Pumping at Work: Survival Guide

When it's time to go back to work, and you're still pumping, here are a few tips and tricks to help you survive multi-tasking your mom-duties at the office.

SCHEDULE YOUR PUMP SESSIONS

This is critical, especially in the early days of returning to work (months 2-4), when pumping is more frequent. If you work from 8-5, and are still pumping 5-6 times a day, you'll have to figure out when to make one or two 30-minute sessions fit in your day. I tried to minimize the number of pumps at work due to the fact that I really didn't have a comfortable place to go.

Remember, it's the number of times you pump, rather than the number of hours between, that matters most.

Example work pumping schedule - 6x daily - 8am-5pm work day

ONCE AT WORK TWICE AT WORK

7:00am (before work) 6:00am (before work)

12:00pm (work) 10:00am (at work)

5:30pm (after work) 2:00pm (at work)

8:30pm (before bed) 6:00pm (after work)

11:30pm (night pump) 10:00pm (before bed)

4:00am (night pump) 2:00am (night pump)

Example work pumping schedule - 5x daily - once at work - 8am-5pm work day

7:00am (before work)

12:00pm (work)

5:30pm (after work)

10:00pm (before bed)

2:00am (night pump)

Example work pumping schedule - 4x daily - once at work - 8am-5pm work day

6:30am (before work)

12:00pm (work)

6:00pm (after work)

11:00pm (before bed)

Once you pick the right time for you to pump , put it on your calendar and block it off. You can tell your boss, co-workers or team members that this time is sacred - very few should ever question it. If you have to bump it by 30-60 minutes one way or another to accommodate a meeting, you should be fine.

WHERE TO PUMP:

If you're going to sit for 20 minutes pumping (plus 5-10 minutes of setup/tear-down), you should have a comfortable, private place. If you have a private office, hang a Do Not Disturb sign on your door (and block the window). If you don't, ask to use a small conference room or empty office or even a supply closet. I pumped for months in our ladies guest bathroom in our lobby :-( (It was really cold in there - I had to bring a space heater! At least I had a sink.)

What's most important is that you can find a place to relax and pump in private. If you have wi-fi at your work, you can bring your laptop and keep working, or just scroll, catch up on social, etc. If you can't find a place, talk to your boss or Human Resources. Don't be afraid to ask - you might not be the only one who's had this need before.

WHAT TO BRING:

Your pump and hands-free bra, of course. If pumping only once at work, I'd bring one set of horns in a small tupper/ziploc, 4 bottles with caps, and a small cooler and ice pack. For twice, you can either wash your horns or bring extra (lots of work!), and bring more bottles. For this reason alone, I tried always to pump only once at in the office.

When done, some leave their milk in a fridge, but you run the risk of forgetting it, or a co-worker touching it. So, the mini cooler always seemed the safer route for me. I think Medela offers one in their pump-in-style kit.

If you're pumping somewhere you can wash your pieces, maybe bring a small bottle of bottle friendly soap. Even though I had a sink, I preferred to just wipe down my horns and toss them in a small tupper to take home and wash later.

It's always worth having some kind of nipple cream and breast pads (in case of leaks) at work. I also left a universally matching shirt or sweater in my office area in case of any spills or leaks.

WORK PUMP BAG HACK:

Carrying around my pump, my laptop bag, my purse, a lunch cooler or coffee mug - I looked like a crazy bag lady. It made work travel a bear having to bring extra bags because now I was forced to check my rollaway. After a few months, I decided to Hack My Pump Bag. One of the best decisions I ever made. Not only was I more discreet, I also had much less to carry.

Here's what I did. After researching many options online for work-style laptop bags that could also fit a pump, I decided to go the backpack route. I chose a digital SLR backpack that had a lower compartment for camera lenses. I dedicated this front-access compartment to my pump and my mini cooler - very easy to plug in and hook up, without having to take anything out. The upper part of the bag is where I would put my extra/empty bottles and any work stuff (notebooks, business cards, thumb drives, tablet, wallet, laptop charger, etc.) The back is where I stored my laptop. This all-in-one backpack was a huge help both for daily work as well as travel. And, since it's a nice backpack, once I finished pumping, I still use it for travel, picnics, or overnight trips.

I think I will let that company know they have a broader market than just camera bags! :-)

Update: There are many more options today (2019) than in 2014 for work/pump bags that are all-purpose and discreet, so you might have better luck than my "hack". But I love that bag. :-)