The fine art of lactation at work

Teaching and lactation are tricky, but not impossible. Figuring out how to combine working and pumping has been on my mind since I found out I was pregnant. Since I've been back from maternity leave, I've been able to pump every day, but it certainly has imposed some changes into my normal daily routine. I have to take my breaks and lunch at slightly different times than I used to, and no longer supervise kids during lunch (which they've all noticed and commented on several times). Tuesdays and Thursdays are hectic because I have to take kids to off-campus jobs that cut into lunch time, so it's tricky to manage the timing on those days. Nevertheless I've been able to pull it off.

What makes it work, is that I have a private location at my disposal. I have an office that I can use that has a door that locks, so I don't have to worry about random people (or worse yet, kids!) walking in on me. I have a chair to sit in, an outlet nearby, and a sink right in the classroom, so I don't have to go rinsing out the apparatus in a public area (like the bathroom or the teacher's lounge, which would be a bit weird).

Unfortunately I am not driving this semester. Carrying stuff on the bus is kind of a pain. I could leave my pump at school, but after enduring a nursing strike one weekend, I've decided NEVER EVER AGAIN will I do that...you just never know when your baby might decide to go on a nursing strike. So from now on, I always take it back and forth.

The timing is tricky. I don't have a planning period, so I have to do it when the kids are at lunch. Plus, as a side bonus, my one-on-one student can be supervised by someone other than me at that time.

Storage is critical. We have a refrigerator in the room, but since students are notorious for going in and taking stuff out of it (and who knows what they might decide to do with it!), I keep the milk in a lunchbox in the staff lounge. Considering there's food items that have been in there since last October (it's April now), I have no concerns about anyone coming along and disturbing it.