[lacysmommy]

I am an employee with the State of Washington. I have a permanent position with one agency but am currently working as a temporary employee with another. This issue involves my "state home," where I hold my permanet position, not the place I am currently working. However, I will be returning in approximately 2 weeks, but now I don't think I want to go back at all. But if I don't I'll lose my permanent position, which I simply can't afford to do.

I just found out from my dad, who is in upper management in a different division in my agency, that it was brought up in a manager's meeting in my division, issues of pumping and breastfeeding. In my division, I am the only person that I am aware of that is currently breastfeeding and pumping. I found out there were complaints of me pumping and/or breastfeeding in front of other people.

It was difficult for me to pump at my former agency. I had to seek out an appropriate room to do so without help from my manager. This was a public break room which had a lock on the door, but occasionally someone would be in the room. I would wait until the room was unoccupied before I would pump. I forgot to lock the door one time and someone walked in on me. That was my mistake, and it never happened again. I pumped in front of one woman, who was in there with a headache, after asking her if it was okay for me to do so, and she agreed. I probably pumped in front of her 3 or 4 times total, and she never seemed upset by it (she was a former breastfeeding mom herself). I have brought DD in to the office several times and may have discreetly bf her in my cubicle (if I did, it was with my back facing everyone and it would be difficult to see) but I don't remember specifically doing so, except once when I was filling out forms and still on maternity leave (DD was maybe a month old then).

That said, I have always been frank about my lactating status, and I don't think I should have to hide it from anyone. I view it as a normal part of life. I have heard negitive comments from one manager (once I overheard a private comment in a meeting behind closed doors that disgusted me, another time I was washing my pump in the sink and he thought that was gross). I keep bottles occasionally in the fridge there.

I talked to my dad about it, who thinks I should use some discression. I have always used discression, but I've never felt like it is something I should have to hide, which is what I feel like I am being made to do. I know that the law is on my side as far as pumping rights (I'm about to look the bf laws up right now). I don't know if they even discussed that issue, but it was on a 3 page list of issues to be discussed by management.

I don't know what to do here. I am shaking, I am so upset. I really wasn't happy there when I came back from maternity leave, which is why I accepted a temporary position in another agency. Now that I have to go back, I don't know what I'll do. I plan on pumping until I quit to become a SAHM (hopefully in a couple of months). I believe in child-led weaning and I want DD to have the most nutritious food available, so I will continue pumping well into her second year. I just don't know how to handle this issue when I go back. I don't know if it will even be brought up. But if it is, I want to be armed with information. I just never thought I would have these issues being a government worker.

 

[nonconformnmom]

First of all, I'm so sorry you are having this difficulty. I agree with you that you should be able to be open about your lactating status. (I'm pumping at work as I'm tying this one-handed so please forgive typos!). However, misperceptions and lack of sensitivity in this regard is an unfortunate reality. Given that you only need to keep the job a couple more months, my suggestion is to find new ways of keeping your bf/ pumping under the radar.

Can you purchase a battery pack for your pump and pump in your car? Or maybe find a sympathetic female executive with an office who might be willing to let you pump in there?

That really stinks, though. Grrrrrr!

 

[chersolly]

Continue to do what you are doing and tell them all to shove it.

From LLL:

Quote:

SUMMARY OF ENACTED BREASTFEEDING LEGISLATION WASHINGTON Washington exempts the act of breastfeeding or expressing breast milk from the indecent exposure laws. It also encourages employers to accommodate breastfeeding mothers, and sets up an incentive program for employers by allowing them to advertise that they are 'infant friendly' if they set up lactation support for their employees. RCW 9A.88.010 2001 Wa. ALS 88; 2001 Wa. Ch. 88; 2001 Wa. HB 1590 (1) A person is guilty of indecent exposure if he or she intentionally makes any open and obscene exposure of his or her person or the person of another knowing that such conduct is likely to cause reasonable affront or alarm. The act of breastfeeding or expressing breast milk is not indecent exposure. RCW 43.70.640 2001 Wa. ALS 88; 2001 Wa. Ch. 88; 2001 Wa. HB 1590 Workplace breastfeeding policies -- Infant-friendly designation. (1) An employer may use the designation "infant-friendly" on its promotional materials if the employer has an approved workplace breastfeeding policy addressing at least the following: (a) Flexible work scheduling, including scheduling breaks and permitting work patterns that provide time for expression of breast milk; (b) A convenient, sanitary, safe, and private location, other than a restroom, allowing privacy for breastfeeding or expressing breast milk; (c) A convenient clean and safe water source with facilities for washing hands and rinsing breast-pumping equipment located in the private location specified in (b) of this subsection; and (d) A convenient hygienic refrigerator in the workplace for the mother's breast milk (2) Employers seeking approval of a workplace breastfeeding policy must submit the policy to the department of health. The department of health shall review and approve those policies that meet the requirements of this section. The department may directly develop and implement the criteria for "infant-friendly" employers, or contract with a vendor for this purpose.. (3) For the purposes of this section, "employer" includes those employers defined in RCW 49.12.005 and also includes the state, state institutions, state agencies, political subdivisions of the state, and municipal corporations or quasi-municipal corporations.

 

[mama24-7]

I'm so sorry to hear you're going thru all this. My only suggestion was going to be to contact LLL and ask to speak to someone who has legal experience in Washington. They should have someone to recommend who may have experience w/ a similar situation.

Good luck!
Sus

 

[soccerchic21]

This is also a wonderful organization http://www.hmhbwa.org/forprof/BCW/home.htm

If it does come up to you which would be a bad idea on your employers part, you might want to remind your employer how much money you are going to save the company in health insurance. I think that breastfed babies save companies $400 a year???? Something like that. They are generally healthier and then you don't have to take as much time off of work.