Transitioning back to work after having a baby is challenging, but an additional challenge is figuring out how to pump at work. Here are 10 tips for successful pumping as a working mom.
- Where to pump: Scope out spaces for pumping at work. If your workplace has designated mother’s rooms, identify their locations as well as access and reservation/booking instructions. If these are not available, look for rooms without windows and can be locked from the inside.
- When to pump: Build the time to pump into your work calendar. Set recurring appointments each day for the times you need to pump. We would block this time so that others cannot meet with us during those times.
- Keeping it clean: Buy sanitizing pump wipes. We wipe down the pump parts in between uses to save time.
- Keeping it efficient: Use a large insulated bag and keep pump parts in the fridge between pumping sessions. Make sure to label that bag if the fridge is communal - anyone stealing your lunch is about get a surprise!
- Keeping it cold: Buy cold packs for insulated bags that house multiple milk bottles. We used these to keep the breastmilk cold all day, so we didn’t need to refrigerate.
- Double up: Buy extra pump parts. We always had at least two of everything. We’d use a set one day and had a different set for the next day in case we didn’t have time to wash the first set that night. Another option is to keep one set at work and one set at home, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting to pack all the parts each day.
- Pump and drive: Have a long commute in the car? Use that time to pump. Michelle has an hour-long commute, so she would pump on the way to and from work. She had better luck with pumps that came with a car charger as opposed to those with battery packs, which were not as powerful. Here are step-by-step instructions:
- Put on cover
- Attach pumping bra
- Put on seatbelt
- Put in flanges
- Attach pump machine and go.
- Have the Right Gear: Consider Freemies, Willow, or other similar hands-free pumping accessories. They may save you from having to deal with pumping bras.
- Dress for success: Don’t wear dresses or tops that need to be unzipped to pump. You might get cold!
- Multitask: We’ve pumped while checking email. While dialed into teleconference calls. We’ve adjust the camera so that others can only see your neck and up. Most people will not hear or recognize the machine sound. Pumping while eating lunch will also save you time.
And because we have logged so many hours pumping, here’s a bonus tip:
Speak up: Pumping was a top priority for us, but working in pharma often meant whole day non-stop meetings. We were not afraid to tell our colleagues that we needed to go pump. Building in the time for pumping was a challenge, but luckily our colleagues were always willing to be accommodating.