cant pump @ work :(

Inspiredbysoph

so i think i might start getting emotional pretty soon. i want to breastfeed my baby and i have to come back probably around 2 months after having her, and i am going to need to pump at work to keep my supply up since im here the majority of the day.

i went to HR to see what my options were and she told me she didnt know, and that in 20 years of working here she has never been asked about pumping at work...she said she knew people have breastfed before but not at work. theres no extra rooms here for me to lock myself in...and going home isnt really ideal since its 20 minutes drive time there and 20 minutes to get back .....plus the time it takes to pump and clean up ....and my baby is goign to be at home with my mom because she does in-home child care, and i know i wouldnt want to go back to work, and if im there well i might as well just breastfeed her and not pump it.............

 

ugh!! wth this is so dumb. the HR lady said seh wouldnt even know how to go about breast pumping and what it consists of!! are you serious??? shes probably in her 40s.............its the natural thing to do, and i breastfed my first until she was almost 2 years old.....i stayed home with her for 10-11 months though and i was able to go home to feed her since i worked 5 minutes literally, away.....and then seh was able to go on regular milk (which she wont drink)/choc. milk/juice, so it worked out!

There are no extra rooms here at work, there are needless to say, barely any room for parking (they are going to be expanding the lot) ... but they are not required to provide me a space, or room to pump in, so they wont. Theres no law in FL covering this for the workplace. It just really sucks..........

 What would you do???

 

 

lisaohgee

They are required by law to provide a place for you to pump.  I am not sure what state you are in, but I would look up the law and provide it to HR and go from there.

the_jackpot

You might want to check the laws in your state. I would suggest that you stay calm as where there is a will there is a way. The HR person never met a Mom who needs to provide for her baby!

I would pump in my car. Is there  a health suite? Can you talk to your supervisor and see if their office is available?

Inspiredbysoph

lisaohgee:

They are required by law to provide a place for you to pump.  I am not sure what state you are in, but I would look up the law and provide it to HR and go from there.

 No, there's no law. Every personal family member or friend that i know that works in HR has told me, theres no law, and I looked it up. I live in FL. The only state that has a law is Minnesota and possibly California.

FL encourages it and promotes it but doesnt have a law requiring workplaces to allow it or provide a place for it.

Temp6313048411121614

At my last job, a girl had to pump in a bathroom stall.  I always felt bad that she had to do it in there, but it's an option at least.

DallasHorn

Pump in your car - get a car adapter and a nursing cover. Worked pretty well for me!

gumiberg

DallasHorn:

Pump in your car - get a car adapter and a nursing cover. Worked pretty well for me!

this.

its not so bad...i drive to an empty part of the parkinglot and listen to xm radio.   

the_jackpot

I feel your pain...my principal suggested the bathroom. Yeah, right!! I have pumped in my car w/ the car adapter plugged in and my Hooter Hider on...not ideal but doable. But it seems like they have parking issues at your job.

Make sure you have a locking door and an outlet. Tell your HR person you need a space that has those two things. Doesn't have to be luxurious just functional.

GL 

Mrs.0428

Although your options are not ideal...you can still pump for your baby while at work.

Not sure what type of environment you work in, I work in a cubicle.  I have put up a shower curtain at my cubicle doorway and close it when I am pumping.  In the beginning I used a nursing cover also in case someone decided to look over the wall, but have since ditched the cover.  Not ideal, but it works for me.

You can also set up shop in the bathroom or your car.

sweetkakes419

Inspiredbysoph:

lisaohgee:

They are required by law to provide a place for you to pump.  I am not sure what state you are in, but I would look up the law and provide it to HR and go from there.

 No, there's no law. Every personal family member or friend that i know that works in HR has told me, theres no law, and I looked it up. I live in FL. The only state that has a law is Minnesota and possibly California.

FL encourages it and promotes it but doesnt have a law requiring workplaces to allow it or provide a place for it.

How long ago did people tell you there was no law on it?  I would check again.  There are a LOT more than 2 states that have laws about it.

angeltex

I encountered this with my DD 7 years ago and ended up pumping in the bathroom we shared with the customers.  (GROSS!!!)

