College in stone ages...Help!

[@llli*gwendlynsmom]

I am going back to school for my RN soon. I've been speaking with the school, which has nothing for a lactation room. The dean suggests I use the bathroom stall. I know there are laws for employees, shouldn't that carry over to student parents? Do I have any other options? (I do not want to pump in the bathroom stall! Gross). The locker room offers zero privacy and gets busy too.

It's a 15 minute commute and I'm only there for 6 hours one day 4 hours another. I have classes and labs, on my schedule it looks like there is 1 minute in between classes to get from one to the other. I'm assuming that there will be a lunch break and I can go to my car, but there might not even be any break time.

If I have to hand express to keep my supply / avoid painful engorgement, how can I save it when it sprays everywhere? How long do other mom's hand express for? I have a PISA if I'm able to use it... Thank you all in advance for any input you can offer to help, or advise on negotiating the "No" response!

[@llli*mommy2lilah]

Have you asked if there is an office or conference room that you can use? Or what accomodations are made for actual employees? Perhaps you could talk to HR and find out from them if there are facilities you could use for pumping?

[@llli*joshuas.mommy]

If you're only there for 6 hours one day and 4 hours the other, you may be able to get away with pumping once on your lunch break without hurting your supply. If needed, you could add an additional pumping session in your car before classes start for the day. As far as hand expressing for comfort, there's no easy or convenient way to save it, and my own experience has been that I don't get enough that way to be worth saving anyway. I've tried expressing into a Pyrex bowl but get less than half an ounce from both sides combined, which is way less than I get when pumping. Some moms do get a lot out hand expressing but I think they're in the minority. Anyway I would pump in the car at lunch and maybe before classes, and just hand express into the toilet or sink in between for comfort, if you need to. It sucks that your school isn't more supportive. I don't know if there are laws protecting student moms; seems like there should be but I don't know if there are. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will be along to help you out soon!

[@llli*phi]

Is there a departmental office with secretaries/administrative assistants for the faculty/graduate students/etc.? If so, then I would talk to one of the secretaries/administrative assistants about open rooms. I don't know about nursing programs, but in most academic departments there is usually someone in the departmental office that books rooms for seminars, colloquia, meetings, etc. and knows what rooms are available and when. If you get in good with this person (be super nice - it's a favor they'll be doing for you ), they will often find a spot for you if one is available.

[@llli*aprilsmagic]

Hygeia has a device designed for hand expression to catch the milk.

I worked PT for five years and used a manual pump and nursed on demand and did great nursing those three kids for 2 years each.

I would maybe approach a professor and ask if I could use their office or a meeting room.

[@llli*timsmom]

I personally can hand express 3- oz directly into those little medela storage bottles if I'm full. I wasn't willing to buy an electric pump because I rarely needed to pump. I have a medela harmony (single, manual), but I think it's creepy and keeping it clean stresses me out.

When DS was little and really needed me to leave him milk, I used the pump. Over time, I learned to hand express. It took a long time to get good at it. Once DS was over a year and didn't drink much while I was gone, I went to hand expressing exclusively. I usually just waited until I got home to do it, since I wasn't gone that long. Normally, you'd just nurse then, but DS would stuff himself until he'd puke. So I'd hand express and save a bottle in the freezer, just in case he needed it. Then I'd nurse him.

It may be that I find it easier to aim because I have small breasts and nipples. I just lean over the bottle and insert my nipple into the opening.

[@llli*happykaramom]

It's a 15 minute commute and I'm only there for 6 hours one day 4 hours another. I have classes and labs, on my schedule it looks like there is 1 minute in between classes to get from one to the other. I'm assuming that there will be a lunch break and I can go to my car, but there might not even be any break time.

If I have to hand express to keep my supply / avoid painful engorgement, how can I save it when it sprays everywhere? How long do other mom's hand express for? I have a PISA if I'm able to use it...

When I went for my RN we took many breaks during lecture. I can see it very feasible to sneak out during lab to pump as well.

I also learned how to hand express into medela PIS horns by the link on the sticky "Maximizing Production When Pumping" on the pumping thread. It was a great video.

I have a friend who pumped during a CPR ACLS class. She just used a privacy cover. It's not like your going to engineering school... They should be even more supportive of breast feeding since they will be teaching you to encourage BFing. I agree with the PP you should be able to connect with HR or the administrative assistant to find a room.

[@llli*gwendlynsmom]

I've been making lots of phone calls. The local university DOES have a lactation room in the graduate school, which is reassuring (even though it does not help my situation). I'm at a smaller community college. HR is in the Main building, I attend a different campus, and they just immediately want to transfer me to my campus. I spoke with the office of the dean, she says to go to the bathroom to pump. I contacted a professor that I know, she says the bathroom seams like a bad idea (yes) and says contact the administrative dean instead. Now I find there is more than one dean on my campus. However the administrative dean will not speak with me, because I'm a nursing student. She says talk to the nursing dean or department head. The nursing dean is also not on my campus (can't find a pumping space). I just spoke with the department head. She says pump in the bathroom. I mention the Surgeon General's call to action for BF and specifically how employees must be given a space Not the Bathroom. She's going to call me back, but I need to figure this out before school starts in about a week. I don't know any administrative assistants to get on get terms and have them help? I keep getting transferred and told to use the restrooms basically. I'm not giving up without a fight, so thanks for all your advice.

Thanks for the tips on hand expressing. I'll be giving that a try, too.

[@llli*raejoy]

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news...25/detail.html

^ Okay not quite helpful to you per say, BUT interesting! And it mentions this mother got the help of Health Services. Maybe contact them or a similar org for back up?

http://www.mamapedia.com/article/cra...s-to-pump-milk

^ Storage closet??? Maybe there's a little closet that doesn't have cleaning chemicals in it you could use?

http://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/prog...ofStudents.pdf

^ In particular the part about the Civil Rights Act/discrimination

[@llli*raejoy]

http://www.nwlc.org/our-blog/pregnan...€™-bill-rights

This was their status within the past hour and made me think of you