Poll: pumping at work

[Deleted]

Hi I'm new. I intro'd myself on the main Seattle board but thought I'd pop in here too. I have 2 kiddos, one born last fall. I went back to work a couple months ago and I am ready to give up pumping at work. It is SO hard to make the time. My job is either constantly on the go or frantically trying to catch up on paperwork and I don't have my own office so I have to sneak pumping in in other rooms in between when they are being used. It is such a hassle! I feel terrible wanting to stop because I get pretty good output still but ugh. Pumping with my last kiddo (different job) was not like this. Just wondering what other ladies do/have done.

[jennlin]

Hello, welcome!

I put a year plus, but I'm not sure, I might've broken the poll. Bjl (my dd), was 15ish mos when I stopped, so more than a year, but I had been at work for less than a year at that point. So, maybe 9-12 mos too. I would have kept going, and I was still comfortable doing so at work, but I was pregnant and losing supply and was only bringing home 3oz a day at this point and didn't see the point.

[karebear219]

I didn't last very long either. Pumping at work was such a hassel I hated it so much. I was only able to do it twice a day and my supply plummited. We don't have a mothers room so I pumped in the cold sad bathroom. I really blame my job for my supply issues.

[jennlin]

Apr 26, 2014 13:06:12 GMT -5 karebear219 said:

I didn't last very long either. Pumping at work was such a hassel I hated it so much. I was only able to do it twice a day and my supply plummited. We don't have a mothers room so I pumped in the cold sad bathroom. I really blame my job for my supply issues.

They're required by Washington state law to allow pumping breaks (paid for or not depends on your company) and a non-bathroom with a door that locks. If you decide to have #2 make sure you get that fixed!

[karebear219]

Apr 26, 2014 20:48:13 GMT -5 jennlin said:

Apr 26, 2014 13:06:12 GMT -5 karebear219 said:

I didn't last very long either. Pumping at work was such a hassel I hated it so much. I was only able to do it twice a day and my supply plummited. We don't have a mothers room so I pumped in the cold sad bathroom. I really blame my job for my supply issues.

They're required by Washington state law to allow pumping breaks (paid for or not depends on your company) and a non-bathroom with a door that locks. If you decide to have #2 make sure you get that fixed!

For the second piece of that does it depend on the size of your office?

[jennlin]

Apr 26, 2014 21:09:27 GMT -5 karebear219 said:

Apr 26, 2014 20:48:13 GMT -5 jennlin said:

They're required by Washington state law to allow pumping breaks (paid for or not depends on your company) and a non-bathroom with a door that locks. If you decide to have #2 make sure you get that fixed!

For the second piece of that does it depend on the size of your office?

I'm looking for it right now--federally you are protected, and only if it becomes "undue hardship" and the "employer enploys less than 50 employees" they don't have to comply. But it isn't specific if it's less than 50 per office.

I will continue my search for state laws on Monday when I'm not mobile.

[alias]

SS. My milk never came in.

[jennlin]

karebear219 wa does not have state-laws for it, only the federal laws..

[karebear219]

Apr 28, 2014 11:07:36 GMT -5 jennlin said:

karebear219 wa does not have state-laws for it, only the federal laws..

Hmm... My company is pretty good about this kind of stuff when it comes to building code. At my new office there still isn't a good place to do it besides the bathroom. Unless I would want to entertain the janitorial or storage closet.

Breaks I'll admit it's due to my job roll instead of not being allowed to take them. I'd be about to go on break to go pump but then I would help a customer depending on the interaction over an hour would go buy and I'd miss the time I needed to pump. In my new roll it would be easier to stay on a regular schedule. Just wish I had a mother's room to use.

[angelinmind]

I got back to work and found it really difficult to pump as often as I needed to. I was able for the first 3 months i was back at work to go feed her at lunch so I that was one less time to try and pump for her. Other than that I found that if I wasn't respectful of the time that i needed (blocked out on my calendar) other people weren't respectful either.

[shevacc]

Over a year, but my office does have mothers' rooms. I did have to contend with people wanting to schedule meetings with me during those times but I usually was able to put them off. And I work from home most of the time (though still had to pump since DD was in full-time daycare). Pumping was still sucky, but I had it pretty easy in the greater scheme of things.

[Deleted]

I am seriously impressed with all you long term pumpers! I will continue to squeeze in a session or two a day until my supply decreases. I know it is temporary in the grand scheme of things...

[Deleted]

Apr 26, 2014 20:48:13 GMT -5 jennlin said:

Apr 26, 2014 13:06:12 GMT -5 karebear219 said:

I didn't last very long either. Pumping at work was such a hassel I hated it so much. I was only able to do it twice a day and my supply plummited. We don't have a mothers room so I pumped in the cold sad bathroom. I really blame my job for my supply issues.

They're required by Washington state law to allow pumping breaks (paid for or not depends on your company) and a non-bathroom with a door that locks. If you decide to have #2 make sure you get that fixed!

My company always uses that 50 employee clause to get out of everything.