Why do some nurses hate it in others pump at work?

CaffeinePOQ4HPRN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · Dec 19, 2017

Make this clear before you cover for someone. If you cover for me, I would appreciate you and would always try to be a good team player, but I would not magically know that you expected me to do this or that for you automatically as payback.

Are you kidding? Even if this negotiation still takes place in advance there are many nurses who take advantage and don't reciprocate when help is given to them. Also, no one expects anyone to be psychic but it's generally considered good basic manners to offer your assistance to someone who has gone out of their way to help you, even if they don't ask. I have a 1 strike policy: if I help you out during a shift and it's not returned when I ask for assistance... I will never help you again, or switch a shift, give you a reference for a job, etc... Nurses who take advantage build a reputation and burn bridges to the point that eventually no one will help or want to be affiliated with them.

Tenebrae, BSN, RN · Dec 19, 2017

As long as their work is up to date and I'm not left carrying the load for their patients as well as mine, I dont have an issue with it personally

Tenebrae, BSN, RN · Dec 19, 2017

This doesn't seem fair to me at all. Mothers have the right to do what is best for their children

Your colleagues have a right to have a nurse who is there for the full shift and not passing their work off on others by being off 45 minutes at a time.

No ones saying dont pump, they are saying dont take the piss about it and end up leaving half your work to your colleagues

Flatline, BSN, RN · Dec 19, 2017

Make this clear before you cover for someone. If you cover for me, I would appreciate you and would always try to be a good team player, but I would not magically know that you expected me to do this or that for you automatically as payback.

LOL.

Do I need to tell you to say thank you and please as well?

Most people understand the concept of common decency, professionalism, and teamwork without having to be told.

In life as a general rule it is considered polite and professional to compensate someone when you burden them. Stay at a friend's house? Offer compensation. Someone buy you dinner? Offer compensation. Someone fix your flat tire? Offer compensation.

Flatline, BSN, RN · Dec 19, 2017

At what point does using their accommodation become inappropriate?

When that individual uses their special need to be less productive than their peers given reasonable accommodations.

Reasonable accommodations means flexibility in how one is productive, not less production.

pmabraham, BSN, RN · Dec 19, 2017

Hello:

I'm pro-pumping, but run into issues where we have limited staff restrooms on our floor and the nurses who pump typically do it for 20 minutes. So 1) they tie up one of the few bathrooms for 20 minutes which makes it very difficult for those that just want to run in, urinate and get out; and 2) they are basically getting 50 to 70 minutes (if they pump twice during the shift) of time off the floor compared to those of us getting just 30 (thankfully none of the nurses on our floor smoke, so there's not a smoke break issue). I don't begrudge them the extra time off the floor as much as blocking one of the few bathrooms for such a long time.

Thank you.

allnurses Guide · Dec 19, 2017

I never minded covering from my coworkers who pumped, but then they never did it more than two to three times a day and certainly never took more than 20 minutes.

I find the replies of "Why on earth would someone have a problem with this? Oh well, children come first" to be disturbing. Everyone has rights, including grown up coworkers. Nobody is saying NOT to pump. However, courtesy and respect flow both ways. If you want to feed your child breast milk, great. Do what you need to do in order to make that a symbiotic thing for all involved. Your coworkers are a stakeholder in breastfeeding your child. Take care of them too.

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Dec 19, 2017

I've spent nearly 10 yrs of my life breastfeeding.

I'm not too concerned if anyone likes it or not.

When the US has 3 yrs of paid maternity leave like they do in parts of Europe, we can talk about separation of infant and work. And really, do we want to return to Industrial era working environments where zero thought was given to women as **people** -- not merely as workers? Granted missed pump breaks are a far cry from burning to death because the boss locked the doors from the inside, or faces rotting off because profits were more important than safe handling of phosphorus or radium... but arguing that it's unreasonable for a mom to pump, because it's not a work duty, I fear is a step in the wrong direction.

