Pumping at work...

**Telephus44** · 08-10-2012, 06:35 PM

...did you ever do it? Want to do it but couldn't?

I started back at work this week and am really pleased at my situation. In my position I am fortunate enough that I can take my own breaks whenever I want, so timing isn't an issue. I have been using this old bathroom I didn't even know existed until this week, and I've worked there 5 years. I know some people might say eww, why do you have to use a bathroom but honestly, it's clean, I have a sink to rinse stuff off in, there's a chair in there, and it's incredibly private.

I've been trying to get the baby on this schedule - nurse him between 6am and 7am, drop him off at 7:30am, I pump around 11am, I go home and nurse him again at 12:15pm, I pump again at 3:30pm, and nurse him when I pick him up at 5:15pm. I think it's a good routine, but the baby isn't used to it yet - Tuesday he didn't want to nurse in the AM so he was starving, and one day he slept through his lunchtime nursing and even when I woke him he didn't want to eat.

I've gotten the how to work the pump routine down pretty well, and I'm using an ice pack in a cooler for storage so I don't have to explain what I'm putting the company fridge, LOL.

I know that most people don't have it as easy as I do - what are your experiences with it??

**FrabjousDay** · 08-10-2012, 10:57 PM

I did. It was a challenge, but I'm SO glad I stuck with it. I was in a position where I was doing a ton of home visitation with clients (and juggling grad school), so I typically used a power adapter and pumped in my car. There was a lactation room at my office, but it was too time consuming to drive back and forth to use it. Every night I would re-stock and double check my backpack to make sure I had all the necessary gear (cooler, ice packs, wipes, storage bags).

**ansley** · 08-15-2012, 09:43 PM

My co found an empty office for me to use. My breaks were flexible and that helped a lot. Pumping was work but worth it. I did not nurse my oldest but I also never proped his bottle. I felt the same bonding with all of them.

I didn't have any problems with baby nursing before work or when I got home. I did have problems with milk supply. With my dd I got a lot of bull about I didn't know what I was talking about. With the youngest some one pointed me to lactation cookies. It help a lot. Both times I was told about mothers milk tea. I just couldn't drink it.

**sunshine** · 08-16-2012, 12:03 AM

As an RN my breaks were never on a schedule, but we still managed. I also had to pump in a bathroom, but it was clean and private. . . it was fine. I never managed the electric pumps, did much better just hand pumping.

The only problems I'd have was when I'd be stuck at work, overtime due to an emergency and couldn't get home to nurse the baby or pump - stained more than one scrub top with leakage.

My DIL is currently nursing my grand daughter - she also uses the electric pumps and uses an empty office at work (she's also a nurse). She has enough milk frozen that the baby will probably not have to drink cow's milk for a year, after she stops nursing