Pumping at school!

[sapphire_chan]

The women's bathrooms in the student center of my college have really nice lounge areas with a second set of doors leading into the actual bathroom part of the bathroom.

When I was leaving the bathroom part today, a lady came into the lounge area with a stroller. A lady who had been in there earlier, but I hadn't really noticed, chatted with her a bit about how nice the lounge area was. Then she added:
"It's really a great place to pump, too."

It's too bad I had to hurry to get to class, or I would've thanked her for pointing that out. She's right, it would be a terrific place for pumping (based on what people here have said they like to have when they pump).

[JamSamMom]

Great!!! That makes it so much easier just knowing someone else is in your shoes and is nice about it!!!

[indiemamma]

What school do you attend? I'm a pumping mom at Cal Poly, SLO and my pumping room is set up just like that. So far, I'm only aware of one other mom who uses it, but she's staff, not a student. Nice to know that other mammas are going through the same thing!

[sapphire_chan]

I'm at Purdue.

It's not a pumping room, it's a big lounge area that usually has several people in it, but one of the outlets is in a back corner next to one of the counters that run along two walls. Clearly she was able to use her pump without me even noticing, until she had finished and was speaking to the other lady. And there wasn't any blanket or anything--so she didn't need to make extraordinary effort to stay concealed as she wanted to be.

People eat in that lounge or just sit and chat with their friends or do homework all the time. I've changed into interview-clothes in there when the weather's been too bad to wear them outside.

[indiemamma]

Oh wow. I'd have a hard time pumping in a public-ish room like that... I have to haul the girls all the way out in order to latch the pump right and its kinda awkward. I would do it though, if that was my only option! Good luck with the new baby coming! Hannah was born the day after fall quarter started for me, and it was really nice to take that quarter off to be with her. Of course, it made going back that much harder, but I'm almost done!

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by indiemamma

Oh wow. I'd have a hard time pumping in a public-ish room like that... I have to haul the girls all the way out in order to latch the pump right and its kinda awkward.

That's just it, even though it's a public room, the way the chairs are positioned, as long as one didn't actually have to take off a shirt all the way (like t-shirt pulled all the way up in front, or blouse unbuttoned all the way), you'd never be able to tell unless you walked right up and started a conversation. And even then you'd have to be a lot closer than most of us in the US are comfortable with when talking to a stranger.

Eh, there are other places one could pump on campus, this particular room just happens to be nicely central and close to all the food places.

[rrs]

I pump in a dismal stall at UCF. It sucks. There is no hot water (so I pump once, and then after that, if I need to pump, I have to dump). Also, there are no electrical outlets.