We are all legally entitled to break time. Obviously if my pt was trying to die I didn't go, or if my neighbor was swamped I didn't ask her/him to cover for me. But typically I made the time. Smokers make time to leave the unit...I can certainly take my break time to do something HEALTHY. (On that note, is it easier on the unit to cover a pump break, or to cover entire shifts because I stayed engorged and got mastitis? If you haven't experienced mastitis, it is EASILY call-off material. It's like influenza -- profound fatigue, muscle pain, weakness etc -- minus the respiratory sx, and plus horrid breast pain.)

Others may choose not to take their legally entitled breaks, but that's their choice. I certainly offered to cover for them if they want a break.

THAT SAID.

These people abusing their lactation status, leaving for hours or for an excessive number of times, are making ME irritated. Nursing does involve a degree of self denial. I don't mean the "I didn't get to pee my whole 12 hr shift" nursing asceticism, but rather the working nocs/rotating shift, lifting, poop, working holidays... To be away from the unit so much longer than necessary is crossing the line from self-care to dereliction of duty.

I took 1-2 pump breaks per 8 hr shift, gone for 20 minutes max. (Not pumping I usually just take my 30 min. lunch; so when pumping I shortened my lunch to help offset that 2nd break.) When I did 12 hr shifts I went once around midnight and again around 0400.

And again, I ALWAYS offered to cover for the other nurse to take a break.

Also, my understanding is that while the employer must provide the time and space, pump time is to **coincide** with break time. We don't get 30+15+15 (+ another 15, if working 12 hrs), PLUS EXTRA "pump" breaks.

Taking allllll that time makes all of us look bad.

babyNP., APRN · Dec 19, 2017

I never minded covering for my co-workers while they pumped, although I don't recall them taking an hour at a time...

that being said, keep in mind that for some babies, the breastmilk is considered a medicine. For moms with premature infants, the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (which can make a baby go from healthy to dead in 12 hours-blunt but true ask any NICU nurse) is dramatically reduced by using exclusive breastmilk diet. A lot of places have donor milk now, but not all. Breastmilk is literally saving those babies' lives. And many premature baby mommies go back to work before their little one comes home for several reasons including that some NICU stays are months at a time and that the mothers want to save their maternity leave for actually bonding with the baby when they come home.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Dec 19, 2017

I never minded covering for my co-workers while they pumped, although I don't recall them taking an hour at a time...
that being said, keep in mind that for some babies, the breastmilk is considered a medicine. For moms with premature infants, the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (which can make a baby go from healthy to dead in 12 hours-blunt but true ask any NICU nurse) is dramatically reduced by using exclusive breastmilk diet. A lot of places have donor milk now, but not all. Breastmilk is literally saving those babies' lives. And many premature baby mommies go back to work before their little one comes home for several reasons including that some NICU stays are months at a time and that the mothers want to save their maternity leave for actually bonding with the baby when they come home.

I don't think anyone is disputing the value of breast milk at all! Just people who potentially abuse the time allotted for pumping.

Wrangler156 · Dec 19, 2017

In my experience, the nurses that pump while at work leave every 45min to 1 hr to pump for 30min and I am left watching thier patients for more than half of their shift, so I can understand why the traveler is upset.

NurseSpeedy, ADN, LPN, RN · Dec 20, 2017

And for those who breastfeed for more than a year?
Of course, during the year, they could store up a frozen supply. How long is frozen milk good?

When my daughter was born, high quality bugs were good for either 6 months or 12 months I cannot remember which.

I had to exclusively pump as my milk didn't come in until day 6 and my child tore me up beforehand. I had to rent a hospital grade pump. Let me tell you, it does not take 30 minutes to pump and after a few weeks it shouldn't be needed every two hours, unless there an issue with milk supply in general. By one month, I was doing about every 3 or 4 during the day and would go five while I slept at night. By three months I was weaning because it drove me crazy and the baby had enough stored for 8 months.

I think that the mom should be able to pump but needs to find a way to work it into the day. If the facility offers two fifteen minute breaks on top of the lunch break, those should be used for pumping, not additional breaks. Sure, more than two may be needed during a 12 hour shift, but work it into the day. For example, round on your patients and then ask someone to cover who isn't drowning (or coding a patient). Better, pair the pumper with the smoker and they can cover for each other.