I promised I would pump n blog. So here I am. Pumping and blogging…in the disabled restroom.
Yes. The restroom.
Unfortunately the person I spoke to back in March who was going to arrange for me to have a space to pump in was out of office today. And their #2 didnt know anything about a new lactation/privacy room.
The room I was using for the one week I went back to work in March is now under renovation for something else. So I’m making do today. Fortunately the disabled toilet is big enough for me to get a chair in it and sit down. And it’s not too smelly because not many people use it. I’d say it’s actually in pretty good clean condition. The cleaners are great. But this is a very short term solution, I hope. Turns out a colleague of mine did the same, which horrifies me. I know there are several empty rooms in my building, it’s just a matter of assigning one. But may be the person who said he would have one ready for my return does have one ready and it’s just that no one knows where it is because it is so private!!! Ha!
The things we do for our little loved ones…. someday Aviana I will tell you these fun stories!
The Inconceivable Adventures of Parenthood 
If I had returned to my last job, I would have had to sit in the bathroom to pump as well. There’s just no other place in the hospital that would have worked. When one of the vets was pumping, she actually bought a little fridge to keep in the bathroom to keep the milk in. It IS crazy the things we do for our littles!
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That would have been tough, I think at that point I’d of quit pumping, honestly it’s not nice, kudos to your colleague!!!
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Wow that is terrible! Aren’t employers required to provide a place to pump that isn’t a bathroom? Or is that a state law where I am? Either way, that’s terrible 😦
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Yes in Virginia if the place of work has over a certain number of employees they do. And I know they will have somewhere for me, it was just unfortunate timing for me to have come back and this person be away. In hindsight I could have emailed him a week or two before just to check. But hey ho!! If the room hasn’t been arranged I’ll be annoyed but it will get figured out, I’m sure 🤔
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I was just coming to check how your day went! Besides the whole pumping-in-the-bathroom thing, how did it all go? Fingers crossed that you have a nice, comfy room to pump in very soon! It’s surprising when you realize that there aren’t things like this, isn’t it? It just doesn’t seem that hard to have one. I feel the same about finding bathrooms that have no changing table for babies, and the fact that men’s bathrooms pretty much don’t have any is crazy to me. Also, I’ve spent 2 years in a wheelchair full-time (and still use one occasionally if necessary) with the onset of one of my chronic illnesses, and you wouldn’t believe how poor accommodations are for physical disabilities in most areas. NYC is the WORST city for trying to get around in a wheelchair– they will blame it on being “old,” but even Rome with their cobble streets was better. Washington DC is the best city I’ve seen. But some of the stuff that businesses get away with is mind-blowing!
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Yes I never noticed the changing table situation before especially the lack of them in men’s toilets!!! One time Chris asked a waitress if there was one in the men’s, but there wasn’t so she offered to stand outside the woman’s for him! Which was nice. London is pretty bad for it too. I remember once I went to a restaurant without one and we had to balance the baby between the two sinks – it was a two person job for sure!! I think we’ve also had to go back to the car on a number of occasions too. It must get harder to find places other change tables as babies get bigger!!
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On our occasional use with the buggy (I usually use the sling as I’m a babywearing convert and also all the stairs to our flat!) I have felt so mad for people in wheelchairs. Dragging a buggy around makes you realise how inconvenient or even impassable some places are.
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Eek! I’m going to be in the same situation as you soon. Only if they don’t give me a room I’m going to go a bit crazy! To be fair our work bathrooms are big but I have no desire to sit on the loo and pump!! Good on you for doing it! I’d probably grab a meeting room and stick a sign on the door and watch them try to kick me out! 😂
Will update you when I go back (beginning of June) and let you know how I get on. Go mama!
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