Littlemama1 Posted September 3, 2012 Posted September 3, 2012 Any help out there would be greatly appreciated, I'm a new Mom and about to go back to work. The problem is I have been breastfeeding my daughter and Now will need to pump at work. I work a 24 hour shift. Has anyone else out there done this and how did you make it work? I have thought about stopping but I really want what's best for my baby and the research I've read leans in the direction of breast feeding for 6 months. 1
scubanurse Posted September 3, 2012 Posted September 3, 2012 If you have a station, pump on downtime there... if you can't leave the ambulance, talk to your partner and just go in the back to pump between calls. I've known a lot of moms who have pumped at work... shouldn't really be a big deal and if they make a big deal of it sue them
medicmole Posted September 3, 2012 Posted September 3, 2012 Good for you for wanting to continue to breast feed. I don'tknow that pumping in the back of the ambulance is a good idea. I think you would be better off finding a clean quiet place in the hospital if you can't back ak to your station. Just my opinion. 1
Just Plain Ruff Posted September 3, 2012 Posted September 3, 2012 Bring a pump along, pump when you can. Don't make a federal case out of pumping but like Kate said, you have every right to pump. Get a double pump though, that way you can do double duty. Good luck.
tcripp Posted September 4, 2012 Posted September 4, 2012 We've had a few female medics in this position...they pump when they can. Now we worked for a county/rural service so we could, on occasion, work it out with another crew to watch "their" backs while she pumped in station. Where there is a will, there is a way. And, to Captain...they make a double pump? Dear Lord...where was all this fancy stuff when I was nursing?
akflightmedic Posted September 4, 2012 Posted September 4, 2012 And, to Captain...they make a double pump? Dear Lord...where was all this fancy stuff when I was nursing? When was your last baby? We had a double pump with our first baby...in 1998!!!
tcripp Posted September 4, 2012 Posted September 4, 2012 AK - about 14 years before that...before delivery suites and diaper genies.
paramedicmike Posted September 5, 2012 Posted September 5, 2012 I think a couple of my coworkers who were nursing were told by our boss that the employer was required to provide space for pumping. I have nothing more to back this up other than second hand conversation. But it might be worth looking into.
DwayneEMTP Posted September 5, 2012 Posted September 5, 2012 Yeah, unless you're running back to back calls you should have more than enough time and opportunity to pump. Throw a towel over your chest, do your business, and explain to anyone asking what you're doing, well, what you're doing. I'm unaware of any place that might have rules against it, no matter where you chose to pump in this manner. But it's way past time people were mature enough to stop thinking of it as an issue. Particularly in the EMS community, though you'll have requests to watch, it's difficult to imagine any complaints.
island emt Posted September 5, 2012 Posted September 5, 2012 Pretty sure Mike is correct: They cannot require you to go in the bathroom or other unsanitary location. When I worked in a base type operation in NH we had one of the bunk rooms with a nice chair and desk for them. One of the women would have her husband stop by in the evening and we covered so she could nurse the baby, unless it really hit the fan. It all depends on how decent a company you work for , & how hard they need to be pushed to be decent employers.
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