Pumping at work

sgtmacsgirl

Question for those who are pumping at work.  I'm sure it depends on each person but how many times a day do you pump and how long does it take?  I usually just take 30-45 mins for lunch and no other breaks during the day other than bathroom.  Also, I have heard that employers have to let you pump if you want to?  I'm going to talk to HR before I go out on maternity leave so we're all on the same page.  I just wanted some general real life information to get things started.

 I have heard some people take 30 minutes twice a day to pump and some only pump once during the work day for 15-20 mins. 

JLS0320

I pump every 3 hrs at work, it usually takes me a total of 15-20 min including set up and clean up. To keep your milk supply up you will want to pump every 3-4 hrs or even more frequently if possible. I personally would not talk to HR about a pumping schedule until you are preparing to return to work

luvmagoldn

Some states have laws regarding BFing and pumping but most do not.  I pump twice a day and it takes 30 minutes from start to finish.  I work in HR and we had no facility to pump in so I starting discussing it with my boss before I went out.  But, that was mostly because four of us in HR were pregnant at the same time!

Maybride2

Ditto JLS - if you only pump once a day, you're not going to be BFing/pumping very long.  To keep your supply up, you have to pump as often as baby eats.....which is every 2-4 hours.

When I first went back to work, I was pumping every 2 hours.  As time went on, I was able to pump every 3 hours.  Pumping took me about 20 minutes total.

If you think that this is going to be a big deal with your employer, I'd talk to HR before you go out on maternity leave.  Frankly, this is one discussion that I never had with my employer, I just did it.

smiley007

I pump at 5am before leaving for work.. work 7-4 pumping at 10 and 2 at work(20-30 mins each time)... and then nurse DS while home. 

14years

I pumped at work for 9 months, and I pumped three times a day, at 10 am, 1 pm, and 4 pm.  My first session was usually the longest, about 20 minutes.  The other 2 were between 10 and 15 minutes.  (That's just pumping, not set up, by the way.)

I agree with pp, you'll need to pump more than once a day to keep your supply up.  Definitely talk to your HR folks.  You will probably be surprised at how accommodating they can be. 

Valerie120408

I pump 3 times/day to keep my supply - 30min each including set up and clean up. I spoke to my boss before going on maternity leave about where to pump and was assured there is a special room I can use (there is a law in California to provide adequate accommodations for moms). Once I came back from maternity leave, I just told my boss when I will be away from my desk and marked it on my calendar so that no one would schedule me for a meeting while I'm away and that was that - it's my responsibility to fit 8 hours of work in a day so the pumping breaks are not an issue. I would speak to your supervisor and/or HR before you go on a leave to get a better idea of what you can expect.

Heather661

Valerie120408:

I pump 3 times/day to keep my supply - 30min each including set up and clean up. I spoke to my boss before going on maternity leave about where to pump and was assured there is a special room I can use (there is a law in California to provide adequate accommodations for moms). Once I came back from maternity leave, I just told my boss when I will be away from my desk and marked it on my calendar so that no one would schedule me for a meeting while I'm away and that was that - it's my responsibility to fit 8 hours of work in a day so the pumping breaks are not an issue. I would speak to your supervisor and/or HR before you go on a leave to get a better idea of what you can expect.

Sorry to jump in, but I had a question for you? I moved to CA right after my daughter was born. I transfered my job within the same company (Retail).

Anyway, the only place in the building that I had ANY privacy was the employee restroom. I asked if there was any accomodation that could be made for me since I was BF and I was told there were/are NO places literally in the building for me to pump. my company at the time had a sister store a few over, but when I was the only manager in the building, I COULD NOT leave at all - I'd be fired.

So, I was reduced to pumping in the bathroom. I asked then if I could have a shelf put up for me so that I could store my pump, and I was told I could wheel in a mainstay three drawer cabinant if I wanted to.

Sadly, because of this situation, I was not able to pump very long after that. I think I managed a month before I felt "forced" to kinda stop...

I no longer work for the company (subsequently being "forced" out unfairly - although my complaints about THAT were never answered and I got a new job)..

SO my question is, would there be a statue of limitations or something? I feel like such an idiot now knowing that CA has a law on this - I never thought to really look into it, since my home state bent over backwards for me and my pumping....

Thanks to anyone who answers!

Valerie120408

Heather661:

...

SO my question is, would there be a statue of limitations or something? I feel like such an idiot now knowing that CA has a law on this - I never thought to really look into it, since my home state bent over backwards for me and my pumping....

Thanks to anyone who answers!

 

Here is some  information for you. Basically, the CA code states:

1031.  The employer shall make reasonable efforts to provide the
employee with the use of a room or other location, other than a
toilet stall, in close proximity to the employee's work area, for the
employee to express milk in private.  The room or location may
include the place where the employee normally works if it otherwise
meets the requirements of this section.

"Reasonable" is debatable but I think that they could have made an accommodation and it wouldn't have been that hard (just mho). To file a complaint, you have between 2 and 4 years, according to this page. Unfortunately, it sounds like employers are fined very little:

Employers that do not comply with the provisions of the law could be subject to a civil penalty of one hundred dollars ($100) for each violation by the Labor Commissioner.

But if I were you, I would file a complaint so that hopefully other moms won't have to go through what you did. Sorry they were so clueless and disrespectful.

MrsAmers

I pump 3 times a day for about 15-20 minutes each time.  I pump instead of taking 1 hour for lunch.  I could probably get by on 2 pumps a day, but pumping that third time allows me to get more than I need and build up a stash.  If I continue making more than DS needs, I'll probably be down to 2 pumps a day by 8 or 9 months.

kertybird

I bought a fabulous pump (hands free)so it only takes me about 10 mins.  At first I pumped at 9:30 and 12:30, but then I just dropped it down to noon, I always pumped in my car so I could listen to music and play games on my phone!