Breastfeeding and working in the medical industry?

[minkajane]

When I had DS, I was working an office job, so stepping away to pump was not a big deal. Plus I lived nearby and was able to go home on lunch to nurse him. This time's different. For one thing, I graduate in March from a Medical Assisting program and I'm due in April. So I'll basically be looking for a job on my maternity leave. So pumping is something I'll have to address right away, rather than gradually working things out through pregnancy. Also, I know that medical facilities and offices are often very fast-paced. I've heard a lot of nurses complain about barely having time to pee or choke down food. How in the world will I make time to pump?

A couple of things I've considered are having a scheduled pumping time so that I can work with my coworkers to make sure things are covered, offering to do all my charting while using a hands-free pumping bra, or using the Whisper Wear pump so I can pump while still working with patients (though I worry that it won't be powerful enough or the patients will be able to hear it).

If you work in the medical industry, how do you make things work with pumping?

[haydn'smommy]

Well, things would be a bit different for you. You aren't a nurse so there's no issue of major charting, etc that RNs do at a hospital. Likely, you'd be looking at being a clinic "nurse" so there would be more flexibility than at a hospital. I'm a NP and I just find a spot in between patients and pump. I was pumping 4 times/day but now it's only 2. I'd pump upon arrival at the office, at 10am, at lunch and at 3pm. Only the 10am and 3 pm sessions interfered with patient time. I have one MA who is pregnant now and the plan for her is to pump on a similar schedule and she'll get everything as caught up as possible before going to pump and then all the other nurses will cover for the 15min that she is pumping.

ETA: look at applying in pediatrics or women's health, especially if you can find an office that has a lactation specialist on staff. One big plus in my favor (and my staff's favor) in terms of pumping is that I'm the Lactation Counselor and we're a peds office. We can't very well advocate for moms to breastfeed and tell them how easy it can be to work, pump and still breastfeed if we don't allow the staff to do it, KWIM?

[buckeyedoc]

I'm a veterinary pathologist, so I work behind a microscope in my own single office now, and pumping is not an issue. However, when I worked in clinical veterinary practice, I had to strictly block off time on my schedule to go upstairs and pump. If I needed 20 minutes, I blocked off 30 minutes, because the appointment before might go over. It was a little difficult, but workable. I also used to work in a molecular biology lab, and I scheduled specific pump times there and did my work around them or brought it with me. I ate during those times so that I didn't need extra "breaks". Then, and now, I pump once in the morning before going to work so that I can get by with only two more pumping sessions during a regular 8-ish hour day.

[buckeyedoc]

I do pump hands-free and read slides at the same time.

[EmilyG]

I'm a nurse and work 12 hour shifts, luckily just on the weekends, so I have a lot of days off to just nurse my baby and repair any damage that not getting out to pump during my shift may cause.
I try to pump 3 times during a 12 hour shift. I pump at 6am before I leave home, at around 9, during my lunch around12, and then hopefully around 3pm, then I feed my baby when I get home at 7:30pm.

I just have to be flexible, because it all depends on how busy my patients are when I can get out. Plus I have to rely on another nurse to "babysit" my patients while I'm off the unit pumping, which I sometimes feel bad having to ask them to do all the time. We have a pumping room, but it's a good 5 minute walk each way and it's shared with a lot of other nurses, so often I sneak off to pump only to find the room already occupied, which is really frustrating when I'm busy.

I'd just ask up front what your employers offer as far as space and time to pump. I think most are pretty accomidating, but it depends on the area you're working in and how the patient flows are. I'm in an ICU so things are often busy here. I often bring a sandwich and eat my lunch while pumping, but there isn't really a good way for me to chart while pumping.