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Breastfeeding
6 month old pumping and bf schedule---teachers?
I will be returning to my job as a teacher in August. DS is EBF and our plan is to start introducing solids after his 6 month check-up in a few weeks.
I am looking for advice on how much I should expect to pump and bf once I am back to work. I really want it to work out, but right now my principal is not being very accomodating.
Please share what your day looks like as a working pumping/bf mom!
Thanks!
TTC #1 since 6/10
BFP #1: 8/10, ectopic pregnancy
BFP #2: 6/6/11, EDD 2/14/12, DS born 2/8/12 via c-section
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Re: 6 month old pumping and bf schedule---teachers?
Hello, I am a long time lurker but I wanted to share what I did all last year. I went back to work at 8 weeks PP and ebf all school year. I nursed and pumped before I left for work, pumped again on my lunch break in my classroom (I posted a Do not enter sign, locked my door, and my students knew they were not allowed into my classroom), and then again on my planning period about two hours later. I then nursed almost as soon as we got home around 5. This year since my LO is going to be a year when I go back I hope to not have to pump.
What have you asked your principal to do for you? The only thing my administrator did was change the locks on my classroom door so no one else had a key but me.
Well... I currently do not have a lunch or a planning period. So I have asked for those. I am totally fine with pumping in my classroom and just locking the door.
I just really need time to actually pump away from my students.
I returned to work in Feb when LO was 13 weeks. My principal wasn't accommodating either. She expected me to pump only 1 time in 8+ hours at work. And she even BF! (of course years ago!) At one point during the year I had a defiant student (1st grade) who wouldn't leave the room. She asked if I could just pump while the student was in my room!!! Are you kidding me?!?!
I basically depended on my team to help me out. We had 1 assistant for the whole grade. She took my kids to recess while I pumped for about 25min. (She just stayed a little longer than usual and did a bathroom break). This was at 10:15. Then at 12:00 the extension teacher took the kids to lunch for me. They also went to special areas right afterwards which gave me more time to pump and get cleaned up.
If LO was on the right "schedule" he would need to eat at 3:15 so I would leave after my afternoon duty to pick him up and nurse him. Sometimes I didn't make it and sitter would try to get him to hold off which was fine. If I had a meeting, I sent another bottle that day. She also had a backup bag of BM in her freezer I had given her.
His schedule depended on if he would nurse in the am before I left for work and took him to the sitter. If he didn't eat at 6:15, then everything was off schedule and he wouldn't be eating at 9:15, 12:15, 3:15. If he didn't want to eat at 6:15 because lets say he had just nursed at 4:30am, then I had to break out the pump (I had two sets of parts so the next set was clean and packed in my pump bag....all I had to do after pumping was stick the pump in there but everything else was in the bag ready to go!)
Mornings are HECTIC. I will admit it. Thats why we have now introduced 1 bottle of Formula per day. I'm not pumping in Aug. I have over 400oz in the freezer and plan to send 1-2 bottles of BM, 1 bottle of formula with him every day. This will last him till he can start WCM. I'm still nursing him throughout the night, and during the late afternoon. I've gotten my body to skip about 8-9 hours with no pumping/nursing and I'm just fine.
I was able to save a lot since I was pumping more at work then LO was drinking. He was drinking 5oz every 3 hours. I was able to pump about 8 oz at the 10am pump, and the lunch one varied from 5-6oz. Sometimes lower if I didn't drink during that period. Make sure you drink plently of fluids and you'll be fine!!!
Don't let your principal stress you out. I was dreading going back to work after she called me on ML to talk about pumping. It all worked out in the end. GL!
What grade level do you teach? Is there an aide or another teacher that could take your students somewhere for you? Do the students go to specials that they are away from the classroom? How often does your LO nurse now? Depending on your schedule you could just pump once a day in the middle of the day for about a half hour.
Not issuing a lunch or a break during an 8+ hour workday is illegal for any worker. I would definitely be asking those questions.
I would talk to your principal, most are usually very cooperative in helping you find a solution that doesn't interfere with your time with students.
When I EP'd for DS, I pumped when I got up in the morning, got ready to go to work, and then pumped while driving to school. I then pumped at lunch, which was early (about 3-3.5 hrs after I got to school). I then pumped immediately after school since my planning bell was 1st period.
