Job-hunting after baby - when to bring up pumping?

[minkajane]

I will be looking for a new job after the baby is born and I will definitely be pumping. I'm not sure when to bring it up. I don't think during the interview would be a good idea and neither would be just showing up the first day with a pump and announcing that I'd need a place to pump on my breaks. So should I mention it when I'm offered the job? I don't even know how to bring up something like that.

I'm also worried about how difficult it will be to accommodate the pumping. I'm a medical assistant and you'd think that medical professionals would be supportive of breastfeeding, but you'd be surprised. I guess that depends on the type of job I'll be doing - MAs can do everything from direct patient care (so fast-paced, not much break time) to coding and billing (desk job). So I'll just have to wait and see with that one.

Has anyone done any job-hunting while pumping? How did you bring it up? Did you have any trouble working things out?

[CallMeMommy]

Maybe bring it up at orientation?  If you bring it up after an offer they'll probably forget by the time you start anyway. It's federal law now, so I wouldn't ask, I'd just say, "I'll be needing somewhere to pump a few times a day, is there a dedicated area?" or something like that.

[minkajane]

Originally Posted by CallMeMommy 

Maybe bring it up at orientation?  If you bring it up after an offer they'll probably forget by the time you start anyway. It's federal law now, so I wouldn't ask, I'd just say, "I'll be needing somewhere to pump a few times a day, is there a dedicated area?" or something like that.

I thought that the law wasn't in effect yet? Do you know where I could find a copy of the law? It would come in handy to have a printed copy to take with me. Ohio has a law protecting breastfeeding in public, but nothing about pumping that I know of.

[CallMeMommy]

I don't know the exact date it went into effect, but the date on this fact sheet is December 2010: http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs73.htm

[minkajane]

Thanks! You rock! This is exactly what I was hoping for. It's very clear and direct and easily printable.