July 2015 Moms

Q for the teacher moms

I'm starting to think about my leave and what life will be like when I go back to work mid-year. The thing that I am most baffled about is pumping. How did this work for you teacher moms? I teach high school, so during my day I have one conference/prep period that is 50 min that I really use to do all of my planning/copies/grading (currently it's 1st per...right at the beginning of the day), I have a 10-min break at around 10 (by the time my students leave my room, this is barely enough time to use the bathroom), and I have a 30-min lunch. I don't have an aide or a helper of any kind who can watch my classes. And I don't even know WHERE this pumping would happen. My campus is very spread out and I am so far away from everything that it's about a 7-ish minute walk to get to the office area. 

Were accommodations made for you to pump? How did it work for you? I know teachers have obviously done this in the past, but I'm new on my campus and don't really know anyone well enough to ask yet..I'm trying to mentally prepare. 
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Re: Q for the teacher moms

  • I will be in the same place as you once I go back to work mid school year. I don't have any advice as a FTM, but I know that the workplace has to legally give moms time to pump for a year after their baby is born. I plan on pumping in my classroom during planning, but I will of course lock the door. I plan on discussing this with a female AP before summer. I think a fellow mom would help you figure out coverage time if you needed it. I hope everyone at your school will be supportive! Good luck!
  • I had a 45 minute prep and a 45 minute lunch. I pumped during those. It took about 20 to 25 minutes start to finish.

    I pumped in the union office in the school. Later on I chose to pump in a book room because there was a giant bird in the union office that would come out of its cage (I didn't know it could get out at first) and I was scared it would start flying while I was mid pump. Plus, people would knock on the door looking for the union rep and that would make me nervous and mess with my flow.
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  • I subbed while nursing so it's definitely a different situation but, both schools I work in provide a pumping area in the nurses office. Is that a possibility?

    I've heard of teachers pumping in their classrooms all spazzed that someone will walk in, so it sounds like sometimes you just have to do what you have to do.

    But, teaching is a heavily female profession, there must be teachers in your school who have been in the same predicament. Could you ask the school nurse?
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  •  But, teaching is a heavily female profession, there must be teachers in your school who have been in the same predicament. Could you ask the school nurse?
    Oh yeah, I'm totally going to ask eventually. But I hardly know anyone there, including the nurse, so I figured I would check with you guys and see your experiences first. 
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  • I work in a high school office and assist with scheduling so pregnant teachers come to me with that question all the time. There is a private room within the nurse's office they mostly use, but we also have an extra office within the main office that is available as a backup location for them. Our teachers have a 42 min prep, 42 min lunch, and 42 min duty period. We will excuse nursing mothers from their duty most times or get coverage for part of the period for them if need be in addition to their lunch and prep. Also, absolutely let the principal or dean who does the scheduling know that you will be nursing. That way it can possibly be built into the schedule for next school year. Speaking from experience it is much easier to build or change a teacher's schedule before student courses are loaded in!
  • I didn't ask because, like you, I was new. I think I mentioned something offhand to the front office secretary and she volunteered the info. I was just lucky to only have to do it maybe twice a week.

    I hope someone can give you a better answer than I did. I found pumping to be tough on its own. Good luck.
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  • I didn't pump at work, but I know my school wasn't very accommodating to moms who did. The one I was closest to pumped on her lunch and planning. She would sometimes get another teacher to cover the start of her class after lunch so she had time to eat. I hope your school provides better for you!
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  • I work in an open concept building and we have three pregnant teachers right now, our teachers lounge is a lofted space, so they are building us a pumping room up there, one of our pregnant staff members is the head of school.

    By law they have to provide a private space, our school does not allow us to pump in our cars or the restroom.

    We will see how it goes in September!

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  • I wasn't able to breast feed last time but a coworker did last school year. She fed baby before the day started, pumped during our 30 minute lunch, and again during her conference which was the last period of the day. She did this in her room with the door locked and a do not disturb sign on her door.

