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how to bring up bf'ing + pumping to employer??

681 views 13 replies 10 participants last post by  Aura_Kitten 
#1 ·
i'm currently looking for work. i'm also currently breastfeeding my daughter (7 weeks old).

how do i go about explaining my need for pumping throughout the day to an employer or prospective employer? should i bring it up before i'm hired, or just try to work it out after i'm hired?

??????? help! i've never been in a situation anything like this before.

also, all of the times i have to pump during the day ~ does it have to be while i'm working or can i plan to pump some at night too? right now, to build up my supply of stored breastmilk, i've been pumping in the evenings when i nurse her, before bed, and early in the morning. (( i can't seem to express more than 1 oz at a time!
)) i've read some of the other threads on here and i get the feeling you'll just say, "experiment and find what works," but i'm terrified that in the process of experimenting, my daughter will go hungry.
 
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#2 ·
Pump early in the morning before you leave for work. You won't get as much milk at night. I found that I could get a good amount of milk if I fed with one breast all night and pumped the other in the morning at about 6AM.

I don't know how you can best bring up the pumping. I think you go looking for work, you get to final interviews, and in the last stage when they've already decided to hire you, ask about where you can pump.
 
#4 ·
Two things I forgot:

1. Start pumping now if you haven't already, to develop a freezer stash while you are hunting for a job.

2. The book Nursing Mother Working Mother has a lot of good and helpful hints.

I understand why you are nervous. The pumping and working was very difficult. i did it though and my son flourished. We are still nursing now! At one time I asked everyone on the Working Mamas and Support and Advocacy forums to tell me about their pumping experiences. They are here and also
here.
 
#5 ·
Hi! I'm glad I clicked on your message. I worked full time from the time DS was 6 wks old and pumped for him till he was 1. It was hard but well worth it. Now I have a 14wk old DD and am working 4hrs a day (8-12).

With DS we introduced the bottle without much trouble around 4 weeks and I started pumping to build up a stash at that point too. I worked 8 hrs a day, pumped once in am, went home for lunch, and pumped in the afternoon to provide for him. I stopped going home for lunch around 6 months or so because he'd get really upset when I tried to leave. At around 10 mos my supply dropped enough that we ran out of my freezer stash and had to supplement slightly.

This time around I stayed home 12 weeks and was able to build a better freezer supply. We avoided introducting the bottle. So now what I'm doing wake up at 6am, nurse baby, shower, pump, get dressed, nurse baby again. DH has been trying to give her a bottle while I'm gone but she's not interested. For the most part she's content to wait till I get home, which is fine by me.

Some babies of pumping moms reverse cycle, getting most of their milk in the evening and at night. I *highly* recommend co-sleeping for working moms, it allows the baby to be close and nurse throughout the night. I always felt that it made up for some of the daily separation.

As far as mentioning it to the employer, I'd wait until they tell you you're hired to bring up pumping. You're entitled to breaks anyway, hopefully they'll provide a place to pump if they don't already have one.

What kind of pump are you using? I gotta say I used the old Pump In Style with DS and actually got better yield from the Avent Isis. It is hard to pump and it does take some practice. Try to relax and think of your baby. Another tip is to pump one side while your nursing on the other side. That helps encourage let down and usually yields more oz, though it may take some acrobatics, LOL!

Feel free to ask any other q's about working and pumping!

((hugs))
Tamara
 
#6 ·
About your employer - do you live in a state that requires nursing moms be given a place to pump? (I am having trouble with my server - I think the info is on the La Leche Legue website)

If so than I wouldnt mention it during an interview. If not then the issue is much harder - would you take a job where you couldnt pump? If it is a condition of you accepting a position, then it might be god to mention it at an appropriate time (call back interview?)

When I did my internship I brought up the fact I need to pump to the head admin who was handling my paperwork. Because it was like a week or two from the time I was hired to my start time, she had time to get me a place. I wouldnt show up the first day, pump in hand and look for a suitable place.

try this link:
http://www.lalecheleague.org/Law/LawEmployment.html

With such a little baby you will have to pump during the day to keep up supply. I used to pump at 9:30, 12:30 and 3:30 - times when the rest of the office tended to take breaks so no one really missed me.

Good luck! This can be done!
 
#7 ·
In terms of working with a prospective employer, I would treat it the same as questions about salary, vacation, or sick leave policy. That is, absolutely never on the first interview. Probably only after you had a job offer and were working out the details. You should only bring it up with the hiring person after you know they are really interested in you -- maybe the call back interview or the one after. Exactly when will probably depend on the type of position and the hiring process. You should ask about the hiring process on the first interview so you know when to start talking about these sorts of issues.

