I'm over half way thru my orientation and I"m about to switch to nights. My son is 3 months old and still nursing quite often. I have already dropped down to 2 pumping sessions in 12 hours (which is painful let me tell ya) to better work around me working.
Yet somehow I keep catching crap about me pumping. I had 4 patients yesterday 1 admit, 1 surgical and one returned from a procedure within 20 minutes of each other. So needless to say I was busy!
It had been more than 6 hours since I pumped and I was starting to leak all over the place. So I told my preceptor I needed to go pump and asked if she could help me by giving one pain med to a patient for me.
Her response : "Nope, I'm not supposed to help you"
My response: "Wait you mean I can hang blood for other nurses, pass meds for them and when I get 2 brand spanking new people at one time and NEED to pump I cannot ask for help?"
her: "fine i'll do it"
wasi out of line? this isnt the first tiff we've had about me pumping...i was in tears yesterday when asking night manager if they are more accepting of pumping on nights (i switch next week) lol and she happened to be in break room when i went to get pump supplies.
BTW it taes me 15-20 min for pumping between setting up and cleaning...was only 10 min or so when i pumped more often but have to pump longer now that i go longer in between
You were NOT out of line!!!! How can people so be uncaring, especially nurses? You are supposed to take 2 fifteen minute breaks and one 30 minute break. I took these breaks and pumped. No matter what!!! Your fellow nurses should cover for you like you do for them. You need to pump...it is for your child. You might lose your supply for pumping less. You are at risk of getting mastitis which can cause you to miss work so they should be accepting of this! I work in the ER...a very busy one and take a ten minute break to run to the bathroom and pump!!! At least they should allow you to do this. I am so sorry you are going through this...good luck!!! :) keep us posted...
And to the person who said i was out of line... I respectfully disagree with your entire post...And I feel bad for your co-workers who wish to nurse beyond 1 year because it sounds like they may be lacking support.
MIcrunchyRN,
I don't think you were out of line to ask for time to pump.
But....you asked for opinions then disparaged Fiona59 for giving her opinion. Tacky. I didn't see anywhere in your original post where you asked only for opinions that confirmed your position.
I don't think you were out of line to ask for time to pump.
But....you asked for opinions then disparaged Fiona59 for giving her opinion. Tacky. I didn't see anywhere in your original post where you asked only for opinions that confirmed your position.
That is very true . . . . .. but I still disagree with it and I didn't ask for the advice.
(What are you doing on a breast feeding thread Mr. Ferguson? Get thee back over to Current Events and Election 2008;))
I don't think you were out of line at all...anyhow, they're your breaks to use as you see fit...and we all know that breast milk is more beneficial, so we as nurses should be ENCOURAGING this, not discouraging it!!
With all the numerous threads about nurses working 8 or 12 hour shifts without breaks, I think that only in nursing would breast pumping on one's break be an issue. Either nurses are working through their breaks, or if they take a break they combine the time together for 1 long break.
No other workplace, or profession expects this of their personelle, in fact I would venture to say that all other employees at any health care facility aside from the nurses or direct patient care staff DO NOT do this.
This is less an issue of one leaving 10-15 minutes to pump their breasts than it is about nurses not receiving regular breaks at reasonable intervals.
I have no problems with people needing to pump as long as they do it on their regular breaks. I've worked with nurses who seem to feel their entitled to more breaks than anyone else because they are breast feeding, and that their need to pump is more important than ANYONE else getting a meal break all day.
Specializes in Tele/ICU/MedSurg/Peds/SubAcute/LTC/Alz.
Nope you weren't out of line.
If I was your preceptor or coworker, I would definately help you when you went to do this. I don't care how many breaks you have to do it. Some days you just have to help your fellow coworkers, no matter how busy it is. If her manager said not to help you, I am sure you knew how to give a pain pill, and it wasn't something you needed to relearn.
I had no problem finding coverage to pump. In the beginning, we all (or at least, most of us know) that is has to be more frequent and longer. That diminishes as your baby gets older.
People who haven't breastfed don't understand how terrible it is to need to pump and not be able to do so. The physical *and* emotional discomfort is quite real. It is very painful to have full breasts, and there is this feeling of desperation that comes over you that is nearly overwhelming. It is difficult to concentrate and pay attention to what you are doing when you are way overdue to pump.
And we haven't even addressed the issue that many breastfeeding mothers (like myself) will leak like faucets if we go long overdue for a pumping session.
When I was pumping, I sought out coworkers who had previously breastfed and pumped to cover me. Now that I am no longer a breastfeeding mother, I make sure that I offer to cover moms who need to pump. You need to pay it happily back when you can.
I can only speak for my hospital, my unit; but on nights where I work, it is never an issue for a mom to go pump. We'll make as much time for you as we can. Of course, many of us were once in your shoes, and that probably makes us more inclined to do so.
Specializes in Med/Surg since ‘96; PACU since ‘16.
ok so i"m quite annoyed with my unit right now.
i'm over half way thru my orientation and i"m about to switch to nights. my son is 3 months old and still nursing quite often. i have already dropped down to 2 pumping sessions in 12 hours (which is painful let me tell ya) to better work around me working.
yet somehow i keep catching crap about me pumping. i had 4 patients yesterday 1 admit, 1 surgical and one returned from a procedure within 20 minutes of each other. so needless to say i was busy!
it had been more than 6 hours since i pumped and i was starting to leak all over the place. so i told my preceptor i needed to go pump and asked if she could help me by giving one pain med to a patient for me.
her response : "nope, i'm not supposed to help you"
my response: "wait you mean i can hang blood for other nurses, pass meds for them and when i get 2 brand spanking new people at one time and need to pump i cannot ask for help?"
her: "fine i'll do it"
wasi out of line? this isnt the first tiff we've had about me pumping...i was in tears yesterday when asking night manager if they are more accepting of pumping on nights (i switch next week) lol and she happened to be in break room when i went to get pump supplies.
btw it taes me 15-20 min for pumping between setting up and cleaning...was only 10 min or so when i pumped more often but have to pump longer now that i go longer in between
i do not think you were "out of line". geez, you asked her to give one pain med! that preceptor is being mean and unfair, unreasonable, uncaring. it makes me think of the old saying about nurses eating their young. like she "suffered" somehow so she wants to take it out on you. she said she's not supposed to help you? she's your preceptor! what does she do then? precepting is teaching is helping. what the heck is her problem?
okay, the pumping. she considers your pumping unnecessary, doesn't get it. (she must not have breastfed her children if she had any.) there are those who did not nurse their babies who just don't understand this "pumping" thing breastfeeding mothers do. if she had any idea the pain you are in after not pumping for 6 hours would it help? (eh, maybe not.)
she sounds like a nasty person all around. it is sad to realize there are cold heartless people like her out there. and she's a preceptor! she needs to be reprimanded. really, it sounds like no matter what you ask for (a tissue if your nose was bleeding?) she would give you a hard time. it's not you. good luck finding a better situation. :wink2:
)
clairebearrn
317 Posts
You were NOT out of line!!!! How can people so be uncaring, especially nurses? You are supposed to take 2 fifteen minute breaks and one 30 minute break. I took these breaks and pumped. No matter what!!! Your fellow nurses should cover for you like you do for them. You need to pump...it is for your child. You might lose your supply for pumping less. You are at risk of getting mastitis which can cause you to miss work so they should be accepting of this! I work in the ER...a very busy one and take a ten minute break to run to the bathroom and pump!!! At least they should allow you to do this. I am so sorry you are going through this...good luck!!! :) keep us posted...