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sister_luckIn conversations with some of my female colleagues the subject of pumping has come up. They see me disappear with my stylish backpack at least once a day. When they mention it, it's always described in terms of obligation or necessity: "How often do you have to pump?"
I don't see it that way. Attaching an electric pump to my breasts to suck out the milk my baby drinks is not something I have to do. There are other ways of feeding him. It's something that I choose to do for as long as I'm able to or until it's time to introduce other food. I know I'm lucky that a) it seems to be working and b) I've got a job that allows me to do this. And I'm not the first among the mothers at my school to make that choice - I know of three others who taught and pumped.
Finding a good spot for pumping is a bit of an issue - my favourite room has got comfy chairs and a nice relaxed atmosphere (for a school) but can't be locked properly. From the inside, it doesn't have a keyhole, only one of those doorknobs that you can turn to lock the door: the next person coming along the corridor with a key (and the desire to get inside) will be able to unlock it. With a keyhole, I'd be able to leave the key in the door from the inside. So I've taken to shoving one of the chairs under the door handle and putting a "do not disturb" postit near the keyhole. Actually, I sit with my back to the door and it's fairly unlikely that someone would barge in as this room isn't frequented much. And I'm not that fussed. Only, when this room is used, it's for parent-teacher meetings and flashing my boobies at the father or mother of a problem pupil probably wouldn't facilitate a meaningful dialogue between school and carers.
I've tried it with an empty classroom (after lessons were over and before the meeting about contentious issues) but managed to pick the one where a disciplinary conference was scheduled - I was still setting up when a colleague tried the door so I let them in and went back to the room with the comfy chairs.
I've been offered the use of a colleague's office, but it means collecting a special key at the secretaries and I don't feel comfortable blocking her work space. It might also be because one of the afore-mentioned pumping mothers very publicly used it as her pumping room - publicly in the sense that she made sure that everyone knew about it. As one of the other pumping mamas said, it doesn't have to be a drama.
I'm trying to be drama-free though I'm not sure I'm succeeding (shoving chairs under door handles?). I've already managed to leave the - empty - bottles lying around and met the new department head/teaching director while washing out the flanges of my pump.
We'll see how it all works out after a fairly successful start (all of three days) - the next two weeks are conference-heavy and thus stressful, and will show whether I can continue with my choice of pumping, because of course, while no one can force me to do this, it's a choice that can be taken away from me if my body doesn't cooperate.
I don't see it that way. Attaching an electric pump to my breasts to suck out the milk my baby drinks is not something I have to do. There are other ways of feeding him. It's something that I choose to do for as long as I'm able to or until it's time to introduce other food. I know I'm lucky that a) it seems to be working and b) I've got a job that allows me to do this. And I'm not the first among the mothers at my school to make that choice - I know of three others who taught and pumped.
Finding a good spot for pumping is a bit of an issue - my favourite room has got comfy chairs and a nice relaxed atmosphere (for a school) but can't be locked properly. From the inside, it doesn't have a keyhole, only one of those doorknobs that you can turn to lock the door: the next person coming along the corridor with a key (and the desire to get inside) will be able to unlock it. With a keyhole, I'd be able to leave the key in the door from the inside. So I've taken to shoving one of the chairs under the door handle and putting a "do not disturb" postit near the keyhole. Actually, I sit with my back to the door and it's fairly unlikely that someone would barge in as this room isn't frequented much. And I'm not that fussed. Only, when this room is used, it's for parent-teacher meetings and flashing my boobies at the father or mother of a problem pupil probably wouldn't facilitate a meaningful dialogue between school and carers.
I've tried it with an empty classroom (after lessons were over and before the meeting about contentious issues) but managed to pick the one where a disciplinary conference was scheduled - I was still setting up when a colleague tried the door so I let them in and went back to the room with the comfy chairs.
I've been offered the use of a colleague's office, but it means collecting a special key at the secretaries and I don't feel comfortable blocking her work space. It might also be because one of the afore-mentioned pumping mothers very publicly used it as her pumping room - publicly in the sense that she made sure that everyone knew about it. As one of the other pumping mamas said, it doesn't have to be a drama.
I'm trying to be drama-free though I'm not sure I'm succeeding (shoving chairs under door handles?). I've already managed to leave the - empty - bottles lying around and met the new department head/teaching director while washing out the flanges of my pump.
We'll see how it all works out after a fairly successful start (all of three days) - the next two weeks are conference-heavy and thus stressful, and will show whether I can continue with my choice of pumping, because of course, while no one can force me to do this, it's a choice that can be taken away from me if my body doesn't cooperate.
