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    I have it pretty good

    I had a dentist appointment this morning. Nothing serious: just my regularly scheduled cleaning. I’ve been with this office ever since I moved up here from college. Although, after 2 moves, it now takes me 40 minutes to drive there (without traffic), I still go there because 1)  I really like the staff; and 2) given how rarely I need an appointment, I don’t mind the trek.

    This morning I dropped G off at day care at his regular 7am time and, anticipating traffic, headed towards my 9am appointment. I got there at 8, much to my surprise, and since I had an hour to kill I decided to keep my 8am pump session and pump in my car.

    That’s right folk – I pumped in public. Well… sorta!

    I drove around the parking lot to find myself the most remote and concealed spot possible. I found one right next to a utility enclosure surrounded by bushes. I though “Perfect!” My side would be completely covered and my only exposure would be if anyone decided to pull up on my right. I figured that it was a big parking lot though, I was far enough away from the building entrance and the average “lazy” person wouldn’t care to park next to me. Of course as soon as I lifted up my shirt someone decided that of ALL the empty spaces around, the one literally right next to me would be the most perfect one to choose. Yeah – lucky me!

    I don’t feel self-conscious nursing in the car anymore. I feel justified in it, but pumping is different. I felt exposed… and a little embarrassed.

    Either way, the driver (thankfully a woman) came and went without paying too much attention to the evil-science experiment my vehicle was begining to resemble. After she left, I re-settled myself and finished up my business without further disturbance. But once I was done, I realized I had another problem: “How do I clean up?”

    This is where I realized how spoiled I am, and how good I have it. At work my Mother’s Room has a cozy recliner, an electrical outlet, a sink and a fridge. It’s clean, and private and quiet, and these days ALL MINE!!!!! Here’s a crappy photo, but one I’m going to cherish going forward.

    My car had neither of these things: the seats are certainly no leather recliner, it wasn’t private and a sink was only as close as the nearest bathroom. I started to feel bad for all the women out there who don’t have all the conveniences that I’ve gotten used to and have grown to expect. I’m really starting to admire them for being committed to “breastfeeding” their little ones while back at work.

    So yeah, I have it pretty good.

    …I think I need to send HR and our Facilities teams a thank you!

    5 responses to “I have it pretty good”

    1. Alison says:

      Clearly I need to remind you of The Closet:

    2. Kelly Marie says:

      Wow you are very lucky!

      I have a friend who works for a very male oriented company. She is one of very few women who work there and the very first to have a child. She pumped in her bosses office and kept her expressed milk in the community fridge and one day her milk was STOLEN!

      After that they set up a pumping room for her. A couple of her colleagues were pregnant by then so the room was going to be getting a lot of use, thankfully.

      Can you imagine though having your milk stolen??? She was LIVID.

    3. Sophie (luojjang) says:

      I always had a few Medela Clean wipes in my pump in case I needed them in a pinch.

      Also, do you only have on set of pump parts at work? You should totally have multiple sets – I was always too lazy to wash after each time. =]

      Thats great that you have such a great place to pump at work.

      • avalikelava says:

        Yep, I have two sets, but I do clean them after each use. The idea of milk drying up in there and smelling just grosses me out.

        How do the wipes work on the connectors? I can understand cleaning the flanges, but the connectors is where all the milk gets trapped and starts getting funky.

    4. Julie says:

      Lansinoh makes some wipes that you can use to clean your pump parts without needing water. I also had some of those in my pump bag.

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