breastfeeding/pumping working mothers?

[texasred1]

I was wondering how many of you either are or have breastfed while working full-time. I have been doing this for 6 weeks now. Of course there have been a few minor gliches along the way... they forgot to install blinds on my office windows (it's an office inside a big dept.) so I had to search for a place to pump... that's pretty much about it. Today however they are scheduling meetings all over the place. They schedule, then cancel, reschedule - it's just a mess. Not being a on a pumping schedule I could care less but I'm trying to figure that in to. It sounds simple, close your door and just pump, but one of these meeting takes place right here in our dept., right outside my door, with everyone from little 'ol me, right on up to the COB. So I sit here right now in limbo. :? pump? wait? pump?

It always makes me worry if I go to long, I'm always in fear I'm going to decrease my supply (that's the worry wort in me :roll: )

Please share some of your experiences.

[wantingbabynumber2]

I did marketing and retention along with HR stuff so I was SO busy I finally broke down and told the 2 owners both men I had to pump. I was so embaressed but I got to the point where since I never knew who would be in my office or how much I had to be on the phone it was mandatory to take the 10-15 min and pump. Alot of times I did like a half pump if we were really busy then went back and finished later. Then once the milk was cool I mixed all the bottles so there was even fore/hind milk concentration. My LC told me as long as I emptied think it was 8 times a day my milk supply was okay. I pumped in the restroom which was a single toilet/sink (small office) and I had no walls. i had tried pumping in the car and finding a spot was too hard. Eventually they moved a table and comfy chair in the bathroom for me it was very sweet at least they were trying. They knew if I said I'd be back in 15 there were no ifs ands or butts I was going to pump. One time we were in a meeting with a new client who would not shut his mouth and I finally interupted and told my boss I need to go get some paperwork and will be back in less than 15 min took him a second but her got it I was so engorged that was all I was thinking about then obsessing on leaking.

[texasred1]

Why is it that people in marketing/advertising are on some other clock? Our 11:00 meeting that moved to 2:00 just got put on hold until... TBD. We are waiting for the COB and the CEO to return from "wherever". grrr... Our dept. is all set up and ready to go. If they aren't back in 15 minutes I'm going to go hunt down a new place to pump.

Karen - 8 times? Is that how many times a day Hannah was eating? I'm more on a 6 times a day schedule, unless Mason wakes once during the night. Even on weekends...

[wantingbabynumber2]

Its been awhile since I pumped sweetie eight sticks in my head maybe 8 times is like eating every 3 hours to make 24? But if Mason is consistent with 6 feedings a day I'd make sure you empty at least that many times. I am so glad this time I won't have to work/pump well hopefully she will be full term. I kept daily logs of what I pumped too. As long as those numbers are consistent you will be fine.

[cvalentine]

Michelle - I only pump 3x/day and nurse 2-3 times a day and my supply has kept up okay. I'm in the same spot of being really busy, or in a meeting during my pumping time, and I just have to be strict with myself to make sure I go in my usual time frame. (I go once for 30 minutes) I just let whoever is heading up the meeting that between 2 and 3, I'll be leaving because I'm nursing my baby and have to go "tend" to that. I hate saying that I have to "pump" I don't know why, I just don't like that word. It embarrasses me. :roll: Luckily, everybody at my new job is super flexible and understanding. Everyone just knows I take my break between 2 and 3, no questions asked!

[texasred1]

Cristen - I know what you mean about the wording.

I guess I'm just going to have to be firm in MY pumping times. It's always men in my company that push meeting times around on a whim and have no understanding of women. When I was about 7+ mnths pregnant it floored me one morning I was standing on a chair hanging ads in the conference room, our president and/or our CEO made an off comment remark about what I was doing, yet neither one bothered to help me. So I don't know why it surprises me now. The Vice Chairman of our company is a woman, she's the one who got the blinds for me and wanted to make sure that was enough, bless her heart. In my immediate department it's me, my boss (male) and a temp (male) and I think it freaks them out when I close my door and the blinds - lol.

