Guest Post: Pumping at Work 101

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Baby feeding bottles on top of a table

Pumping at work: it’s one of the toughest parts of going back to work after maternity leave.

In past posts we’ve covered what to wear to pump at work, how to manage pumping in different offices, pumping during work travel, and how to dress professionally when you go back to work (when your pre-pregnancy clothes still don’t fit).

house ad reads "OUR TOP TIPS FOR WINTER BUSINESS CASUAL"; background image shows a young professional woman wearing winter business casual and walking in a snowy city

Today Reader K gives you some basic tips for pumping at work and recommends a few helpful products. Thank you, K!

My best friend gave me great advice before I went back to work: The dread is worse than the reality. I was nervous about leaving my little guy with someone I barely knew; I was nervous I would not be as good at my job as I had been before I left for leave; I was nervous that I would sit at my desk missing him all day. Basically, I was nervous about everything.

But now, seven months in, it hasn’t been that bad. For the most part, I have managed to focus completely on whatever I’m doing, whether work or home life. That means I am really efficient at work and then don’t really check my email once I get home until after my son goes to bed. (Fortunately, we hit the baby jackpot and got a great sleeper.)

{related: how to work after your kids go to bed}

The hardest part, though, was pumping at work. After reading comments here and talking to my sister and some friends, I got into my routine.

(Pictured: breast pump overload, originally uploaded to Flickr by madichan.)

First of all, stick to a schedule. Put it on your calendar. Don’t vary. You can get yourself into trouble rather quickly if you miss a pumping session.

Second, wear clothes that have button fronts, especially if they are patterned (to hide any, ahem, mishaps). This one from Banana Republic (pictured)  is a good example. You may want to size up because your body may change shapes throughout the day depending on when you last pumped.

professional pumping shirt

Third — and people have different approaches to this one — I found the best plan was to lock my door and then not answer if someone knocked. Otherwise, it’s just awkward. Anything you say (“One moment please!” “Who is it?”) may lead to a weird conversation and leave people wondering what exactly you’re doing in there.

Fourth, wear these. That’s all I’m going to say about that.

It was also challenging to figure out how to do it all logistically. I had one of these totes that I kept the little Medela bottles in. It has a built-in ice pack, which means you have to remember to put it in the freezer every night. That was a better plan for me than trekking back and forth to the office fridge several times a day, plus remembering to get your milk at the end of the day when you’re just ready to get home to your little one.

The Mayo Clinic says unrefrigerated milk lasts up to six hours, so I was comfortable leaving the milk in that bag with an ice pack for a little longer than that. In reality, only milk from your first pumping session is going to be out that long. I also recommend the Kelly Mom blog as a great resource for any questions about breastfeeding and pumping.

{related: here’s why we love this compact refrigerator — including storing breast milk!}

I also liked to bring a burp cloth to set on my lap while I was pumping. And I reused a single set of parts during the day, usually wiping them down with these wipes. I know some people who brought a wet bag and enough sets of accessories to use a different one each time. I didn’t want to carry that stuff with me, so I tried to streamline.

And last, buy yourself a present after it’s all over, because you’re a champ for doing it any length of time.

Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t make it a year. It’s tougher than most people think. You are doing a service to your baby regardless of how long you make it. Remember that!

Finally, you’re probably going to have to reveal to the people you work with that you’re pumping, and you’re just going to have to get over it. Exhibit A: Sitting on the dirty floor of the courtroom bathroom pumping, wearing a suit, wishing I had been more upfront and not ended up in that particular situation.

If I had it to do over again, I would have told the partners at the beginning of the day when I would need a break and then asked the courthouse staff if there were a better place to pump.

As it was, I went way too long, was in pain and distracted, and then had to dump the milk anyway. And on that note: buy one of these battery packs.

* As always, this guest poster has been invited by Kat to post on a subject of interest to the community. We value having different and diverse voices here, and indeed part of the benefit of guest bloggers is broadening the dialog beyond Kat’s own views. To that end, please note that opinions expressed by guest bloggers, like opinions expressed in comments, do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Kat, Katfry LLC, or any of our sponsors or other contributors.

Pumping at Work 101
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I was lead counsel on an out of town hearing and both my second chairs were pumping. They brought both grandmas along to watch the kids during the day in the hotel and we took LONG breaks in the morning and afternoon. I was in awe of the dedication of my team.

