Breast milk pumping at school student

cayenne06, MSN, CNM · Mar 26, 2015

Good for her! I hope she is getting the support she needs from the school so she can keep pumping as long as she wants to. I would go out of my way to make sure she felt welcome in my office and had a comfortable, private spot to use.

NutmeggeRN, BSN · Mar 26, 2015

That is awesome! I have a shower in my area and my staff has used it for years. I would welcome any student if it helped her meet her baby's needs AND keeps her in school!!

OldDude · Mar 26, 2015

It's fantastic that you are accommodating her; it sounds like she's striving to give her child the best possible care....I'M REALLY GLAD I'M AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL!!!! :yes:

schooldistrictnurse · Mar 26, 2015

I have vacated my office (not the health room) for staff. It's a pain at times but the alternative is a bathroom (yeech). We have never had a student pump to my knowledge but I would support it if at all possible.

JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2015

My school has a dedicated small room for staff members to pump; though we had a huge baby boom last year and I've offered my office space and even my private bathroom (not ideal of course) when 2 or more staff members have had to pump at the same time. I haven't run into the need for a student, but I would definitely offer my office as a space to help her.

Jolie, BSN · Mar 27, 2015

Don't mean to sound negative, but please be sure that you are placing her milk containers in a sealed, leakproof container, such as a Tupperware. Breast milk is a bodily fluid and must be segregated from medication, food and beverages that might also be stored in your refrigerator. In the hospital setting it requires its own refrigerator. I realize that's not feasible in a small school office, so you will have to improvise a bit.

pfongk · Mar 27, 2015

Actually according to the CDC breast-milk is not classed as a body fluid. Breastfeeding: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) | DNPAO | CDC I pumped at the nursing home I worked at and my milk was never segregated. It just had to be well labelled so as I didn't get it mixed up with anyone else's. I was also able to store it in the staff room fridge or the fridge in the med room where the prescribed meal replacements were kept.

Red Kryptonite · Mar 27, 2015

That's just ridiculous. Aside from the fact that it is indeed a fluid that comes from the body, it transmits HIV. What idiot wrote those guidelines?

pfongk · Mar 27, 2015

Red Kryptonite the World Health Organisation actually. WHO | Breast is always best, even for HIV-positive mothers

Red Kryptonite · Mar 27, 2015

Guess I'm just too "raised in the 80s" because I would NEVER breastfeed a baby if I were HIV positive, and I'm the biggest breastfeeding proponent there is. I nursed my oldest for 16 months and my other four until age 3. But NEVER would I do that with HIV. I find that research hard to believe and would never take the risk.

Frankly the attitude expressed in that article about how hard it is to get people to change their thinking is condescending and unfair. The same health administrations who've beat it into the heads of three generations that you cannot breastfeed with HIV now seem plotzed that the unwashed masses can't just blithely accept their sudden and total u-turn. Ya think maybe this is why so many people feel so little trust in their institutions?

It also defies basic logic, and just the definitions of words, to claim breast milk is not a body fluid.

Flare, ASN, BSN · Mar 27, 2015

I think it's great that the school is accommodating a young mom that wants to do the right thing for her child and continue her studies. The only thing I'd think about would be a plan b location in case you have some sort of emergency going on where you can't clear the office for her to pump. But I am sure that's already been worked out.