I tried to make a poll for this but it wouldn't work. If you pump at work, where do you pump? Your office, an empty office, conference room, closet? Do you have a locked door?
I pumped at work for a year with my son and there was an empty office available--it was perfect. The door locked, I had the only key, and I could leave my pump, etc until it was time to pack up for the day. Now I'm pregnant again and that empty office will no longer be available. The only place I can think of to pump would be our busy conference room, and there is no lock on the door. I obviously couldn't leave my pumping supplies in there between pumping sessions either.
I know I'm getting WAY ahead of myself here, but the hormones are kicking in and I'm panicking about this.
Re: Survey: Where do you pump at work?
I work in a hospital so there are tons of private secure places to pump. We also have a designated room for nursing moms that has hospital grade electric pumps available to us. My personal pump is very discrete. It's in a black bag with the pumping supplies inside so I wouldn't mind leaving it in a shared conference room. Nobody would know what's inside unless they opened the bag.
Once you shop for pumps, you'll see that the bags are pretty discrete. Enjoy your pregnancy and begin looking for where and how you'll pump but don't worry yourself too soon.
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Thanks. I pumped for my son and have a medela pisa in the backpack. I suppose you are right that I could just leave it in the conference room in the corner. I guess I was just used to leaving everything set out in the private office.
I pump in a Nursing Room, which is basically just a room attached to the bathroom that locks. It's not luxurious, but it works. I bring my bag of pumping supplies to and from that room and just keep my milk in a cooler at my desk, although there is a mini fridge available to us in the room.
I believe by law your employer has to provide a place for you to pump, don't they?
I pump in my office with the door locked and black construction paper taped over the door window.
Your employer is required to provide you a private space to pump. Have you asked them about this?
BFP 11/09 - DD 7/10 - BFP 8/11 - M/C 9/11 - BFP 6/12 - DD - 2/13
I work from two different sites-- in one site there is a designated pumping room for the entire 4-floor building-- it has a hospital grade pump, sink and locking door.
at the other site, there is a designated conference room that you can reserve/schedule. So, me and that admin have gotten super tight since she knows every single time I have to pump, but she also looks out for me and keeps the room open on days she knows I'm in the office.
I do sometimes pump at my desk (if my two male coworkers that I share a space with are out of the office). I can shut the door, but not lock it, so I tape a sign to the door so no one walks in.
That said, I have a demanding IT job and it is mostly impossible to get away 3 times during the day which is what I need to have enough milk for LO on a daily basis (and keep my supply up). So, more often than not I pump in a conference room right about 3 cubes away from my desk. It locks, and has computer jacks and a phone so I can work and pump at the same time. Even though it locks I use a nursing cover just in case (and also because the conference room has a wall of glass windows). If you don't have access to a room that locks, I'd recommend using the nursing cover so that even if someone bursts in your modesty is preserved. I'm happier using the conference room than the lactation room. Now, if they would put in some jacks and a desk, I'd be there for sure.