questions for teachers

thatsmary

I teach at an elementary school and am going back to work in two weeks.  I have a few concerns.  My typical schedule is:

Arrive at work at 7-7:30, 8:00-8:10 morning duty (every other week), 10:10-10:35 break/recess duty (alternate week), 12:15-1:00 lunch, 2:35 kids go home (Friday they leave at 1:05) and I have meetings/IEPs/etc., 3:30 I can officially leave (except on Tuesday when I'm there til 4), 4:30 I usually leave (although with a newborn at home this will probably change). I also commute an hour each way to/from work.  DD will be at home with my mom or MIL until summer break.

Where do you pump?

How do you pump on rainy days when the kids are in your class?

Do you have yard duty on your break time? I do every other week during morning recess. I was hoping to pump during this time. Thoughts?

Where do you store your EBM during the day?

How do you wash your parts? Do you do it after every pump session? Can you just refrigerate the parts between and wash them at home?

Do you ever get a chance to eat/meet with your co-workers anymore?

Anything else I didn't think of?

My co-workers with babies have all moved over to formula saying that it was too hard to pump at work. I really want to make it work, but I definitely don't have support there so I'm looking for it here.

hst

With that commute I would pump as soon as you get to work, pump at lunch, and then pump right after school before you leave.

I pump at lunch (10:50) at my planning period (1:00) and after school (2:45).  I have a short commute, 15 min, and I feed LO before I leave.

It's not easy, but I started back at 6 weeks, and have been doing it all year.  I keep my bottles and parts in a cooler bag all set up.  I don't wash between pumping, which is fine, a LC told me to do the cooler thing.  I wash everynight at home.

I have no free time, no planning time, and no chatting with others time.  It's hectic, but I have not had to use formula, not that there is anything wrong with that, but I didn't want to. 

hst

Oh and I was pumping in my room, but I didn't like it due to kids knocking on the door etc. I asked around and found that others had used an old closet (it's big) where they store classroom sets of books.  I leave my pump in there and made a little "keep out" sign for when I use it.

rawrandstuffx10

I am using the bathroom in the nurses station, it works for me and is comfortable. However I had to make a sign that is a bit childish, but hey whatever. it basically says, I AM PUMPING MY BREASTS IN HERE LEAVE ME ALONE! Only because every high school student in the world wants to know why Im in there so much

Anyway, I pump as soon as I arrive, (7:45) then again at lunch (11:00) and once more at 1:30, then as soon as i get home at 4:30. its about an hour ride for me too, but i feed LO before I leave, Personally, I do not like using my parts with the old milk in them, i just wash them out with water and dry them off. 

I think I covered everything....HTH.

klibby707

I've been wondering this too...won't know my schedule for awhile though so we shall see.  I took on a student teacher, so that should help.  How do you guys store the milk?  Thanks!

pitterpatter129

thatsmary:

I teach at an elementary school and am going back to work in two weeks.  I have a few concerns.  My typical schedule is:

Arrive at work at 7-7:30, 8:00-8:10 morning duty (every other week), 10:10-10:35 break/recess duty (alternate week), 12:15-1:00 lunch, 2:35 kids go home (Friday they leave at 1:05) and I have meetings/IEPs/etc., 3:30 I can officially leave (except on Tuesday when I'm there til 4), 4:30 I usually leave (although with a newborn at home this will probably change). I also commute an hour each way to/from work.  DD will be at home with my mom or MIL until summer break.

Where do you pump?  In a supply closet (we have an open school with  no walls/doors.)

How do you pump on rainy days when the kids are in your class?  ? I use my lunch break and my plan time.  We go to recess with our kids, so that's not a time I can use.

Do you have yard duty on your break time? I do every other week during morning recess. I was hoping to pump during this time. Thoughts?  See above.  I use my 40 min planning period and a 30 min. lunch.

Where do you store your EBM during the day?  In a cooler bag.  I put my flanges in a lunch bag with an ice pack so I don't have to wash them.

How do you wash your parts? Do you do it after every pump session? Can you just refrigerate the parts between and wash them at home?   See above!

Do you ever get a chance to eat/meet with your co-workers anymore?  No.  It's the only real downside of pumping at work.  I communicate with other adults through email.

 

My co-workers with babies have all moved over to formula saying that it was too hard to pump at work. I really want to make it work, but I definitely don't have support there so I'm looking for it here. 

 I don't think it's that difficult to pump at school.  I just don't have time with other adults anymore.  I eat my lunch while I pump and grade papers while I pump.  Honestly, I've never gotten that many papers graded before!  I used to spend my plan time chatting with the other teacher and doing ...something?  Not grading papers!  I'm glad I can give my baby breastmilk and it's only for a year, it's a small sacrifice in the big picture.  I'm sorry your coworkers aren't more supportive. 

 

Five Months to Plan

Where do you pump?  In a storage closet. Only one other teacher has a key. It is a guy, but he has two young kids and his wife is expecting their third. So I just told him what I needed the room for and what times. He was cool.

How do you pump on rainy days when the kids are in your class?

Do you have yard duty on your break time? I do every other week during morning recess. I was hoping to pump during this time. Thoughts?

I pump at 6am before I leave for work.

11:45 on lunch break

2:00 at end of school sometimes 3 pm.

 I have been on this schedule for a month now, and it does not seem like a problem. The long stretch from 6-11:45 is long and by then I am ready to pump, but I have absolutely no break until then. 

 

Where do you store your EBM during the day? I use a cooler.

How do you wash your parts? Do you do it after every pump session? Can you just refrigerate the parts between and wash them at home?I use Medala wipes for cleaning my parts between each time.

Do you ever get a chance to eat/meet with your co-workers anymore?  No. This is probubly the toughest part, but it is really important to me that LO gets BM so I just try to remind myself of this.

BloggingTeach

Thanks for posting...going back in May and I wondered about this!

MG7

I pumped for a year at school it was difficult, especially since I couldn't freeze my milk but I was determined to do it. I pumped in the car on my way to work, during my lunch break and sometimes I'd sneak in an extra session during a prep if I was really lucky. I kept a small fridge next to mydesk and kept the parts in there rather than wash them. I would pump in myroom with the door locked and a sign on the door. The kids are never in ghero at lunc but teachers without classroom usually pump I'm the nurses office. I also paid someone to cover my lunch duties so I never missed a session. I never got to eatwith anyone at lunch but I did get all of my work done so I was set to leave as soon as school was over.