The B Word

Pumping at work and breastfeeding in general has been going really well. Not just average well but exceedingly well. I am very thankful that I do not have the issues nor have ever had any of the issues I had with Abigail. What is weird is where I have to pump at work. With Abby, work had a nursing room. Anyone who needed that room checked out a key from the medical department and had access to the room. It was awesome. There was a mini fridge, bench and magazines. There was only 2-3 of us using it at a time so scheduling, while a little hairy at times, it wasn't a big deal. But I moved to another office and never saw a nursing room here. I figured I would worry about it when I needed to worry about it. I did see a separate bathroom from the main group of stalls in the bathroom but I was NOT pumping in a bathroom unless I was desperate.

Miss Maddy came along and I found I had a need to really know where I was going pump when I went back to work. My first day back, I went to the medical department to ask where I can pump. They told me to just come down to them and then I can pump in an exam room. Weird but not a big deal. It has a table and a sink, which is about all I need. I can deal with just transporting the stored milk in a cooler during the day. What is really weird is that they have to let me into the medical department exam room. So three times a day I have to go down to the medical department (I need the exercise anyways), ring the bell, get someone to let me in, do my thing and then go back to my desk. I was not having a big problem doing that but lugging my bag up and down stairs was starting to get to me. No, not the weight of it. Just how it painted an obvious sign on me of "look what I am going to do". I would invariably have to explain to a few people what exactly I was doing and that I would be back at my desk in 15 minutes. Not fun. I decided that I would leave my bag in the medical department since it is behind a locked door. There isn't anything valuable in it anyways but it is still out of sight in a corner for me when I need it. I take it down for the first pump and bring it back with me after the last pump.

The other day I completed my morning pump and was heading back for my noon pump. I get to the medical office and there is a sign on the outside door that read "Out at meeting. Be back at 3:00." Ummm. I can't wait until 3:00 PM comfortably. I run around the administrative offices down there trying to find the secretary. Maybe she wasn't in a meeting and could let me in. No luck. I run back up to my desk and brainstorm with my cube mate on who can let me in to the medical department. I could call our emergency line...No, it wasn't that sort of an emergency. So I decided to call our security department. Surely they have a key to every door in this place. I talk to the first guy and explain I have to get into the medical department and it is locked. I can't wait until three and I just need to pick something up. I am very gingerly skirting around announcing to my entire office upstairs (I sit in a very large cubicle farm) that I need to get into the medical department for my breast pump. He tells me that he will have to check if we can let me in and will call back in 5 minutes. Sure enough, I get a return call from the commander in the security department. I, again, explain everything stating I just need to pick something up and someone can even escort me in there. Heck, I would even tell someone where to get it if they could go in there and pick it up for me. The commander tells me that he will call me back in 5 minutes. Fine. Five minutes later I get the director of security calling me stating that he has to know exactly what is in there and why I need it so badly. I very straight forward say "It is a breast pump. I need my breast pump." Without taking a breath, he tells me to come down and he will meet me in the medical department.

I got down there, got my pump and everything worked out fine. I just was trying to be very professional about requesting my personal items from the medical department. I told the staff down there that if anyone knows of a meeting that will close up the department to just tell me. Communication is the first step!