Quote:
Originally Posted by Emmeline II  I pumped when I was in the military, but it was for a brief period with a small underground office.
I think that respect has to go both ways since this is a workplace. Perhaps present a plan:
You will: - Post your sign
- Close your door when pumping
Your co-workers will: - Respect your sign
- Knock and wait for an answer before entering
- Understand that you are not performing a sexual act, so the mere sight of your pumping apparatus on the counter while you use the toilet should be equated with leaving a dildo on the counter, nor is it a bio-hazard.
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I agree with this, with the caveat that some people will just never be quite comfy with the idea of pump parts being around, ever. Now, I do insist on rinsing my parts at the kitchen sink and while it's created the odd awkward moment, I would not be willing to never clean the parts while at work - not terribly feasible in my situation. However, I only do it a couple of times a day (parts can go some time without needing to be washed), and one of those is usually later in the evening after everyone (or nearly everyone) has left. I keep my parts and pump in my desk drawer and no one ever sees them.
I laughed a bit at the forgetting to close the door thing. I've NEVER forgotten to close my door, and I do it 4x/day or more. Recently, though, because it's such a habit, I've found myself having a moment of panic in the middle of pumping thinking "Oh my gosh my door is open!!" Of course it isn't - I just closed it mechanically since it's so routine now.
I try to avoid embarassment for my coworkers. In return, I get a lot. I get to pump when and where I need to, with privacy, at my own desk.
No one gives me a hard time about doing it or complains about productivity. I'm pumping right now, in fact.
To make things easier for my coworkers, I:
(1) Do not discuss pumping, unless it comes up AND the audience is appropriate (such as another pumping mom or former BF mom) OR it needs to be addressed for some reason;
(2) Am discreet about my pump parts, cleaning 1-2x/day and never leaving the parts in the kitchen or other communal area - I clean them and then dry them a bit, put them back together and take them to my office and avoid doing it a lunchtime when there are a lot of people in & out of the kitchen;
(3) Make answers to questions easy, low-key, and short. I.e. "What's that you're washing?" "Oh, those are the parts to my pump. I pump milk for my baby." Then I give a big smile and change the subject. "So how was your commute? Traffic was awful for me this morning."
(4) ALWAYS close my door, put a post-it note on the door that says "Please do not disturb - Thank you" and pull a chair in front of the door (on my side of the door) so that if someone misses the note, since I can't lock the door, no one will accidentally come in (since they would bump the chair with the door first).
It would be great if everyone was just comfy with NIP and pumping, but people aren't, so to make it easier for everyone and to make my workplace more comfortable and keep everyone happy, those are the main things I do to do my part to be polite and easygoing. In return, I get to pump for my babies (pumping for baby #2, 9 mos!) and not get hassled about it.
Good luck; I'm sure you can work it out. I would be gracious about keeping the door closed and putting a sign up, as well as being careful about the pump parts (walk them back to your desk before going to the bathroom, for example), but not be willing to pump or nurse in the storage room unless there really is a NEED for it - you should eliminate the need by making the nursing/pumping happening in your office much more seamless and easier for everyone. HTH!
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:, and a few less tv shows showing people spitting out accidentally consumed bm (and this is not a completely random comment because tv normalizes things that people are not often exposed to 
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