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Working Moms
blushy08
member
Teachers and pumping
blushy08
member
in Working Moms
I am not returning to work until September, but I'm already worrying about pumping at work. I am a first grade teacher and only have a few half hour free periods a day (at different times every day). Teachers - how do you find time to pump at school, how many free periods do you use up to pump, and where do you do it? Do you pump in your classroom with the door locked? I am feeling like I might just switch to formula because it seems like pumping could be a challenge....but I love breastfeeding and would like to keep it up if possible!!
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Re: Teachers and pumping
I've had a few friends that taught, most pumped in the morning before school started, at lunch or a plan period, and then right after the kids leave for the day.
Even if you can't keep up fully with pumping all your baby needs, every little bit counts...or you could always do formula during the day and nurse when you are home.
I teach HS. I get one 50ish minute free period. It was luck that it's third hour, so about the halfway point of the day. I pump then. Reasonably, it's the only option. It takes me a little more than half an hour to set up, pump and clean up. I cover the window to my classroom and pump and my desk with the door locked. I usually lesson plan, but I refuse to grade while I pump. I don't know why. I also gave my principal and secretary the heads up about pumping so they know not to send kids to my room, that I'm not taking phone calls from parents, that I can't cover for another teacher, etc. I use the last 15 minutes or so to do what I need to do as far as copies, etc. This means I have to be a little more organized than I used to be, though.
I pump again as soon as the kids are gone for the day, too. Sometimes that means pumping in my car if I have kids staying late (another teacher keeps an eye on them), though.
I've been pumping since I came back about 7 weeks ago. It's totally do-able. With my first kid, I sat on the floor of the superintendent's bathroom to pump because I didn't have a classroom of my own. You gotta do what you gotta do.
Would my milk supply go down if I just nursed in the morning and at night??
It would, but you would want it to regulate to whatever schedule you could handle. I nurse 2x a day now and use cow's milk during the day (obviously my son is older). I have a much lower supply now, but it's enough for those 2 feedings a day plus the occasional 3rd on weekends, etc.
Your body is pretty cool in that it can adjust to what you find works for you/your baby.
Az, what's your recess duty look like? If you lose your planning (which, hello, isn't that illegal?! It is here.), could you get out of monitoring recess and pump then?
Last year when I was teaching it was exactly that....pump a lil bit right before school, at lunch and either right after school or I hauled ass to BF when I got home. I called DH to see when DS ate last since he covered the last 6 weeks of the school year for me.
I pumped in my classroom. Door didn't lock, but I'd close it, turn away, and hope for the best (I did get walked in on a few times...). I pumped during my free periods and during lunch. It sucked. i spent all of my free time pumping instead of working (worth it though...I nursed to a year!)
Give it a month. If it is awful and stressful, nurse in the morning, when you get home from school and at night. pump once before you go to bed. Nurse all weekend. You should be able to keep that up for a while if you want to. I did this for 3 months after I stopped pumping.