@moguippy maybe talk to HR about getting a key for it? That way it can be locked from the outside and only nursing moms have access to the key. I used a lactation room at a conference center once and that's how they did it, it seemed to work well.
@zande2016 I actually believe it's a federal law as long as the company is covered by FSLA. That is why I asked when I saw the building layout... I was told the nurse has space, but I have not followed up with her to figure out if it was communicated to her or how logistically it will work. If it doesn't work I will push to use one of the empty offices and get window coverings. I just haven't made a big stink about it since I think i still have time and I also have no idea how breast feeding and pumping will even work for me
Me: 31 DH: 34 Married: April 2016 TTC December 2016 BFP 2/28/17 // CP 3/1/17 MFI Diagnosis: Aug 2017 BFP 11/1/17 // DS born 6/18 TTC January 2019 BFP 3/21/19 // D&C (MMC) 5/8/19
@zande2016 Right now it just locks from the inside. If it gets to be a big problem I will have no problem getting the HR guy to come over (his office is right around the corner) and wait until they come out to yell at them. It is clearly labeled "New Mother's Room" so they don't have an excuse to be in there. We only have about 100 people in the building, and about 70-80% are men who shouldn't be walking into the ladies bathroom to get to this room. So it's not that many people that it could be
I refused to pump in a bathroom especially traveling. A few times i had to pump on the airplane. I politely told the gentleman next to me i need to do so and if it was ok. He was totally cool with it since he was a dad. I simply carried a cover with me and used a hand pump. I didn’t transfer any milk into bags, just left it in the bottle. The wipes came in handy and it was a pretty easy and clean prices. Hardly any noise either. No one else knew it was happening.
@wildtot I was in an airport last month and they had this "pod" in the terminal for breastfeeding/pumping mamas to go in. It looked temporary, but hopefully that means they are looking to put a permanent space in. It woudn't help on a really long flight, but it would help if you could get one session in before the trip at least. I also feel like (hopefully) more places are putting rooms like this in. Disney had a whole building dedicated to babies in each park. Places to change and rooms to feed/pump. Really hoping to see more of that in the future
Jet Blue terminal at one of the airports I use has those pods @moguippy, they're awesome! I think Jet Blue put them there, not the airport. A lot of airports have nursing rooms and pumping rooms now. No one should ever have to pump in a bathroom.
Thank you all so much for posting about your experience with pumping at work. You ladies are impressive!
In response to questions on the previous page, I am in the US and my employer is great about accommodating new moms. We have a lactation room with a locking door, comfy couch, sink and fridge. The issue was me not understanding the logistics of bringing all this stuff with me, plugging in and pumping without making a mess, cleaning pump parts between each use, storing everything and finally bringing it all home. I'm still finding the process a little over whelming but I'm willing to give it a shot if I'm still producing when I return to work (I was totally dried up by 3 months pp last time).
@runsomewhere I think the hands free pumping bra really helps with the mess factor. Putting all your parts in the fridge between pumping and just washing everything when you get home makes things sooo much easier. I never washed anything at work. Check out Sarah Wells pump bags, they are awesome and make lugging all your gear a lot easier.
@zande2016 thank you and will do. With DD I nursed/pumped/FF for almost 3 months before totally drying up and FF full time. This time if I'm producing I decided to give BFing a better shot. I've mentioned on here how much I disliked the whole thing but I feel like I want to at least make an honest attempt at it, pumping and all.
@runsomewhere that sounds like a solid plan. I'm also going to give it another shot this time...but if latch and BF itself isn't going well this time either I'm planning to try EP this time, so thanks for prompting all the questions and discussion!
@SmashJam nannies are not independent contractors by federal and state employment classification laws. If they work through a company (not care.com) then maybe they can be reclassified but I don't know for sure. Either way, a regularly paid babysitter/nanny paid "legally" is a household employee.
Adding, an independent contractor dictates his/her own work load and methods. You generally tell uouy nanny what to do with the kids and how and when they are working for you. Hence, employee.
I loved breastfeeding my DD but disliked pumping. I kept up with it until she was 15 months because I didn't want the lack of pumping to damage my nursing relationship with her.