On the first interview, you may also want to ask what a typical day looks like. Then, when you do talk about pumping, you can say something like "If I understand how my days would go, I could do this at x,y, and z times without disturbing the flow of the office." And you probably will need to make some adjustments to your schedule to work into the office routine.

Hope that helps.
 
#8 ·
pumping....i read up and down mdc that there are mamas who get enough/more with the isis. I ended up using the PIS and still struggled. I think it is an individual thing. Pumping at the same time every day helps.

I recommend the same book.

and I'd only mention the pumping thing when you're in the final stages...if you like the job you're likely to be there longer than you'll be pumping (which you might want to remember when you bring it up). And although I pumped during the day, I always pumped right after work -- in my car in a church parking lot on the way home/way to daycare.
 
#9 ·
I would NOT ask about the pumping until after you have the job offer (preferably in writing). Even though discrimination against mothers (well, all parents, but esp. us of the female persuasion!) in hiring is illegal, we all know it happens. I would bring it up after the offer has been made and accepted, and matter-of-factly as possible (esp. if your state mandates that employers give workers time for pumping/feeding).
 
#10 ·
I agree that I would wait until you have a firm offer and/or have accepted the job. It is not their business same as pregnancy. You didn't mention what type of work you do. I would think most jobs, other than those with very strict, scheduled breaks would allow at least 3 opportunities a day to pump. If the type of job you are looking for requires a very firm schedule like customer service (retail store, food service) where your lunches and breaks are scheduled in advance with no input on your part than it might be to your advantage to discuss this prior to accepting. Even if they were required by law to allow time for pumping you would want to know in advance if they were going to make it difficult for you.

I work in a corporate office and when I came back form maternity leave my only discussion about pumping was where I could do it, not if or when. My pumping schedule went like this:

Wake up; make tea, pump, shower, and nurse, get dressed/organized, maybe nurse again depending on my son. Pump at work 10 am, lunch and again at 2-3pm. Get home and nurse on demand until bedtime. Occasionally pump before bed. Nurse on demand during the night.

I used the PIS at the office because I could pump both breasts at the same time, which was a real time saver. But I have to admit the Aventi Isis always produced more milk just took much longer.

Lastly, I whole hardily agree that co-sleeping is a working moms dream. I can't tell you how many times I woke to find my son nursing and was able to go right back to sleep! Or how many times I heard non-co sleeping moms complain that they were up and down all night. Best of all; it was a way to really feel connected after a long day of being away from him
 
#11 ·
You can try pumping at other times that work but pumping is supposed to replace a feeding (i.e. if your babe would have eaten at 10, 12 and 3, that's when you should pump). Practically though you will probably have to do it at your 2 breaks per day and lunch. I found I needed 3 times on and off the entire first year I pumped or the supply would drop. And it is true that as the day goes on you pump less.

I would also bring it up at 2nd interview when benes, et al are discussed.

Good luck!
 
#12 ·
thanks everyone for the info + advice!!!

the job that looks most promising right now, i would be working 6:30 AM - 9:30, then home, then go back at 3 PM and work until 8 PM, M - F, plus 1 full 8 hour shift saturday a month. so, i'd be home in the middle of the day to nurse + pump.

we already cosleep.

i nurse on demand + my daughter has no semblance of a schedule at all.

morning pumping does seem to have the highest yield ~ this morning i got 2 + 2/3 oz at a sitting!!
(that may seem like nothing to some of you but it's more than double what i've been getting!!)
 
#13 ·
As BTDT mama, I think everyone here's covered all the bases. However, I would STRONGLY recommend that you increase your water intake by at least 1/3. I found that it made a huge, huge, huge difference in my milk supply when pumping.

Also, if you haven't already purchased a pump, you may want to check local resources (bf support groups, LLL and hospitals) for rental options. If you can rent a hospital-grade pump like the Medela Lactina or Symphony, you will definitely get more milk. They are bulkier and more difficult to carry around, however.

Finally, if you happen to be in CA, employers with more than 25 employees are required to provide a secured location, other than a bathroom, for a lactating mother to express breastmilk. You must be allowed as much time as you need, but your employer can require that you use your break time and that you make up any extra time. If you are a non-exempt employee, you are entitled to two 15 minute breaks and one 1-hour lunch for every 8 hours of work. So for me, this meant 3 1/2 hour pumping sessions for about the first 6 months, that I scheduled on the calendar of the small conferece room every day in my office!

GOOD LUCK!
 
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