Exclusive pumping/hospital RNs that pump

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm a new grad, but took a year and a half off for pregnancy/raising a baby. I'm starting a new job in a step down unit and have been exclusively pumping for the past 8 months (baby is 9.5 months old). My supply magically tanked when I got the job, I went from 24 oz to 10 oz...if I'm lucky.

I'm now at the point where I'm OK if I only do 2 pumps a day and I don't resent formula like I once did. But I still feel incredibly sad that I might not make it to my one year goal. I don't feel comfortable asking for time to pump at a new job at a busy unit with high acuity patients (vents, central lines, etc). My commute is far enough that pumping in the car to and from work seems reasonable.

Anyone have any experiences with pumping or weaning with a hospital job? Most RNs I know have no idea that the ACA now requires employers (with 50+ employees) to provide a pumping room and adequate time to pump. The nurse managers I interviewed with know I have a baby (and great daycare) but I didn't dare bring up pumping during the interview.

Thanks!

Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

Get an electric pump, preferably one that can let you pump both breasts at once. I used a Medela Pump in Style: I could fill both bottles in 10 minutes...I never would have been able to do that with a single breast/mechanical pump.

I work 8s. I would pump twice a shift--I took a 15 minute break for one session, and part of a late lunch for another. I never was hassled or given grief about taking time to pump by coworkers or management. Of course, being flexible on what time to go pump helped considerably. On the days I wasn't working, I pumped once or twice to keep the stash up.

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I know everyone's situation is different & milk supply varies with each person, but here's my experience:

I'm a night-shift med-surg float nurse at a couple of hospitals, so I hardly know the nurses on the floors I'm working on most of the time & pumping's different on each floor. I have a 3 mo. old & I feed her right before I leave the house, make sure I pump at least once during the 12-hour shift, and then feed her or pump again as soon as I get home. I've never had a nurse say "no" when I asked them to cover so I could pump (but I have gotten some funny looks since they didn't know I had a baby). Some floors make me take my work phone with me in case a pt calls or someone has an important question. If I have to wash pump parts, I try to do it at a sink at the nurses station so I can listen out for my pts while I wash. I'm always able to find a private area (dictation room, office, conference room, etc) to pump in. With my first child I worked full-time on a med-surg floor & pumped once or twice a shift until she was 6 months old without having any supply issues. Then at 6 months I quit pumping at work because she wasn't eating much at night anyways (my husband would just give her one formula bottle during my shift & I'd feed her before and after work & while I slept) and that continued until I weaned her at 9 months. I only had supply issues after I quit pumping at work & it wasn't too bad. Weaning was also easy because it was so gradual since I cut out pumpingat work and had to gradually start supplementing more at home. I hope to do the same with this baby.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.

The other benefit of a double pump is it stimulates your body to express more milk. I could double pump with my 3rd child, with a hands free attachment for my pump in style, put a blanket over me (I only pumped at home with my 3rd) and I could read a book or whatever. I'm a lactivist!! (-:

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Specializes in Intermediate Telemetry.

So glad I found this post! I'm going back to work tomorrow after having 12 weeks off for maternity leave. I work on a busy med surg floor and I am most nervous about finding the time to pump!! I have a hard time stepping away from my patients as it is and finding the time to take a pumping break is going to be a challenge. Glad to read all the tips and pointers from the ones who have been through it!

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Specializes in CVICU.

Thank you all for your posts! I've been orienting the past two weeks; most shifts have been in dedicated classrooms to teach us Epic, ECGs, etc. I was pleasantly surprised to find a dedicated lactation room near the bathrooms at the training center.

I'll second the comments made about having a hospital grade pump making a difference. I was an exclusive pumper and rented a Medela Symphony for seven months--I loved that it was so quiet and automatically shut off after 30 min (sometimes I would fall asleep while pumping). I also have a Medela Pump In Style (that's what insurance would cover). Although it was a dual pump like the Symphony, it was much louder and made it harder to forget I was pumping. However, the PISA did make pumping in the car and even on a plane possible.

Agreed, pumping bras are awesome! I also learned from a RN/IBCLC that you can rinse your pumping parts, put them in a ziploc bag and store them in the fridge and reuse them a couple of times before washing. That was a HUGE time saver.

After all this, I've decided it's time to stop pumping. Baby is 10 months old, I'll be working 12 hour DAYS on a busy step down unit where patients have your phone #, I'll be commuting 45 minutes each way to/from work, and I was only getting 5 ounces a day at best. It just seems like the right time to stop. However, I feel much more empowered to pump at work when we have another baby. I'll take your advice to heart and consider switching to nights and see if 8 hour shifts are available.

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