Mommyish Poll: How Did Your Employer Handle Your Pumping Breaks?

Yesterday, a few of us got riled up about a Colorado teacher who was told “because of conflict over her pumping schedule, that she was no longer a good fit.”  Personally, I had a really rough time pumping when I returned from maternity leave. My boss and co-workers complained about the time it took for me to pump. We didn’t have adequate space for a pumping room. Storing my milk in the communal refridgerator (in its own, closed cooler so no one had to see it) was super uncomfortable and made my co-workers angry. The whole thing was a mess and I felt pretty resentful towards my company.

Apparently, that’s nothing. I’m lucky that I still kept my job.

We all know that many states have laws in place to protect working mothers and give them the space and time necessary to pump. But those laws often only apply to larger companies, and not every company strictly follows the letter of the law. Case in point, Colorado has those laws too.

So I’m wondering, how did your company deal with pumping at work? Were they super-supportive (in which case, THANK YOU!)? Did they take the Jersey Shore approach, “You do you, I’ll do me,” and leave you alone about it. Or were you stuck in a situation like mine, where you were made to feel awful for what should be a personal choice? Weigh in and share your story in the comments!

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