In addition to all the great tips above, these are some pumping hacks/tips that I’ve either had to use myself or a friend in my support group has used:
-forgot bottles? Medela PIS/PISA will work without bottles connected, leaning over coffee mugs to collect the milk.
-to take milk home the day I pumped into mugs I bought a bottles of water from the vending machine, dumped the water down the sink and used the water bottle to store & take home the milk.
-I’ve wrapped up the tops of my bottles with a sandwich baggies and rubber band the day I forgot lids.
-Target & Babies R Us sell spare membranes if you wash yours down the sink during the first pumping session of th day. And milk storage bags if you’d rather not pump into mugs like I did above.
-Amazon sells spare bottles and parts. Buy a second (or third) set for the day you lose, forget or break yours, or the night you just can’t bear to wash those damn things one more time and leave them to soak for the day while you use the spare.
-Medela freezer bags come with an adaptor so you can pump right into their bags (which have little holes for the adaptor). But their bags are crappy – they are triangular so they don’t freeze flat. Buy one set of Medela bags for the adaptor, and the Lansinoh or Honeysuckle bags are strong enough to be able to just poke holes in to hang from the adaptor.
-paper towels aren’t the most comfortable thing in the world, but they are better than going without nursing pads when you forget them. Pantiliners also work in a pinch.
-spare clothes (down to socks and nursing bra) are a good idea for the day you trip and spill milk all over yourself (Been there, done that)
-wipe your parts off with a paper towel before storing them in the fridge for next time? Use that milk soaked paper towel to wipe your neck, elbows or face (if you aren’t wearing makeup) – milk is a great moisturizer
-along those same lines, if you are uncertain about if a bottle of milk is still good (doesn’t smell spoiled, but left beyond conditions you feel comfortable feeding it to baby for whatever reason) – dump it in baby’s bath (or yours) as moisturizer.
– put your vitamins in your pump bag to remind you to take them. Same thing if you are having trouble staying hydrated – get in the habit of filling up your water bottle before each pumping session.

I am not at the pumping stage yet, but it seems like it’s not uncommon to need to pump 2-4x day during the day. For those of you who are litigators/trial attorneys, how on earth do you manage this around depositions and trial?Right now I am expecting to have a case go to trial within 3 months of my return from leave. Lunch break covers one session, maybe the others are early/late? I know it’s silly to be concerned about this now, but since I’d like to breastfeed as long as possible, it’s on my mind.

I just finished pumping for my wee one (although he’s still nursing in the mornings and evenings), and I’ll say I learned a lot during those months! I started out pumping three times a day (for the first 12 months), then twice a day (for two months), then once a day (for two weeks). It was hard to fit it in during the day, but once I figured out a good system for working while pumping, it was much easier. I set somewhat flexible pumping times and tried to save e-mails and research for those times, so a hands-free bra and a double pump were essential. Once I stopped pumping, though, I stopped working. I found out the hard way what a mess it can be when you try to respond to an email while there are open containers of breast milk sitting around. FYI–breast milk is very sticky when it dries! :)

I was also very upfront about what I was doing (especially since I had to cover the window in my office), so everyone knew what I was doing when the door was shut and the curtain was down. It might have been awkward for others, but it wasn’t for me. When I had to, I also did conference calls while pumping (any time a client showed up unexpectedly and needed to meet). I just put the pump as far away from the phone as possible and turned it to face the wall. I never had anyone ask about the noise, so I assume that worked well enough.

As far as taking care of pump parts, I rinsed them and used the Medela wipes during the day and then washed and sterilized them each night. Also, if you’re going the Medela route, I know it may seem quicker to pump straight into the bags, but that definitely increases your chances of making a mess, and the bags have to be manipulated to get a more accurate measurement. I just pumped into the bottles and then dumped however much I wanted into each bag. I used the little 2.7 oz bottles for any extras during the day.

Finally, in terms of what to wear, I found that the easiest thing for me was to wear shirts that don’t wrinkle because then I could just yank them up, put on the pump/bra, and go. It may not work for everyone, but that was easiest for me, especially since I hate button-up shirts and nursing shirts.

I have been back at work for a little over 2 months, and had a workman walk into my locked office. Be sure to respond when someone knocks (granted, I was shouting “do not come in” as he came in), because maybe that could prevent someone from coming in with a key. Also, my supply was awesome during maternity leave, but I’ve found that lack of sleep and stress really make my production variable while at work so I’ve been supplementing. No matter how friendly your office is to working moms, it is really tough to make this work.

I pumped at work for 3 years total (one with each kid). I have an office (thank goodness) and a lock on the door so my day didn’t get interrupted – I just would not take phone calls during that time. I also didn’t take down everything in between pumping sessions – I would do 4 a day, roughly every 2 hrs, because keeping up supply was important to me – and so I would do the first 2, then reset the bottles, then the second 2. I used to keep extra envelopes from the supply closet in my office so I could put the little medela bottle in the envelope and not worry about carrying the bottle down the hall to the fridge. I also brought a big lunch box and would put the full bottles in there so they weren’t sitting in the fridge by themselves.

FWIW, I nursed until the kids were 22 months, 22 months, and 26 months, although I didn’t nurse during the day after they were 12 or 14 months.

