I read Nancy Jo's post questioning whether pumping in public might be another hurdle we need to get over and I had to add my anecdotes regarding "pumping pioneers". In my practice I had a mom who lived here in the Boston area but had a business in New York City. Three months after her baby was born she arranged her schedule to allow her to take care of business in New York two days a week; she commuted to NYC and back by train -- a 4 hour journey each direction. She carried an electric breastpump with her. Initially she tried to pump in the tiny train toilets. For several reasons this was not workable. In a fit of frustration she conspired to pump in her train seat. She was surprised to discover that no one seemed to notice -- or, if they did, no one said anything. Pumping became a regular part of her commute for several months, and she says that it was quite easy once she got the hang of wearing clothes that "worked" with her activities. Since then several people have mentioned seeing women pumping in their airplane seats. Another woman in my practice had a frustrating time on one long business trip as she tried to find a gas station that had a bathroom where she could plug in her pump. After several unsuccessful stops she pulled into a restaurant (a chain known in US for pancakes and coffee). There she found yet another bathroom plug that didn't work. An employee who happened to be in the bathroom spoke to the restaurant manager about the problem, and the manager cordoned off a corner booth and ran an extension cord to the table so this woman could pump. She got a meal to boot. Although she was afforded some privacy it was not deemed necessary to "hide" her, and the staff served her whilst she went about her pumping. Not too long ago a woman attended one of our Breastfeeding Mom's groups and decided to use a tandem pump during the meeting. It made sense, since she came to the meeting during her lunch break. I have to admit that I found myself a little taken aback as she matter-of-factly started pumping "in full view" of the group. In actuality, it provided a welcome opportunity to discuss the option of using a pump to continue lactation after returning to work, and I think every woman in the room was a bit in awe of the "brave" pumper. It certainly put the issue of being awkward about merely breastfeeding in public in perspective. I will confess that I don't know if I would be able to be a pump pioneer; but in my heart I feel like we (as a society) should "get over it" and stop being so silly about what is, really, a mundane activity (albeit a valuable one). I mean, if the culture can accept simulated plastic breasts (bottles) being waved about IN PUBLIC... Margery Wilson, IBCLC Cambridge, MA [log in to unmask]