As many others said already, you definitely will need a bag large enough to carry your pump and supplies. I walked into work carrying my lunch box, a cooler, and a large bag with my pumping stuff and laptop. We had a communal pumping room that 1 mom could use at a time (with a lock). I wore a nursing bra every day and *definitely* highly recommend a hands free pumping bra. I typically took my shirt off and hung it up because I didn't want to risk getting milk on it. I usually pumped for 14-18 minutes but taking stuff downstairs, getting it all set up, pumping then transferring milk into bags/bottles and breaking it all down usually meant it took me 30 minutes. It's definitely more overwhelming ahead of time, but is something you get in a routine of pretty quickly.
Questions for moms who live close to the beach: when can we bring our little ones to the beach and when is it a good time to get them into a pool? 10weeks? Sooner?
I know I won't be able to swim for a few weeks but we are planning on going to Texas in late August and it would be fun to get the babe in the pool!
And for the beach I'm asking mostly because my parents will be here until mid August and it would be nice to spend a few hours at the beach occasionally, of course not during the hottest hours.
I started out typing my grand plans to use those sweet tents people have for their lil babies to sleep under at the beach because DS and I go to a lake beach near us but...by the time I want to take lil one out to one they'll all be closed here! I fully expect to give birth in August, lol. I am interested to hear what others say about when to take babe into the pool/water in general... know we won't be able to for many weeks post birth but other family members might be interested for the TWO WEEKS it'll be an option for me.
This is *not* the first time I've posted about something like this, freaking out, so bear with me...
I stuck my hand into a package of raw bacon to fish the bacon out yesterday morning so I could cook it. When I washed my hands afterwards I realized they were red and irritated from the cold (I just moved to a really, really cold climate). They looked cracked, as if there were tiny little cuts all over them.
I know you should not handle raw meat with an open cut - does this count as an open cut? I tend towards neurosis on this type of thing..,
@kissableviv I think once the umbilical stump falls off and the skin is healed, it's okay to bring baby into water. With that said, it shy away from dipping their face into water that isn't clean (lake, ocean, some pool, etc) but I think that totally up to your own comfort level. My sister brought her DD into a warm pool when she was probably about a month old and the baby loved it!
@texasmainer my hands are raw and dry right now with the cold plus constant hand washing (potty training, ugh) and I personally would not count that as handling raw meat with open cuts!
@kissableviv I’ve heard 3 months is the thing got pools. We tried it around 2.5 and it’s hard to keep them shades for too long (at least it was for me). I was also concerned on a safe sunscreen but i usually resort to clear zinc (end up with super white baby lol). We never went to the beach but I’ve seen some friends go after a couple months. Again sun exposure is probably the main concern.
@kissableviv my concern would be keeping baby out of the sun, since most sun screen says 6 months plus. I think if you use a big sun hat, rash guard, umbrella etc you'd be fine around 8 weeks (or even sooner but 8 weeks gives you time to adjust and not be a total zombie). My son was born in September so we never took into water until the next summer so i don't have firsthand experience, but maybe talk to your pediatrician about sunblock under 6 months and see what they say.
I do want to add that i recommend putting them in “swimming classes” as soon as you can. It help DS get use to water in his face and made bath time easier. It’s typically after a certain age and with a parent in the pool.
@wildtot half of me wants to sign up for swimming class, and the other half is like hell no I don't want to put on a bathing suit lol. Does anyone know at what age they can take swimming lessons without a parent in the pool?
Thanks ladies! Definitely for the beach I plan on have him in rash gards and making sure our umbrella has good protection. I figure if he can nap outdoors, in the shade, with a nice breeze, it can't be bad, right? Our beach season is until October so it'd be a bummer to skip it completely.
For the pool, my in laws'will be moving to a new house they are building probably around August so I don't know what the pool would look like, I'm sure part of it will be shaded. We'll make sure to equip with hats and rash gards and talk to the pediatrician about sunscreen! Definitely no water on his baby face, just a little dip:) things like these make my anxiety about everything else go away! Can't wait for some baby cuteness (and spit and poop and scream, LOL)
Thank you all so much for posting about your experience with pumping at work. You ladies are impressive!
