Today I'm very pleased to post a story written by my friend Beth. Beth is a doctor at a community health center and mother to 15 month old Delia.
Beth was able to pump at work by appropriating a closet, scheduling her pump as a patient, and running an extension cord out of the closet and down the wall to an outlet. This worked well enough for her, but she knew that the non-physicians in her workplace weren't likely to have the same priveleges unless someone spoke up. So she did. Below is her story.
Do you have a "How I did it" story to share? Have you overcome personal breastfeeding obstacles, created a breastfeeding-friendly environment in your community, or even changed a law? If so, email me and you could see your story on the blog!
In the year that I gave birth there were seven other women pumping in the health center where I work. All were doctors and all had the luxury of using their own exam rooms during lunch and in between patient visits. As soon as I went public with my own pregnancy, I talked to the administration about the need for a pumping space away from the germs patients carry and available to all staff. After all, I work for a community health center, and my medical director is a pediatrician (and mom), and our professional lives revolve around promoting healthy habits. And we had a big new building with lots of empty space. I thought I had done a good deed.
When I visited the office during my maternity leave it was clear that there was no pumping room, no designated space, and no sense of urgency. Since I don't have an office, and am a bit of a germ-phobe, I needed to be a little creative. I found a supply closet, and old chair, climbed over the fake Christmas tree decorated with condoms, and did what needed to be done. Everyone in the common workspace could hear the pump, but I shared my space with a gay man, the husband of a midwife, and a pregnant woman - a pretty breastfeeding-friendly crowd. I had argued for - and won - the right to block appointment slots to pump and was still told that a pumping room was on the way.
I began to realize that the need for a real pumping room was escalating when a member of the administrative staff came to check out my closet, my desk mate was getting close to delivery, and a medical assistant asked naively, "Is that room just for doctors? Am I allowed to pump, too?" We were reaching a critical lactating mass. I started writing letters to the head honchos asking if we could use their offices since all we had were empty promises. I dutifully quoted statistics about child health, fewer sick days for moms, etc. I pointed out that our organization sets an example for the rest of the community and that family-friendly workplaces create better morale and employee retention.
My pumping days came and went and the closet worked well for me for an entire year. But there was still no pumping room for anyone else, and often no response to my earnest pleas. Then one day my boss pulled me from a patient visit to talk. He walked me over to an empty conference room and talked about plans for a room with 4-5 pumping stations, a refrigerator, and lockers for storing pumps. I started making the case for a formal policy to protect the right of all mothers to provide milk for their babies without reprimands or loss of pay. I think I was heard, but there's no action yet.
If this pumping room gets built and if the staff are allowed to use it, I know that it's because I had a position of power and could advocate for our rights without fear. The single moms who make minimum wage can't afford to rock the boat. It seems ridiculous to me that we have to fight to take care of our babies' most basic need, but we do. Although I care for sick patients in my job, my proudest accomplishment so far is helping the amazing working moms around me to do right by their babies and set a great example for our patients, friends, and community by making breastfeeding a priority.
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