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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Adding to my breastfeeding while working checklist

Well, it seems I can't go a year of pumping while working without an embarrassing incident. During SchmoopyBoy's first year, while pumping in a room with a non-locking door, I got walked in on by no other than the Division Chief. As delightful as that was (NOT), it did provide me with a golden opportunity, and in our new building, I now have a dedicated pumping room, which IS totally awesome.

Now, I've mentioned before that Lil' Schmoo is not the greatest sleeper in the early mornings while I'm trying to get ready for work, so I typically have lots of opportunities to nurse until I am 'empty' before I leave for the day. On Monday, however, he slept uncharacteristically soundly. This was certainly convenient as I got ready, but I did leave feeling a bit more 'full' than usual. Monday mornings are super busy at my office - reports to create and review, weekly staff meetings, etc. I made my way to pump at the usual time, and when I looked down to unbutton my shirt I noticed a sizable wet milk mark on the front. I hadn't noticed feeling a milk letdown, so I have absolutely no idea how long I had been walking around like that. I should also mention that I am the only woman in my work group. And did I mention the weekly Monday morning staff meeting?

When I finished pumping I washed the front of my shirt, which resulted in nearly half my shirt being wet. I thought I was going to have put on the spare jacket I keep at my desk to cover myself for the rest of the day, which, considering how warm it's been in the office, I really wasn't looking forward to. Fortunately it's a dry heat and the fabric of my shirt dried quickly - no more embarrassing milk mark - thank goodness.

So let's see my breastfeeding while working checklist:

  • Get walked in on while pumping - Check!
  • Pump on the floor of a bathroom stall and have someone call out "What's that noise?" - Check!
  • Pump in the car in a Costco parking lot just before an offsite meeting because it was around the corner and seemed to be the most discreet location in the vicinity, and hope no one notices - Check!
  • Walk around the office clueless that I've got milk leaking onto my shirt - Check!

Ah, the things we go through for our babies!

Do you have any embarrassing stories to tell about breastfeeding or pumping? Let me know in the comments and we can commiserate together!


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3 comments:

  1. "Pump on the floor of a bathroom stall and have someone call out "What's that noise?" -That's hilarious!

    When I worked, I remember hearing people outside of the pumping room saying, "What IS that?"

    But then I realized that the more I talked about it, the fewer weird embarrassing things happened. So I openly talked about how I was going to pump. I carried the bottles from the room to the fridge out in the open. The room I used became affectionately dubbed the "milking room," and a lot more people learned about breastfeeding than they otherwise would have.

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  2. Lol. Thanks for the chuckle! I've been fortunate to not have any breast feeding "mishaps", but then again I'm not working and pumping so I haven't had to go through that. Hats off to working and pumping!!

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  3. I enjoyed your stories! Nothing really embarrassing happened to me, but I did have the entertaining experience of pumping in The Blood Room, and once I was locked out of the room while my pump was locked in there! Details are in my article on breastfeeding while working.

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