[mara232]

I think it freaks them out when I close my door and the blinds - lol. :lol:

[texasred1]

I can see through the edges of the blinds on my door (you can't see in unless you went and stood at the window) and as they walk around in the dept. it's almost as if they go out of their way NOT to look at my office. LMAO!

[mara232]

You're so lucky you have an office - I liv ein cubicle land - it sucks! :?

[texasred1]

I did the cube for 6 years. But I worked for much larger companies than I do now. But it's not an office with windows to the outside, just into the department.

[texasred1]

OMG Mara - you'll love this... I just finished pumping and opened the blinds to my office and was opening the door when one of the VP's and the CEO walked in to the dept. The CEO was in here not even 2 min. ago while my door was closed. He's such and idiot (the CEO) as I stood there opening the door he was walking into my boss' office (right next to mine) and said, "Are you in there taking a nap?" LMAO I just replied, "YES I AM."

[Sherri]

Hi! I just found this thread! Now I feel bad I cluttered up the regular Mom's group thread with that flurry of freezing questions! :oops:

How I've been handling meetings is that I have it scheduled into my calendar as "Personal" and it comes up as "busytime" when people try to schedule meetings that include me. So far it works pretty well (when people use the calendaring program). Not always, like today b/c I'm just changing my pumping schedule.

I'm finding that Ava usually wants to nurse 3 times on workdays - once in the morning, once when I get home from work, and once at bedtime. And I'm pumping 3x per day (this week starting once in the morning at home and twice at work instead of 3x at work). So it ends up being 6 nursings/pumpings per day. Usually on weekends Ava will go about 4 hours between daytime nursings (and not usually on both sides!) unless she's having a growth spurt.

[texasred1]

Sherri - that's about what Mason & I are doing. I pump once before I leave the house, 2xs at work, and 1x when we get home, (maybe one other time) and then when we go to bed. I think he's back on schedule and not waking during the night. On weekends he'll go at least 4 hours and if he's power napping maybe 5 hours. He does both sides most always. Last week he wouldn't take a bottle from my mom who watched him (at my house). I was afraid he'd start that with his sitter. NO he takes 6oz. bottles from her! At least the first 2 feedings, then maybe not so much with the last one.

[Sherri]

Oh yeah, I hate to say "pumping" too. B/c there is a lactation room upstairs, my shorthand to my immediate coworkers is that I'm going "upstairs." Or sometimes, to the Dairy. Sometimes Harriet moos. But it's Harriet, so it's okay. :D

[Kitty]

Hello, Ladies!

I pump three times- once before I go to work, once in the morning at work, and once in the afternoon. I commandeered a storage closet that was an office until the remodelling made it too small. (It has windows with blinds and a door that locks.) The HR director keeps her personnel files in there, but since I have payroll clearance, it's not a big deal.

My bosses (both guys) are fine if I say "I have to take my break"; they know what I mean. Once Clueless Boss came looking for me in our cubes, and asked Betty, "Is she, umm... doing her thing?" Usually I'll tell my female co-workers that I'm going to take my break, or if we're feeling light hearted I'll tell them I'm going to "go lactate" or "do my thing."

Sometimes male co-workers will come into the breakroom while I'm washing up my horns, or putting away the baggies, but I just act like nothing's going on and they do the same. Once one of the salesguys who thinks he's real cool made some cutesy comment about the bottle of EBM that I had in my hand, and I said, "Yep, I've got the good stuff!" (I think he thought it was formula.)

[texasred1]

Kitty - Haven't heard from you in ages! How are you and your little one?
Miss you around here.

[Kitty]

Hi, Red!

We are doing good. Things are very busy and scary here at work. We've gone from being threatened to shut down to taking over administrative duties for a satellite office in Canada. Being a Mom and holding down two jobs means very little sleep. Anastasia is crawling! Yikes! Where does time go?

[texasred1]

Wow Kitty! No wonder you don't post anymore - two jobs? You are super woman. Hope everything works out at work. I can't believe she's crawling! It seems as if it were just the other day you (we) were pregnant and I was trying to explain to you what a kolache was! Take care momma, good to hear from you!