Keep a big shawl with you at all times. You can use it as a cover in a less-than-private space (I used mine in a parked Land Rover in a field in rural Nepal, but it works fine on an airplane or in a shared office space, too), or stuff it into the pump opening to muffle the sound while you're on a conference call.Invest in a hands-free pumping bra. Simple Wishes, Pump Strap, Snugabell, Dairy Fairy, and many others make bras, or you can cut small holes in the nipple area of a large sports bra!At home, practice pumping with only one free hand, so you're prepared ifyou ever find yourself having to hold a non-locking door shut with one hand.Assemble your pump parts at home the night before work so you have less set-up time for your first pumping session of the work day.Put a flashlight app on your phone for pumping in closets and other dark places.Keep towels or receiving blankets in your caryou can close them in the windows to create privacy for pumping.Always keep the pump's battery pack (with fresh batteries!) in your pump bag, for car and airplane pumping and times when you can't find an electrical outlet.Get a tension rod and curtain to hang across the inside of a non-locking door (like a storage closet) it'll buy you a few extra seconds to shout "OCCUPIED!" when someone opens the door.In between pumping sessions, throw your pump parts, unwashed, into a wet bag and into the fridge. It'll save you precious minutes, and lactation consultants say it's safe to do.If you absolutely have to pump in a bathroom stall, I'm sorry. And: keep Post-it notes in your bag; putting one over the http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=breast+pumps auto flush sensor will keep it from flushing.If you're staying in a hotel, repeat the words "FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES" over and over until they give you a room fridge to keep your milk cold.Many doors in schools are not allowed to have locks at kid height; if you are a teacher and this is your life, ask maintenance to install a slide lock way up at the top of the door, where the kids can't reach it.And here's the most important one: Remember that working pumpers all over the world are doing this, too. We're with you, no matter what. And we know that you're awesome.Jessica Shortall is an advocate for working parents and the author of Work. Pump. Repeat: The New Mom's Survival Guide to Breastfeeding and Going Back to Work.
http://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/news/a35736/lactation-room-hacks/
All week long ELLE.com is looking at theissues surrounding pumping.
Yes, employers DO exist that provide breast feedingemployees with luxury lactation suites, complete with massaginglounge chairs, multi-user pumps, refrigerators, sinks, snacks, and soothing dcor and music. And we're very, very happy for the people who get to use those rooms. Very happy. Thrilled. Not at all bitter.
But most of us have to hack, rig, and fake our way through odd and uncomfortable spaces when pumping at work, both on the road and at our work home bases. #ThatPumpLife isn't pretty, but we're working parents,we know to make stuff happen on a wing and a prayer. So, straight from working pumpers to you, here are my all-time favorite hacks for making pumping work just about anywhere: