
At my last job I pumped in an unused exam room in our medical unit, and they let me store the milk and pump parts in their fridge. If the doctor was seeing someone I got a (mostly) locked conference room. While traveling with a newborn still getting the hang of nursing I used a manual pump several times in an airplane bathroom.
My usual position was sitting on the kitchen floor (one room where we had a transformer to run my 110v pump in the 220v country where we lived), laptop in front of me…
[...] was hard emotionally (I fought back tears whenever anyone asked about motherhood) and physically (I pumped daily in an electrical supply closet to provide ample breast milk) but I did what many moms [...]
Last week, I had to pump in my own house while the HVAC team was actively testing my ventilation system with all the doors open. Workers wandering in and out with me on the couch under a blanket.
At least with their loud equipment, they couldn’t hear my machine noises.
[...] a page on our Rookie Moms blog to collect other people’s expressing experiences, called the Pumping Project: pumping milk while… pumping gas, riding in first class, or holding a power meeting! I bow [...]
[...] Join the pumping project [...]
I am a first time mother to a beautiful 6 month old. I have found myself gradually pumping in stranger and stranger places. The funny thing is, the stranger the place the less I seem to care about who knows what I am doing.
It started out on my living room floor and has progressed to public restrooms, my car (both in the parking lot and as a passenger), and at tailgates for football games.
However, when my daughter was 5 months old I did a charilty bicycle ride that was 78 miles long. While my daughter was home all day with my sister, I found myself carrying my pump from a saddle bag on my bike into a Port-o-John to pump. This happened not once, not twice, but 3 times during that day. Suddenly the car seems like a quite comfortable place to pump
[...] taken a maternity leave to show you how she does it. [Read the stories we've compiled in our pumping project to feel less [...]
I pump in bathrooms, only. not by choice, but because things like “maternity leave” or having a room to pump in is luxury students don’t get… at least not at my university. I actually found some pretty nice bathrooms, what is more difficult is that I don’t have a fridge for storage, no place to store the pump and no hot water to clean the parts after pumping. As far as embarrassing moments go, the cleaning lady who first tried to get in the bathroom and then, when I came out looked in an exaggerated way on her wristwatch would be the one! I’m still glad I’m able to pump, though!