This fall, my plan is to do a 'dreamfeed' with DD in the morning before I leave. Here's the approximate schedule I'll follow:
5:30: Nurse DD
6:20: Pump while driving to school
10:45: Pump @ lunch
1:15: Pump during my planning bell
3:15 ish: Get DD and nurse her, then go back to normal.
I will pump in my classroom with the door locked and a cover on the window (velcro & a cloth). I learned to pump while driving when I EP'd for DS. It was by far the most efficient way for me to do this... hands free bra + car adapter + cover = able to pump. I hook up everything before I start moving, and it makes things easy.
If you haven't pumped yet, I would probably start trying to pump once/day or once every other day. It is a learned skill, and some women respond to a pump better than others.
You should definitely be getting a lunch and a planning period. Do you have to eat with your students? Could another teacher keep watch of yours while you pump?
I was lucky and only needed to pump once in the middle of the day during my planning. I would also pump and nurse in the morning before leaving. And then I would pump/nurse immediately when I got home around 3:45.
There were times though when I wouldn't get my planning, so on those days my team members were kind enough to keep my students for 15 min while I pumped. I made sure to get them excellent end of the year presents.
If you haven't already I would definitely start pumping. I've built a great stash this summer so hopefully I can phase out pumping at work because it is kind of a pain.
Good luck!
I teach pre-Kindergarten. I have a teaching assistant, but she is pulled for lunch duty and she is required to have a 30 minute personal lunch. Our state laws say that my classroom must have 2 adults in it at all times, except during the students' rest time. My assistant has lunch duty and her lunch while my students have rest time so I am the one alone with them.
My students eat in our classroom.
Our principal does not grant the pre-K students specials. So no planning time.
It is really a pickle of a situation.
Thank you for all the advice and schedules.
I have started pumping already... and have a freezer stash of about 200oz. DS gets one bottle a day to practice getting ready for daycare.
So your assistant gets a personal lunch but you don't? Federal law says that you should also have a personal lunch. I would also ask your principal if there is another solution so that you have the time you need. Mabye your assistant doesn't do lunch duty? There has to be a solution.
Even one break in the middle of the day will help you. If your school district/company has more than 50 employees, they were are required by the Obamacare law to give you needed pump breaks.
Yes, my assistant does.
I know that I am entitled to a lunch and that would help out so much, however because of the age of my students/ratio laws and the fact that my assistant is pulled for lunch duty, I do not get one.
I have asked for my assistant to not have lunch duty and was told that was not possible.
This is what I plan to do when I go back. DD will be 6 months old.
Isn't this against the law?
Yes... it is. But that does not seem to matter right now.
Agreed! Is there a teacher's union where you are? If your principal won't budge, I'd take it up with them. I know here we are entitled to a 30 minute duty-free lunch (read- kid-free), and a certain number of minutes of prep time per week.
No teacher union.
I did look up in our district handbook and we are also entitled to a duty free lunch each day and a certain number of prep time per week. It is just not happening for me right now.
Tell your principal that if you don't get what your district handbook (and federal law) require, that you will be filing a formal complaint with the district HR people. He has no right to deny you your duty-free lunch period at a bare minimum, and really has no right to deny you the weekly planning time as well.
I'm struggling with how to pump when I return to work after this LO comes - my schedule was great when DS was born, but we're on a different bell schedule now, so it won't be as conducive to pumping because I won't be able to leave my classroom (I teach HS though, so it's a bit different).
I am a classroom teacher and I pumped at work for the first year I was back. I did get a duty free lunch every day and a planning period most days, though, so that is the only way I could manage. On the days I had no planning, I got someone to watch my kids for 15 minutes or so while I went to pump.
It really wasn't much of a problem. I can see how problematic it would be if I didn't have lunch and planning time. I agree with PPs - it is illegal for you not to have that break time. All teachers are required to have those times, generally by some sort of state law, I believe. I've also worked in a day care setting, and, if I remember correctly, there were specific laws that stated people working with such young children also HAD to take a certain amount of break time per day.
Ugh! That is so sucky. I'm sorry you're dealing with this. Breastfeeding alone can be stressful enough. I just wanted to add that I would put your request in writing through email. That way you have proof in case you need to file a complaint or if your principal promises one thing but does another.
Again good luck!