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  • Thanks for your feedback everyone! 

    Oh man, this is going to be interesting. The only place I can imagine they could set up a nursing room is SO far from my classroom, it would seriously take half of my lunch to walk there and back. And I have 2 huge windows in my classroom. 

    We have a woman on campus who is currently pregnant, and she's new like me, so I'll have to make a point to visit her and see what her plans are. And as much as I LOVE my 1st per prep per, I may have to look into something different for next year.
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  • I'm an itinerant teacher so I pumped while driving in my car. I used a hands free bra and a nursing cover. It sounds crazy but it worked for me. I kept a cooler in my car.

    Sometimes I did pump at schools- I would pump in the nurses station or a staff bathroom. I was a pretty efficient pumper so only took about 15 min/time. I typically pumped 2 times a day. I had an oversupply so I pumped minimally to help manage my supply.
  • edited January 2015
    I also had a conference first thing in the morning. I pumped then, during lunch and immediately after school. I used a hands free bra so that I could eat, work etc. while I pumped. When I first started, I had a video of my daughter to get going. After a few days, it was routine. I would also suggest a sign on the door.
  • I teach middle school and had planning in the middle of the day- that paired with my lunch. I pumped once a day at that time- I started standing in the teacher restroom, but that did not always smell the greatest. So I pulled the shades in my room, put paper over the window on my door and pumped in my room. I was so much more comfortable in there. I would see if window blinds would be an option for you- it saves on traveling time as well!
  • I work in an open concept building and we have three pregnant teachers right now, our teachers lounge is a lofted space, so they are building us a pumping room up there, one of our pregnant staff members is the head of school. By law they have to provide a private space, our school does not allow us to pump in our cars or the restroom. We will see how it goes in September!
    That is so great that they are building a pumping room at your school!

    @young_love I don't think I have much to add that hasn't been said, but you can definitely find a way to make it work- even if you pump once during your planning (especially if you get that at a slightly better time) and once during lunch and once right after school.  Your body will adjust to your pumping schedule.

    I pumped an entire school year, but I was in a curriculum position so I didn't have a set class schedule and had an office so I was in a better situation than most.  I did have a lot of travel between schools so I would frequently pump while driving with my hands-free bra and a nursing cover over all of it.  I also pumped almost every day on the way home from work- and was still able to nurse my baby as soon as I got to daycare.  Your body will amaze you!  : )

    My tips that would be pertinent to you are:
    -Definitely get a hands-free bra (I love my simple wishes one from amazon) as others have recommended.
    -I liked the suggestion that @bookitup had about making a private pumping area in your room with a folding screen or something.  (I had to make a curtain thing that I hung up over the window in my office just during pumping because I couldn't leave a curtain up all the time.)  That will save you a lot of time and hassle if there is a long commute to another nursing area.
    -After getting tired of having to run to the restroom to rinse out pumping parts after each session (and spending those extra minutes), I realized I could just throw everything back in the bag with the milk still on it because milk can be at room temperature for multiple hours- even longer if I stuck it in my cooler bag.  That saved a lot of time each pumping session.
    -Be as open as you are comfortable about your situation.  Most woman will be sympathetic and most men will be so baffled that they'll be accommodating, lol.  I was in middle schools so I didn't  plan tell any students (and felt so bizarre shooing them away when they came knocking on my door when I was pumping), but I did give explanations to any staff members who needed to know or seemed curious- and ended up briefly explaining to a some of the girls who I coached.  I think normalizing pumping is part of normalizing breastfeeding, so I'm glad that I was able to make it a little more normal at my schools- because it's definitely waaaay outside of the norm in my area.
    -And definitely make sure the custodian knows!  Because he/she has keys and is used to unlocking doors and barging in.  And I can tell you from experience that is super-awkward when the custodian and fire marshall bust into your office and catch you mid-pump.  : )


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