Pumping at work - tips needed!

[gem]

I put a note on my door that said "please come back in 15 minutes." Of course everyone knew what it meant, and it was so very awkward when my colleagues (all men) would call and say, "I stopped by earlier, but you were.... uh... um..... I think.... um.....maybe you were.... I just thought I'd give you a ring." With my second I started going to the mother's room instead of pumping at my desk. I couldn't accomplish much with the distraction of pumping anyway.

[rufflesanddots]

I'd like to think I'd just remove the cover and stare down the person who had barged in, but I probably wouldn't.

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[oceanchild]

I ordered some of the cleaning wipes too but I don't really want to rely on those, they are so expensive!

Almost forgot - I cut the wipes in half. I pumped twice a day, so I'd use half a wipe in the morning and half in the afternoon.

[scrub-jay]

My sister (nurse) told me about a poor nursing supervisor at work that didn't have an office that locked, so she would actually pump under a cover, but had a sign on her door. One day one of the doctors came in and had a 15 minute long conversation with her while she was pumping. Apparently he didn't even notice and was mortified later when someone pointed it out.

How do you not notice? They aren't silent.

[alotofyarn]

Yah, I totally got walked in on by the cleaning lady despite having a sign on the door and saying to come back or wait a minute, or something like that. She was super embarrassed about it, but it's life. Once I forgot to lock my main office door, and the department admin walked in, and she felt bad too. A couple of times I did have the door locked and people knocked but then tried to open it, and I'm really glad it was locked, because it was a couple of men. It's all survivable though!

[gem]

It's all survivable though!

And it's very temporary! Within a few months I was able to cut down to pumping only once at work, which is much easier, and by 11 months I could get through the work day without pumping at all. Both my kids continued nursing until age 2+ and I really treasured that nursing relationship, so it was totally worth it.

[SoonerTexan]

How do you not notice? They aren't silent.

Beats me. That's what makes the story so awesome. It was a doctor after all

[scarlett09]

Make a sign for your door.

Don't work while pumping. Look at pics of the baby and relax. Pumping can be stressful enough without the work stress on top of it.

Don't answer the phone. Don't engage with anyone on anything. Try to plan around meetings, but just DO IT when you need to otherwise. Don't worry about warning people where you are or explaining it to them. That's what I do, but I work in an office full of women so YMMV.

Everyone else said the things I would get together and have ready for pumping at work. Good luck! 😊


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[scrub-jay]

And I tell all moms to read "Milk Memos" while pumping. It helps.

[SoonerTexan]

And I tell all moms to read "Milk Memos" while pumping. It helps.

It really does

[MarissaNicole]

Questions:

Those of you that handwash, do you sanitize EVERY night?

I already have two sets but will use both everyday (one for home at night and before work, the other for AT work). Do I buy more to avoid washing EVERY night? But then I have more pump parts to store too...?

If you used wipes did you then wash each night?

I'm thinking I'll pump every morning before work and one side if she wakes up at night (some nights she sleeps through). And at work I'll pump twice (at 10 am and 2 pm). Can't really justify any more than that and still get my work done.

Wife of a PGY-6

[scrub-jay]

Pumping at work - tips needed!

I washed in hot soapy water every night, never sanitized. Breast milk has some antibacterial properties (unlike formula where sanitizing and sterile technique is far more important) and I never had any contamination or spoilage issues. I had 4 sets of horns/filters for my freestyle, I pumped once at home and 3x at work daily. I used a 2 bucket system - one warm soapy, then one with rinse. IIRC, I'd then do 2 additional rinses - this is the glassware washing technique I used in the microbiology labs I used to work in, so the additional rinses are probably overkill.

[alotofyarn]

I ran everything through the dishwasher, and I had two sets so we didn't have to run it every night. I didn't usually wash in between pumps, I either put it in the fridge, my cooler bag, or just wiped and left it out on my drying rack. The hands free bra let me pump and work at the same time.

[MsSassyBaskets]

I have been storing my parts in the fridge in a Tupperware between pumping, and washing in hot soapy water every night. I sanitize all my parts every week or so to prevent anything building up. I haven't had any problems yet.

[MarissaNicole]

Okay thanks that helps! I think I'll keep in the fridge during the day and hand wash each night. Maybe sanitize once a week.

Wife of a PGY-6