I am in TX and the law states they have to provide a place for you to pump and it cannot be the bathroom.  My new employer gave me the supply closet with a table, chair, and power outlet.  I also had the only key to the room.

I have pumped in my car several times and it may not be ideal, but it works.

lolagrinnin

I was lurking around and saw your post. It looks like you sure are right and Florida doesn't have any laws requiring them to provide a space for pumping - https://www.flbreastfeeding.org/bfing_working.htm

Is there anyone in your workplace with an office who might be willing to let you use it to pump? Or a higher-up in the company who would advocate for you?

Mrs.0428

sweetkakes419:

Inspiredbysoph:

lisaohgee:

They are required by law to provide a place for you to pump.  I am not sure what state you are in, but I would look up the law and provide it to HR and go from there.

 No, there's no law. Every personal family member or friend that i know that works in HR has told me, theres no law, and I looked it up. I live in FL. The only state that has a law is Minnesota and possibly California.

FL encourages it and promotes it but doesnt have a law requiring workplaces to allow it or provide a place for it.

How long ago did people tell you there was no law on it?  I would check again.  There are a LOT more than 2 states that have laws about it.

OP is right that FL has no law requiring her workplace to provide some where to pump: https://www.llli.org/Law/Bills14.html 

24 states have breastfeeding/workplace laws.  Not all of these laws require the workplace to provide somewhere to pump though, some just require them to allow breaks to pump.

"Twenty-four states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have laws related to breastfeeding in the workplace (Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming)."
https://www.ncsl.org/IssuesResearch/Health/BreastfeedingLaws/tabid/14389/Default.aspx 

sweetpe528

Mrs.0428:

Although your options are not ideal...you can still pump for your baby while at work.

Not sure what type of environment you work in, I work in a cubicle.  I have put up a shower curtain at my cubicle doorway and close it when I am pumping.  In the beginning I used a nursing cover also in case someone decided to look over the wall, but have since ditched the cover.  Not ideal, but it works for me.

You can also set up shop in the bathroom or your car.

I am in the same type of office space, where I have a cubicle. At the beginning, I tried pumping in supervisor's offices, or closets, or even the bathroom. All of those options totally sucked. Then, I put up a curtain at my cubicle opening (mine was a bed sheet, hehe), but it seemed to draw more attention than not having it up. Finally I gave up, took the curtain down, and now I just pump at my desk with my hooter hider on. I don't broadcast it, but any co-worker that comes by knows what I'm doing, and if it bugs them they ignore it and keep going. But the majority of them are incredibly understanding and supportive as most of them are women that have been there too. It's awkward at first, but then just becomes second nature. In fact, I prefer it because I'm at my desk where I can be on the computer (as I type this, I'm pumping one side and typing one-handed! Lol!) and listen to my music.

I hope you can find a good option at work that makes you comfortable. Be persistent until you find one!

Inspiredbysoph

sweetkakes419:

Inspiredbysoph:

lisaohgee:

They are required by law to provide a place for you to pump.  I am not sure what state you are in, but I would look up the law and provide it to HR and go from there.

 No, there's no law. Every personal family member or friend that i know that works in HR has told me, theres no law, and I looked it up. I live in FL. The only state that has a law is Minnesota and possibly California.

FL encourages it and promotes it but doesnt have a law requiring workplaces to allow it or provide a place for it.

How long ago did people tell you there was no law on it?  I would check again.  There are a LOT more than 2 states that have laws about it.

 

Today. There isnt a law in FL...they support it, encourage it, but dont have a law for it. Stupid if you ask me.

Rhapsody527

At my last job I shared my office with another manager, and it was open to the rest of the workplace. I put up a curtain around my desk and pulled it shut when I needed to pump. I just started a new job and am trying to figure it out...there is literally no where to pump but the bathroom, since my office is in the middle of the kitchen. I hate pumping in the bathroom though and have to set something else up. Try to be a little creative, it can be done!