Renee, two of my co-workers did just what your PA described. They
faithfully pumped at work three times a day and nursed their babies when
home. But literally ON their daughters' first birthdays, they put the pump
away and quit nursing! They talked about it for weeks ahead of time, as if
nursing and pumping were some chore, some obligation that they couldn't
wait to finish fulfilling! I was shocked! At least they did do it for a
year, but it seemed that they didn't get any enjoyment out of it
whatsoever. I moved to another department, on nights, so I don't pump
often anymore. But when I returned to fill in on day shift recently and
those to co-workers saw me returning from pumping, they said "I can't
believe you are still pumping. Isn't Paris close to two now?". I said
that yes, she is 18 months old, still nurses 4-5 times a day, and so yes, I
still pump if I work a day shift (though only once now, not three
times)! They were as shocked with my continued nursing/pumping as I was
with their timed, planned, abrupt weanings! And yes, this is in a
hospital setting!
Along those lines, I returned from my last maternity leave when my daughter
was twelve weeks old (after being on leave for seven months of the
pregnancy also). Before returning, I STIPULATED to my manager that I
would HAVE to pump on all three of my breaks. It was a very busy floor and
very typical for us not to get our breaks. So what if we got paid an extra
hour for missing a 15 minute break-money did no good for my supply! The
way I saw it, I was using legally required breaks anyway, so if pumping had
to be an "excuse" to take them, so be it!!! Admittedly it was VERY
tedious. There was nowhere to leave my PIS set up, so it took every bit of
my 15 minute breaks to find an empty patient room or go to a conference
room, set up, pump, and take everything apart. On my 30 minute lunch
break, I used a hands-free kit (never could fathom how women could just use
their bras to hold it in place!) and ate while pumping. For a year, I did
not have a "break". But it allowed me to not have to give my daughter ABM
(pumping three times a day replaced the two feeding she took in my
absence). I only had to supplement about four bottles total in the
beginning while I was waiting for the Domperidone to kick in. In the end,
it preserved our breast-feeding relationship, and she is now a still
happily nursing 18 month old, my longest nurser by two months so far! All
of the frenzied pumping breaks were worth it!
All of that is to say that IF there are state laws for this woman in
Florida regarding break times, THAT needs to be the focus, as other people
have pointed out. It has nothing to do with breast-feeding. I am not
aware of women needing to pump being entitled to MORE break time, nor
should they be probably. But they are certainly entitled to use the time
they are supposed to get anyway, and like I did, should be able to use the
need for pumping as leverage. Also, the fact that she works for a
hospital is probably irrelevant. A hospital is a business like any other;
paying people to get a job done. As we all know, it is often much more
demanding than any other type/place of business and more difficult to take
those needed breaks, whether we need to pump or not. So to expect that
they be more accommodating to pumping women than anywhere else is probably
aiming too high :).
Beth Fitzpatrick, mom of 6 (who works for a world-renown
Children's/research hospital that highly encourages all moms of babies
unable to nurse/take a bottle to pump and conducts lactation studies but
does not make special provisions for employees to pump!!)
"When in despair, remember that all through history the way of truth and
love has always won; there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time
they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall." Gandhi
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