Real talk FFFC: I worry I'll be too lazy to pump on time and will end up with all kinds of unpleasant consequences. It seems like such a process. I have to go to an entirely different floor to a mother's room which seems to be a closet with no windows and I am sad about it.
I expect you just kind of get used to it and know you have to do it so you do, but I still worry.
Real talk, the reason I quit pumping with my first was because I would get too caught up with work. I forget to eat lunch some days for the same reason...
I am afraid this will be me. Before I got pregnant I would go full days without eating at work because I'd get so caught up in my work.
I worked for a very large company where you live and die by your Outlook calendar for meetings and mostly conference calls. I had to schedule my pumping sessions months in advance 1) so nobody would schedule a meeting with me over that time and 2) to reserve the mothers room. We had a nice setup (3 locked rooms within a suite that had a sink, fridge, lockers etc) but it was 7 floors down and on the other side of the building and not nearly big enough to support all the pumping mamas at our company. Because I was so busy during the day I would look forward to pumping so I could look at pics / videos of my baby (which also helps with letdown) and just catch up on personal email / social media. It's not the most convenient thing but you really do get into a routine!
When I was pumping my boobs wouldn't let me forget. The feeling of being overfull, being engorged and dealing with plugging were very potent reminders that I needed to pump RIGHT NOW. After about 6 months I was able to pump more than enough twice a day, so first thing in the morning and last thing at night, made dealing with the kiddo much easier during the day.
My FFFC is I purchased $80 of clothing yesterday and I have no intention of telling DH about it.
Real talk FFFC: I worry I'll be too lazy to pump on time and will end up with all kinds of unpleasant consequences. It seems like such a process. I have to go to an entirely different floor to a mother's room which seems to be a closet with no windows and I am sad about it.
I expect you just kind of get used to it and know you have to do it so you do, but I still worry.
I think I remember you saying that you have your own office? Can you just close the door and do it there?
@DuchessOfCambridge - posted too soon and just saw about your window. I would ask about the curtain definitely! Maybe you can get it approved by saying you will just close t while you pump and that it's so you can keep working while you pump instead of taking a break?
TBH, if they said I curtain, I would probably just pump under a cover in my office.
@MississippiCatfish I will definitely ask! They can be very weird about things sometimes. I'm not allowed to WFH because the rest of my team isn't either...but I work pretty much exclusively in Excel, on a computer because I'm finance while the rest of my team is accounting and has to handle physical mail and invoices, etc. They also wouldn't give me a privacy screen on my window like some other people have, not sure why because it's still see through. But those are different issues, this is a mom issue so maybe they will let me!
Not an FFFC, but how long does it take to pump at work and what's reasonable? I have an employee that takes about 1 hour, 2 X per day to do it and we don't have a policy yet.We are going to implement a formal policy this next year. I want to be reasonable, but 2 hours seems a bit much. I read online 2, 30 min breaks was recommended.
Not an FFFC, but how long does it take to pump at work and what's reasonable? I have an employee that takes about 1 hour, 2 X per day to do it and we don't have a policy yet.We are going to implement a formal policy this next year. I want to be reasonable, but 2 hours seems a bit much. I read online 2, 30 min breaks was recommended.
Formal policy at my workplace is "up to 30 minutes, every 3-4 hours." That was more than sufficient for me when I was pumping but I know some other moms need more time
Not an FFFC, but how long does it take to pump at work and what's reasonable? I have an employee that takes about 1 hour, 2 X per day to do it and we don't have a policy yet.We are going to implement a formal policy this next year. I want to be reasonable, but 2 hours seems a bit much. I read online 2, 30 min breaks was recommended.
Formal policy at my workplace is "up to 30 minutes, every 3-4 hours." That was more than sufficient for me when I was pumping but I know some other moms need more time
Agreed. We don't have a formal policy but I did 30 minute breaks 2 to 3 times a day depending on if I felt I needed to pump again. I ate or worked while pumping so it wasn't too bad.
UO? I dont like when people put their babies in fruit. Like pumpkins at halloween or inside a watermelon. Especially if the baby is nakes or in a diaper... like thats probably cold. And if its not cold than its at least gooey. Why are you putting your baby inside fruits.
Not an FFFC, but how long does it take to pump at work and what's reasonable? I have an employee that takes about 1 hour, 2 X per day to do it and we don't have a policy yet.We are going to implement a formal policy this next year. I want to be reasonable, but 2 hours seems a bit much. I read online 2, 30 min breaks was recommended.
Personally, I've never had success pumping more than 30 minutes. But I had to do it at least every 2 hours to keep up with her intake.
UO? I dont like when people put their babies in fruit. Like pumpkins at halloween or inside a watermelon. Especially if the baby is nakes or in a diaper... like thats probably cold. And if its not cold than its at least gooey. Why are you putting your baby inside fruits.
I did this with DS in a pumpkin. OMG it was so cold, gross, and he hated it. I wouldn't do it again. But the pictures did turn out cute. But ya...never again.
ETA that my whole BMB did it to put all of the photos together. Our babies were about 4 months old and I never would've thought of that on my own.
@dragonfly87-2 I pumped every 3 hours for 20 minutes at work. We only have one mothers room so we had to limit our pumping to only 20 minutes at a time. It was definitely enough time. We had a sign up sheet too so we didn't have to fight over the room. Plus my work makes us use our break time first and if we need more time than that we have to clock out which is kind of unfair but makes sense so people don't abuse it (which they definitely try to do).
UO? I dont like when people put their babies in fruit. Like pumpkins at halloween or inside a watermelon. Especially if the baby is nakes or in a diaper... like thats probably cold. And if its not cold than its at least gooey. Why are you putting your baby inside fruits.
I did this with DS in a pumpkin. OMG it was so cold, gross, and he hated it. I wouldn't do it again. But the pictures did turn out cute. But ya...never again.
ETA that my whole BMB did it to put all of the photos together. Our babies were about 4 months old and I never would've thought of that on my own.
I've done it for clients but I line the inside of the hollowed fruit with Saran Wrap and tuck a couple Muslim swaddles in there for warmth. Tends to piss the kid off less and be far less gross to clean up.
People keep asking me if we will be donating our cord blood. Our birth plan includes delayed cord clamping so if all goes as planned that blood will be going to my baby, not another. I didnt realize that i would feel SO GUILTY about it. I know my baby can survive without it so should i just clamp early and donate it , or is anyone else on the same page as me here and wants to delay clamping?
@bcashaw I have not done research on it, but it's your baby, your body, your choice. It's honestly no one's business what you decide to do and you shouldn't feel guilty about it.
@bcashaw My first hospital didn't offer donation. With my second, we planned on donating, but he was born in the middle of the night and the woman who does the collections went home for the night, so we didn't. So, I guess it's not that big of a deal if they don't collect any from babies born outside of business hours.
I would go with delayed cord clamping, which is our plan for this time.
Re: FFFC
My FFFC is I purchased $80 of clothing yesterday and I have no intention of telling DH about it.
TBH, if they said I curtain, I would probably just pump under a cover in my office.
DS1 is 7. DD is 1. DS2 is coming in late April.
I did this with DS in a pumpkin. OMG it was so cold, gross, and he hated it. I wouldn't do it again. But the pictures did turn out cute. But ya...never again.
ETA that my whole BMB did it to put all of the photos together. Our babies were about 4 months old and I never would've thought of that on my own.
DS1 is 7. DD is 1. DS2 is coming in late April.
ETA and throw pillows!
I would go with delayed cord clamping, which is our plan for this time.