16 years ago I went back to work one or two days a week when my firstborn
was 5 months old.  I worked on the night shift in a combined neonatal
intensive care unit and newborn nursery (as a nurse).  I naturally pumped,
using the only thing available then, the Lloyd B.  The lounge was used only
by nursing staff (all female) - for meals, smoking and naps.  I added
pumping    :)   (I was as discrete as possible - pumping under my scrub
suit).  One night this awful RN came in and after the few minutes it took
for her to notice what I was doing verbally abused me prior to turning
heals and marching out.  I was infuriated and embarrassed simultaneously
and sought out more private settings from then on.  I remember placing my
bottled milk in paper bags prior to refrigerating it.  Boy, looking back I
was quite a wimp.  I did go on to become the first IBCLC in the hospital 10
years later although I never worked there as an LC, always as an RN.

        I also had a client who was FORBIDDEN by her employer to pump in the
bathroom (never mind any where else) because it was dangerous (dirty don't
you know?).

        On the good side, my dear father supported me with child care 9 years ago
throughout my days of early LC education during the week long suck
intensive at the Lactation Institute and during the 2 long weekends of the
UCLA CLE program.  Lucky for me he lived in Los Angeles. His support
included transporting the baby to me to nurse mid day when she was 18
months old and providing a play pen on site when she was 6 months old and
needed me more frequently.  The pumping-in-public support came when we were
in the car with a deadline to meet. Dad said "just pump an ounce and
Grandma can feed her while you pump the next ounce".  (All in the car seat)
 It worked too.

My funniest let down in public story occurred when (one of the California
trips) Grandma and I were at the spa, walking about in steam and nude I had
a major letdown, it sprayed an arch 3 feet in front of me.  Now days they
would probably pull out the "body fluids clean up kit"

My funniest nursing in public story was in a airliner with a 3 week old.
My first baby....I asked for the bulk head seat (having heard there was
more room there for diaper bags and nursing babies).  HOWEVER in THIS
airline, the bulkhead faced the rear of the plane and all the other seats
faced forward.

Neither funny story bothered me the way the nasty nurse who was offended by
my pumping did.

Carla