Pumping at Work Logistical Concerns

[Anonymous]

Baby is due soon and I'm trying to figure out the logistics of pumping at work when I come back from maternity leave. The situation is that I work in a very small office on a very small team. I work in a cubicle and the only parts of the office that are remotely private are the ED's office and a supply closet. Legally I know they are required to provide somewhere private I can pump, and my gut is telling me it's going to be the supply closet. This feels...humiliating somehow. I've already talked to HR and they have agreed that my options are slim (no one working here has apparently had a baby in the last decade) but they would ensure I would have somewhere as private as possible for this. No elaboration beyond that. Obviously because of the small team and open concept design pumping at my desk is not going to happen. I feel like I would rather go and pump in my car in the parking garage (1/2 a mile away.....) but that feels like a cluster of a situation also. Have any others found themselves in a similar situation and if so, what did you do? Maybe I am being too sensitive and should just accept the fact that I'll be pumping in a closet but would love to hear if anyone has advice.

[Anonymous]

If your pump is quiet (like a Spectra) and your cube walls are high enough that people walking by can't see in, they could get you a screen to put up at the entrance to your cube so you'd essentially have a walled-in private area. You'd be able to get your work done while pumping this way, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your pump is quiet (like a Spectra) and your cube walls are high enough that people walking by can't see in, they could get you a screen to put up at the entrance to your cube so you'd essentially have a walled-in private area. You'd be able to get your work done while pumping this way, too.

I thought about this but we are super open concept so unfortunately the cube walls are pretty low (between like 4 and 5 feet low--significantly shorter than I am). My colleagues in the two adjacent cubes need only stand up and can see directly into mine. Otherwise I think this would be a good option!

[Anonymous]

Why not just ask if it's the supply closet...well, unless you can identify some other space that will work, then the supply closet it is. Beats the bathroom. Make sure there's a way to lock the door from the inside, and put up a small sign indicating that the closet is currently in use. I would not want to walk to and from the parking garage 2-3 times a day, especially if it's 1/2 mile away. Not ideal, but it's also not forever.

[Anonymous]

If you have to pump 3 times a day you DO NOT want to be walking a mile each time. I wanted my time at work to be working so I could get home to my baby, not walking around trying to find a spot to pump.

I'd ask if they have a plan for the supply closet. Help make it cozy. And yes to the LOCK on the door.

[Anonymous]

Is there any world where the bathroom could be less humiliating? If you had multiple single-stall bathrooms and one had an outlet and space for a chair - that might be a better solution for you and your employer than the supply closet.

Otherwise I'm not sure what choice anyone here has - if that's the only private space, that's the only private space.

[Anonymous]

Thinking outside the box - Is there potentially extra space in your building? A wework or something like that? A company on a different floor that has nursing space your company could work you into somehow?

[Anonymous]

You could send this to HR:

https://www.mamava.com/

[Anonymous]

I actually preferred pumping in our supply closet over the lactation room. I was sick of fighting with other women over pump room times (there were only 2 slots open ALL DAY and I needed to pump 3x a day). Supply closet was private, quiet and I could go in at 9, 12 and 3 and pump to my heart's delight.

[Anonymous]

I pumped in a server room after my first was born. We put a cute table and a mini-fridge in there. We got a door with a key that only the nursing moms had - 3 of us. We hung up some pictures and made it as cozy as we could. It was not bad at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You could send this to HR:

https://www.mamava.com/

Something tells me an operation as small as OP is describing probably doesn't have room (or $) for that kind of thing. Though that mini one IS pretty nifty. OP, get a folding chair and a one of those fold up TV dinner type tables and leave those in the supply closet so you have somewhere to sit and set up your pump. If it makes you feel any better, that's essentially what the official lactation room at the hospital I worked at provided. Not at all fancy, sadly.

[Anonymous]

you're going to want privacy, for me that was what was most important. There is the logistics of taking your top off/down to unsnap your nursing bra and "hook up" to the pump. Plus if you need to use your hands to manipulate your boob, you'll likely want some privacy so your coworkers to see you massaging your milk ducts.

Beyond privacy you need access to:
electric outlet to turn on pump (or to make sure its charged when not in use)
fridge space (to store pumped milk and your parts in between use)
running water and soap (to wash up before/after you pump/handle milk)
space someplace to store your extra parts when not in use

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, it is supply closet or freemies with a pump. If it annoys your office mates so be it. The door must be able to be locked by you btw and if there is enough room, maybe put a chair and nightstand so you have a place to keep your supplies. I used a mini cooler plugged in and kept my supplies and milk in there during the day. Do NOT use a bathroom, pumping itself can introduce a lot of microbes, having to pump in a bathroom is demeaning and unsanitary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You could send this to HR:

https://www.mamava.com/

Something tells me an operation as small as OP is describing probably doesn't have room (or $) for that kind of thing. Though that mini one IS pretty nifty. OP, get a folding chair and a one of those fold up TV dinner type tables and leave those in the supply closet so you have somewhere to sit and set up your pump. If it makes you feel any better, that's essentially what the official lactation room at the hospital I worked at provided. Not at all fancy, sadly.

Sure maybe not. But if they have to comply with the ACA it's one way to help them figure it out. Or yes, they could ensure the supply closet meets the needs.

OP, the main thing you need is privacy and an outlet. The rest you can figure out.

[Anonymous]

This is OP -- thanks for the helpful advice ladies! I had pretty much assumed the supply closet would be the only viable option. It does not have a lock and there is no outlet inside...but a lock could easily be added and the lack of outlet could be solved by threading an extension cord in from the conference room next door. Not ideal but I also realize this isn't the end of the world. I didn't even know the door had to lock, so thanks for pointing that out. It seems common sense but HR is pretty clueless, sadly. Does anyone know if there has to be separate storage options available or is the communal fridge fair game? My office is small and my coworkers are not the kind of people who would take issue with breast milk in the fridge but I have no idea if there are any sanitation issues since it is a bodily fluid. Thanks again everyone!