In response to questions on the previous page, I am in the US and my employer is great about accommodating new moms. We have a lactation room with a locking door, comfy couch, sink and fridge. The issue was me not understanding the logistics of bringing all this stuff with me, plugging in and pumping without making a mess, cleaning pump parts between each use, storing everything and finally bringing it all home. I'm still finding the process a little over whelming but I'm willing to give it a shot if I'm still producing when I return to work (I was totally dried up by 3 months pp last time).
@runsomewhere, one tip that I got was that I went back to work on a Wednesday. That made pumping for the first week a little less intimidating. I also sent DD to her first day of daycare on that Tuesday. So I had a day at home before going back to work. That did a couple good things. First when I got a little emotional about DD being in daycare, I wasn’t at work. I used the day to prep freezer meals, but was also able to pick her up a little earlier than normal. I also packed my pumping bag as if I was going to work that morning. That allowed me to see what else I might need, what I forgot about, and practice the routine in the comfort of my own home without the stress of the first day back at work.
@zande2016 I thought the same thing about swim lessons but I think someone on here mentioned that they suggest you wear a shirt over your swimsuit to avoid your kiddo accidentally pulling your swimsuit down so we might go for it in April. Here I think it's 3 or 4 for group lessons without parent in the pool but I know that you can do private lessons without being in the pool for 2.5 3 year olds depending on instructor
@zande2016 i had DH do some of them lol but i guess it depends on the location for the classes for them being on their own. I’ve only done the city indoor classes.
Hmm maybe I'll talk to my H about doing it. He would definitely be willing to get in the pool with him, but historically I could never depend on a steady day of the week/time when I knew he wouldn't be working each week. With his new job that might be different so we'll see.
@TalesOfASocialIntrovert thanks for sharing about your experience. It’s helpful to think of talking to my Ob now rather than in the moment if it happens to be a c section. It must’ve been extra anxiety provoking for you to better understand the procedure! During my epidural last time, the anesthesiologist started explaining things step by step and I had to stop them lol
@crabcake18 despite all my surgeries i always get super anxiety and nervous. I went in telling my nurses,doc, and anesthesiologist that and they were great at keeping as comfortable as possible. The anesthesiologist put on some music of my liking during the whole process. Once my spinal was in my husband was allowed in and it helped keep me calm. I am the type to ask a bunch of questions because small talk calms me. Silence makes me more nervous. Keep taking deep breaths and talk to your medical staff on how much or little you want to know and what your feeling. I don’t remember but they might of also given me some happy drugs in my IV before i went in.
oo +1 to @tarheelgirl8 suggestion of starting daycare before you go back! we did the same thing with DD and it was awesome. I wasn't productive though...DH and I went to the movies and lunch for a couple hours then went back for her :-D
@tarheelgirl8 that is actually a really good plan, easing in to things is really smart. Unfortunately I already have my return to work date and baby's first day of day care locked down for Monday January 14. My leave is already really generous so I wouldn't feel comfortable asking to change it at this point.
@zande2016 I totally get how you feel but please don't let that stop you from doing something amazing with your little one! We started swim lessons with DD when she was 3 months and it was such a wonderful experience, I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Also, baby classes are usually very small and age specific so it would just be you and like 3 other moms that are also very newly postpartum.
For any STMs+, or anyone who knows a lot about bathing kids, we are remodeling the soon-to-be kid's bathroom. I know a hand shower is great to have for cleaning, but do you get the kind that has a slidebar and can eventually go higher when they are older? Do you have a wall-mounted shower head and a separate hand shower? I'd like a long-term solution that the kid can grow with, if at all possible. Any suggestions?
@supersara2 we still do baths and will probably do for a bit longer. He’s actually afraid of the shower head. We plan to stick to a wall mounted for his bathroom for now. We have one our shower because it’s just nice to have for cleaning the glass doors and what not. Having a detachable shower head also screams a bigger mess with young kids lol. It’s cheap and easy enough to do it later are my thoughts. Is this something you have to decide with your remodel?
For those of you not high risk or with follow scans due to weirdness on the AS, have you been told or scheduled for any future scans? I’m still finding it hard to believe that i won’t have anything from my AS to birth. I’m seriously think of asking her for a quick elective scan to calm my worries. At least one more. Is this normal for a “textbook” pregnancy? I was high risk with DS so this is unusual to me.
