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As a first time mom, I was nervous and confused about the logistics of pumping breastmilk in the workplace. I work in an environment where the ratio of women to men is about 1-to-8, and most of the women no longer have young babies at home but rather school-aged children. I fumbled my way through it my first couple days back to work, so I thought I would write a blog post to share with you all about how I navigated this new challenge to hopefully inspire solutions for you!
Essentials:
Pump: I use a Spectra pump at home, but for work I enjoy using this MomCozy hands-free pump. I like the security that I feel that it can slide into my top and nothing is exposed. I am lucky enough to have a small mother’s room at work, but still I am fearful of someone coming in, so I prefer to be pretty covered. It is also great to not have to be plugged into a wall. So if I have been sitting too much at my desk I can loosen my legs in my little room. The most important part – this pump doesn’t require a pumping bra! Work-wear and pumping bras don’t always play nice, so I love that I can slide this into a wireless shaping, bralette, or sports bra!
Milk Storage Bags: I use the Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage bags. They are what I started with from Day 1. I can actually get them for free through my insurance, but I have ordered through Amazon when I need them in a hurry! I don’t have too much to say about them, as I think any storage bag will probably work.
Breastmilk Cooler Bag: This cooler bag is so sleek! As I said, I work with a lot of men and I prefer to be as discreet as possible. I don’t want to be carrying around bottles or a big cooler bag that draws attention. This Breastmilk Cooler Bag honestly looks like a wristlet! I don’t think anyone would guess that it has my breastmilk. It comes with two freezer packs that slide in each side to keep milk cool from both sides. The Lansinoh Bags fit inside perfectly and the whole thing can be kept in a fridge at work, again, without drawing any special attention. This is an easy solution to keep milk cold but also discreet.
Between each pump I actually keep the pump parts in a good old gallon Ziploc bag in the fridge. If you haven’t heard of this “hack” I suggest you look into it and/or discuss with your Lactation Consultant or Pediatrician (I believe it is not recommended for babies with health concerns). To keep this more discreet in a shared fridge, my MomCozy part filled Ziploc goes in a lunchbox and the pump motors go back into my work bag. If you prefer to or need to clean your pump parts between uses I recommend using Pump Wipes.
Advice:
Block out your pumping time on your calendar. As much as possible, make it a non-negotiable – feeding your baby is non-negotiable. If you use an Outlook Calendar, just mark it as a “Private Appointment.”
Bring something to do that you enjoy. Between working and taking care of your new bundle of joy, you probably don’t have much time for yourself. I like to have a book on hand, and I look forward to escaping work for a few minutes to pump and read my book.
In summary, it’s perfectly normal to be intimidated by the prospect of pumping at work. I was definitely intimidated by having to pump by work at first. However, despite fumbling through it initially, the practices I’ve put into place over time combined with the right equipment (portable pump and milk cooler bag, especially), have given me a lot more confidence in doing it. Hopefully this can inspire something similar for anyone currently facing the same challenge I was or is about to experience it! You’ve got this!
Items mentioned in the blog can be found at the below links:
Spectra Pump
Hands Free MomCozy Pump
Pumping Bra
Lansinoh Breastmilk Bags
Sleek Breastmilk Cooler Bag
Baby Pump Wipes
Life of Les 
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