I know it’s not the most environmentally friendly thing, but I would only use disposable nursing pads. I’ve had one friend, and heard of a few others, getting mastitis from re-using pads like the ones linked in the post and those silicone ones, too.

Would love suggestions as to pumps and storage systems and things to carry it all in. Insurance is covering nothing so feel free to suggest any brand, any price range. :)

I have an Ameda Purely Yours, and it has batteries built in, so you don’t need to buy a separate battery pack or worry about outlets all the time.

I am very grateful that my company has a lactation room with a refrigerator, computer, desk, and comfortable couch. We all have laptops, so when it’s time to pump (3x a day for me, as my son is just 4 months old) I take my laptop and go to the lactation room. I am able to get my pumping gear on and working within a few minutes, and then I work away while I pump. I either wipe down my gear with pump wipes or store the parts in the fridge between sessions, and then do a full soap and steam clean in the office kitchen at the end of the day. While I realize that I am lucky to have the comfortable space I have to pump, I have also come to realize that it’s very much about attitude and choices. It is important for me that I pump and breastfeed my son, so I have resolved to make that happen no matter where I am – that includes when I’ve traveled for work and been away from my baby, I’ve pumped on planes and in bathroom stalls and in other “exotic” locales. My personal attitude for my situation is that this is the way I’ve chosen to feed my baby so I’m committed to this 100%, and I’m open with my colleagues about that should they ask. I do not feel any embarrassment about this choice I’ve made and believe that all mothers should believe in whatever choice they make to care for and feed their babies! I’ll also second the hand pump recommendation — it’s useful to have when you’re going to be away from an outlet for a pumping session!

Somewhat pumping related question..

There is a daycare on-site at my office. Is it ridiculous to think if I used this daycare I could do one of my sessions (say, at lunch) with the baby actually nursing instead of pumping? It’s about a five minute walk to the daycare, so I would think that wouldn’t take much longer than all the rigmarole of pumping? Not sure it’d be feasible for all feedings (it makes sense I’d need to pump to have milk to give the daycare anyway, not to mention walking over to the daycare multiple times a day) but it is the main reason I’d consider this daycare. It’s pretty pricey (in line with our area, but still much more than in-home daycare) but I’m wondering if removing some of the hassle from pumping would be worth it?

Has anyone done this and can comment?

[and yes I’m not even pregnant yet but I’m already thinking about these things :) The daycare fills up fast, so I’m trying to figure out if the convenience would be worth it to get our names on the waitlist asap.]

I exclusively pumped for 14 months. Can’t believe that I did it and I’m darn proud of myself. In the intial months, I was pumping upwards of 10 times a day (yes you read that right) in order to maintain supply. So when I finally went back to work after 6 months, I was down to just 4 pumps a day and found pumping at work to be a total breeze, since I was so used to being hooked to a pump around the clock. I pumped in a private lactation room that you could only access with a special key. I never wore any pump friendly clothing. In fact, I mostly wore sheath dresses and would be pumping half disrobed! But because the room was so private, I didn’t care.

I agree with the guest poster that keeping on a schedule is key. If you miss a session, it hurts and it can impact supply. I also found just using one set of parts and putting them in the fridge immediately after, in a ziplock bag, saved a lot of time. I didn’t even wipe them down.

I’m now pregnant with #2 and am really really hoping that I don’t have to go the exclusive pumping route because it was hard. But, let’s see how nursing goes. I’m cautiously optimistic.

I never found myself productive while pumping. Sometimes I would read a case or two, but more often than not I would be reading the responses here!

The best advice I got about pumping was actually from the main s1te… I reused the parts for each session during the day, and just put them in my cooler bag with the bottles in the fridge. Even easier than wiping them clean with special wipes that I would have to remember to restock (I did a cursory wipe with a paper towel, of course).

My LO is almost 8 months – I’ve gone down to pumping twice a day, and noticed only a slight dip in “production”. (We’ve already begun to supplement with formula and it works for us.)

I will also throw out, I’ve had great success with my hand-held pump for days when I’m out at meetings, events, travel, etc. I strongly encourage everyone to invest the $30 and try it. Pumping standing up in a bathroom stall sure beats hunched over a bathroom sink, in the open, near an outlet.

Great post! I read it as I was sitting, you guessed it, pumping at my desk.

My LO is almost 9 months old and since I was able to take 7 months’ maternity leave, I have only been pumping at work for less than 2 months….and I am finding it really, really cuts into my day. I am currently pumping 3 times per day (8:30, 11:30, 3:30) and figure that pretty soon I should be able to reduce to twice per day since my daughter seems to be taking less milk now during the day. But any tips on productivity and pumping? No need to mention the Freemie…I have already considered it and decided not to use it. It’s more just the fact that my day feels so chopped up. What have the rest of you done to minimize the impact on your working day and maximize productivity?

Thanks!