@wildtot in my experience it is normal. I went all the way to almost 42 weeks with only an ultrasound at 41 weeks to check fluid levels and see if I could keep going. So if you don't have any issues, you won't have one, in my experience.
@wildtot As long as I don't have any complications I will not have another ultrasound. At least in my area, the AS is typically the only ultrasound during the pregnancy if you aren't high risk.
Me: 31 DH: 34 Married: April 2016 TTC December 2016 BFP 2/28/17 // CP 3/1/17 MFI Diagnosis: Aug 2017 BFP 11/1/17 // DS born 6/18 TTC January 2019 BFP 3/21/19 // D&C (MMC) 5/8/19
@supersara2 The shower head in our guest/kids bathroom has just one head but it is detachable. We wanted it for an option for my parents who come to visit once a year. My oldest (6) takes showers but doesn’t take off the head. The tube(?) doesn’t hang down low enough for my 2 year old to reach either so it was a good choice for us. My H likes it for bathing our lab too.
Re: Weekly Questions 3/19 - 3/25
TTC December 2016
BFP 2/28/17 // CP 3/1/17
MFI Diagnosis: Aug 2017
BFP 11/1/17 // DS born 6/18
TTC January 2019
BFP 3/21/19 // D&C (MMC) 5/8/19
I also feel like (hopefully) more places are putting rooms like this in. Disney had a whole building dedicated to babies in each park. Places to change and rooms to feed/pump. Really hoping to see more of that in the future
In response to questions on the previous page, I am in the US and my employer is great about accommodating new moms. We have a lactation room with a locking door, comfy couch, sink and fridge. The issue was me not understanding the logistics of bringing all this stuff with me, plugging in and pumping without making a mess, cleaning pump parts between each use, storing everything and finally bringing it all home. I'm still finding the process a little over whelming but I'm willing to give it a shot if I'm still producing when I return to work (I was totally dried up by 3 months pp last time).
As many others said already, you definitely will need a bag large enough to carry your pump and supplies. I walked into work carrying my lunch box, a cooler, and a large bag with my pumping stuff and laptop. We had a communal pumping room that 1 mom could use at a time (with a lock). I wore a nursing bra every day and *definitely* highly recommend a hands free pumping bra. I typically took my shirt off and hung it up because I didn't want to risk getting milk on it. I usually pumped for 14-18 minutes but taking stuff downstairs, getting it all set up, pumping then transferring milk into bags/bottles and breaking it all down usually meant it took me 30 minutes. It's definitely more overwhelming ahead of time, but is something you get in a routine of pretty quickly.
I know I won't be able to swim for a few weeks but we are planning on going to Texas in late August and it would be fun to get the babe in the pool!
And for the beach I'm asking mostly because my parents will be here until mid August and it would be nice to spend a few hours at the beach occasionally, of course not during the hottest hours.
I stuck my hand into a package of raw bacon to fish the bacon out yesterday morning so I could cook it. When I washed my hands afterwards I realized they were red and irritated from the cold (I just moved to a really, really cold climate). They looked cracked, as if there were tiny little cuts all over them.
I know you should not handle raw meat with an open cut - does this count as an open cut? I tend towards neurosis on this type of thing..,
For the pool, my in laws'will be moving to a new house they are building probably around August so I don't know what the pool would look like, I'm sure part of it will be shaded. We'll make sure to equip with hats and rash gards and talk to the pediatrician about sunscreen! Definitely no water on his baby face, just a little dip:) things like these make my anxiety about everything else go away! Can't wait for some baby cuteness (and spit and poop and scream, LOL)
@zande2016 I totally get how you feel but please don't let that stop you from doing something amazing with your little one! We started swim lessons with DD when she was 3 months and it was such a wonderful experience, I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Also, baby classes are usually very small and age specific so it would just be you and like 3 other moms that are also very newly postpartum.
TTC December 2016
BFP 2/28/17 // CP 3/1/17
MFI Diagnosis: Aug 2017
BFP 11/1/17 // DS born 6/18
TTC January 2019
BFP 3/21/19 // D&C (MMC) 5/8/19