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As a mom who pumps at work, I am glad to see this law. I work in a hospital and fought for 3 years for a place to pump. You would think it would be easier in a hospital than other types of workplaces, but it wasn't. (We don't have maternity or pediatrics at this hospital) I started asking for a place to pump when my first was born and HR just said to take it up with my boss. Luckily, my boss was supportive and helped me find places. He found me an empty office which I used for a while, but then someone was hired and moved into that office. He then found me another empty office, but the lady in the next office over didn't want me to pump there because it made her feel uncomfortable (what?!) so I had to find somewhere else. Then he got me into someone's office who was out on maternity leave, but then she came back. It went on like this, but I was fortunate to have a boss who was so supportive and who also knew a lot of people and had a lot of resources. A co-worker of mine was not so lucky with her boss and ended up pumping in the bathroom - there was not an electrical outlet in there so she had to use a manual pump, and her supply didn't last long with that.
I had put in a formal proposal that we should have a lactation room for employees at the hospital when my first daughter was born. Administration said they thought it was a good idea, but it took them 3 years to build it. It is in a room that used to be a closet. I am now using it to pump for my second daughter. There are about 8-9 of us who use the room, and there are often times when more than one person wants to use it at once. Some of us don't mind sharing, and others don't want to. But I would say that I end up pumping together with someone else about half of the time.
I still know of others though who don't have a supportive environment at their workplace and don't have a place to pump, and I hope this new law will help them.
Oh, and regarding pumping in public - I was at the mall a few weeks ago for a kids consignment sale and had brought my pump instead of my baby. But I didn't know where to go to pump. The bathroom was suggested, but there wasn't even an outlet in there so I couldn't even use it if I wanted to. I asked at the mall management office if there was anywhere private with an outlet that I could use, and she was really nasty and said there were outlets in the food court. It really wasn't my preference to pump in the food court, but I would have done it if that was the only option. Fortunately, another mall employee overheard and was able to get me permission to use the back room in one of the stores, which was much appreciated. He told me that his wife had run into a similar problem at another mall when his child was a baby. This new law isn't meant for customers, but the employees in that mall should at least have a place to pump if they need it.
Also, I have had the experience of sitting in the kid section of a bookstore nursing my baby while chatting with another mother who was pumping for her baby (she was an exclusive pumper). We were in the back corner facing away from folks, but when your baby is hungry, you do what you have to do.
Someone is providing a room for your privacy and that is still not good enough.
Those rooms are for workplace pumping, not for breastfeeding at the mall or in a restaurant.
Do I want to be seen? No. Do I want to hide out in a private room alone with my baby every time I leave the house? No. Do I want to live a normal life while caring for my baby and feeding her the way that nature intended? Yes!
I sure want to be seen. I want everyone to be able to see the 1/4 inch of skin that might be showing when I nurse. I'm a total exhibitionist! ROFL!
LOL, I was that type of nurser as well, I would find a quite spot, and people would inadvertently come over to chat not realizing what I was doing... and then be embarrassed when they realized. It always cracked me up. Nothing was showing. Other than the first couple of times, when you're learning, and everthing seemed so clumbsy, and I practically needed two adults for the job.... things become much more manageable and discreet.
Although there are those that feel the need to expose themselves completely, but whatever.....I don't get it... but I can just look the other way.
What is the big deal of having a private place? Some people prefer that, so that is bad because others want to exhibit themselves?? As long as I can feed my child without having to sit on a toilet, I am good.....
STuff the law.
What the mother needed was support from other mothers.
The problem we have today is that we are so individualistic. We have to do everything on our own as if we were the first person ever to do it. Couple this with schools teaching everything except how to be a parent and women become mom's with no experienceand no support group.
When my wife had her first, she joined a breast feeding support group. This was invaluable to her as it was a real struggle at first and she needed support and encouragement from other women. Guys, this is just one area we where know zip.
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