Pumping in public

hanafan36 · July 2014

Sometimes I'll be out applying to/interviewing for jobs or just doing errands without DD. Since I take the bus, I usually need a pumping break at least once. Since I'm not sure about public pumping laws (are there any?) I usually find a bathroom where I can plug in and watch videos of DD while I pump.

Oddly enough though, I get more judgy looks in the bathroom than I do nursing without a cover in a restaurant (granted I try to nurse at the Taco Bell where the management are friends of the family, so I may just not hear about complaints)

Has anyone had to pump in public? Or how do you deal with the side eye in general?

RDK24 · July 2014

Not "public," per se … I've had to take my manual pump into bathroom stalls, and my PISA into a women's locker room at a spa. No side eyes, but I don't think anyone really noticed.

Maybe the judgey looks are from non-moms? Before I had a baby I would have had no idea what a breast pump looked like! Not that it's OK for you to get judgey looks at all, but that was the first thing that popped into my head.

If you have an easily accessible Buy Buy Baby, they have a private nursing room where I've pumped before while out doing errands. Might be standard in all their stores. Other big baby chain stores may have a private room, too.

LunaBug924 · July 2014

I believe that in most states the same laws and rights that apply to BFing women apply to pumping as well, but don't quote me on that. I pumped in public during a day trip to NYC with some girlfriends. We went to the Metropolitan Museum and they have a "family area" which was just a huge room outside the bathrooms. No privacy, just a bunch of benches. There were mostly museum employees taking their break. I parked on a bench near an outlet and did my thing. It actually was pretty empowering.

hanafan36 · July 2014

@RDK24 Oddly enough, it was PRIMARILY mothers giving me looks. I had a complaining-fest with DH later about how the mothers didn't want their daughters to know what boobs are for while they're dressing in hoochie-mama:preschooler edition apparel. (It should be noted that I am WORKING on modesty judgements myself, since I was raised muslim.)

@sing2phins Wild. Wild from start to finish. I can't imagine anything like that. Certainly wouldn't have been brave enough to handle it myself--though DH would have raised hell for me.

@lunabug924 I hope it would be empowering for me as well. I can do BF no problem, but DD doesn't go "RRRRR RRRRR RRRRR" the whole time and a pump isn't nearly as cute.

RDK24 · July 2014

Wow, so surprised that it was mothers with the dirty looks! Eff them, I'm sorry. We should be supporting each other. Period.

lizshort96 · July 2014

I've pumped on two separate occasions in the packed family surgical waiting room at the hospital. The first time I just found a corner with a plug and threw on my cover but knew I could escape and pump in the car if necessary as there were other family there. The second time I turned the chair to face the wall, again thru on my cover and went to town. Couldn't leave the second time as it was just me there for DH's procedure. (I even called ahead the second time to inquire about using a room for pumping, totally threw the woman for a loop. You'd think a hospital would have a room with a door a power outlet and a chair).

hanafan36 · July 2014

Was there an L&D or NICU ward? I'd imagine they'd have one there.

Designermomma · July 2014

I had to pump in public at SixFlags theme park. I asked the guest relations desk and they said you are free to do it anywhere in the park and suggested the bathroom. It was awful. Ladies came in to clean the stalls and were waiting for me and talking about how long I was in there and the noise and all the smells in there were not good. The next time I threw a towel over me and just did it out in the open. That was so much better. It was so noisy no one could hear the pump and I didn't get any looks surprisingly. I usually pump in my car but when its not an option, I pefer outside with a cover of some sort.

lizshort96 · July 2014

@hanafan36‌ , not at this hospital. In our area the hospital system segregates the specialties to different hospital locations. This hospital was orthopedic and ENT among others, but not L&D or NICU. no biggie, it didn't seem to phase anyone either time.

eggmankate · July 2014

I think sometimes we can be our own harshest critics. As another PP mentioned, I didn't know what a breast pump looked like before I had DD and I was a BFing advocate even then, but (before my DD was born) I would probably give you a second look, too, if I saw you pumping in the bathroom. Not because I would be against it, but because it's an unusual sight! And not in a bad way. I'm not saying that no one was judging you, but just in general I wonder if sometimes we misconstrue the looks we get while NIP or pumping in public because we're self-conscious since it is (unfortunately) taboo and we worry that someone is going to judge us so we perceive every look as something negative.

operaghost · August 2014

I had to pump in the car while tailgating recently. I just covered myself with a swaddle blanket... I felt super awkward until I looked out the window and saw one of my (male) friends standing right next to out car with his wang out taking a leak. If he can pee in public, I can pump!

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