X
theAsianparent Philippines Logo
theAsianparent Philippines Logo
EnglishFilipino
  • Building a BakuNation
  • Becoming a Parent
    • Trying to Conceive
    • Pregnancy
    • Delivery
    • Losing a Baby
    • Project Sidekicks
  • Ages & Stages
    • Baby
    • Toddler Years
    • Preschool Age
    • Kids
    • Preteen & Teen
  • Parenting
    • Parent's Guide
    • News
    • Relationship & Sex
  • Health & Wellness
    • Diseases & Injuries
    • Allergies & Conditions
    • Vaccinations
  • Education
    • Preschool
    • K-12
    • Special Education Needs
  • Lifestyle Section
    • Celebrities
    • Contests & Promotions
    • Home
    • Travel and Leisure
    • Fashion
    • Fitness
    • Wellness
    • Money
  • Become a VIP
  • COVID-19
  • Press Room
  • TAP Recommends
  • Shopping

Breastfeeding moms in the workplace share their horror stories!

5 Aug, 2014

No place to store milk, no place to pump, limited time to express milk and more: Breastfeeding moms in the workplace share their horror stories!

Breastfeeding moms in the workplace share their horror stories!

Breastfeeding moms in the workplace share their horror stories!

Many offices have little or no facilities where moms can express and store breast milk. This is less than ideal for moms who choose to exclusively breastfeed. Still, they do what they can to provide their children with a sufficient supply of milk.

Some find that the situation is easier with the help and understanding of bosses and coworkers. Others take a more drastic approach. From communicating their needs to taking a leap of faith and working from home, moms do find their own ways to accomplish their breastfeeding goals.

6 moms share their workplace breastfeeding horror stories and what they did to cope.

No place to pump but the comfort room

No place to pump but the comfort room

Helene worked in advertising when she first became pregnant. After giving birth, she had to find a way to be able to express milk at the office. Her only option was the restroom. Of the 3 stalls in their comfort room, one was larger and had a bench. She had to wait for that stall to be freed up, and then occupied it for over 20 minutes. It was embarrassing when there were a lot of women queued up. Because of her hectic schedule and erratic pumping, she was only able to breastfeed her child for 5 months.
No space to store milk

No space to store milk

Maia worked at a start-up company that had no area where she could express milk. She had to ask for what she needed so that her pumping could be accommodated. Her boss and colleagues did what they could to help, but it was still very stressful. There were even times when the clinic refrigerator, which she was allowed to use, was filled with vaccines, and she had no space to store her expressed milk.
Keeping the expressed milk safe for consumption

Keeping the expressed milk safe for consumption

The office that Blessie worked had no nursing room. She, however, wasn’t comfortable with the idea of giving her child milk that was expressed in the restroom. She would pump while at work, but only to relieve the pain in her breasts and to keep her milk supply flowing. After pumping, she would throw out the milk. While she was at work, her son drank formula. Lucky for this mom of 4, her milk supply never dwindled despite these hurdles.
Limited time to express milk

Limited time to express milk

When Marie, was an agent at a BPO, she could pump milk in private at the company clinic, but only during her breaks. The lack of time and proper facilities eventually turned her off so she gave up on pumping.
Dwindling milk supply

Dwindling milk supply

With the demands of work and her irregular expressing schedule, Mai found her breast milk supply starting to dwindle. At that point, she decided to resign from her job and pursue work-at-home options instead. That leap of faith allowed this mom of 2 to shift back from mixed feeding to exclusive breastfeeding.
Being away for long periods of time

Being away for long periods of time

Sally’s office was just a small room inside a warehouse. Their pantry had no refrigerator. Without a private room to pump, she would just do it at her desk using a nursing cover, regardless of male and female colleagues going in and out of the room.

She resigned shortly after coming back from maternity leave. Sally shares, "I'm away for at least 12 hours every day. A big factor was my 3-hour travel time to and from the office, plus worrying about the stored milk in my cooler the whole time I was in the office. There were just a lot of inconveniences for me to stay there.”

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Patricia de Castro-Cuyugan

If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the topic, please share them in our Comment box below. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Google+ to stay up-to-date on the latest from theAsianparent.com Philippines!

Next
img

Written by

Patricia de Castro-Cuyugan

  • Home
  • /
  • Parenting
  • /
  • Breastfeeding moms in the workplace share their horror stories!
Share:
  • Does your newborn have lanugo? What is it and how to remove baby lanugo hair

    Does your newborn have lanugo? What is it and how to remove baby lanugo hair

  • Parents' Guide: 7 important things you need to know about newborn screening

    Parents' Guide: 7 important things you need to know about newborn screening

  • Caring for your baby boy's genitals: A guide for parents

    Caring for your baby boy's genitals: A guide for parents

app info
get app banner
  • Does your newborn have lanugo? What is it and how to remove baby lanugo hair

    Does your newborn have lanugo? What is it and how to remove baby lanugo hair

  • Parents' Guide: 7 important things you need to know about newborn screening

    Parents' Guide: 7 important things you need to know about newborn screening

  • Caring for your baby boy's genitals: A guide for parents

    Caring for your baby boy's genitals: A guide for parents

Get advice on your pregnancy and growing baby. Sign up for our newsletter
  • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Baby Names
    • Delivery
  • Parenting
    • Parent's Guide
    • Advice for Parenting Kids
    • Relationship & Sex
  • Lifestyle Section
    • Local celebs
    • Celebrities
    • Money
    • News
  • FAMILY & HOME
    • Couples
    • Weekend & Holiday Guide
    • Health
  • Building a BakuNation
    • More
      • TAP Community
      • Advertise With Us
      • Contact Us
      • Become a Contributor


    • Singapore flag Singapore
    • Thailand flag Thailand
    • Indonesia flag Indonesia
    • Philippines flag Philippines
    • Malaysia flag Malaysia
    • Sri-Lanka flag Sri Lanka
    • India flag India
    • Vietnam flag Vietnam
    • Australia flag Australia
    • Japan flag Japan
    • Nigeria flag Nigeria
    • Kenya flag Kenya
    © Copyright theAsianparent 2022. All rights reserved
    About Us|Team|Privacy Policy|Terms of Use |Sitemap HTML
    • Tools
    • Articles
    • Feed
    • Poll

    We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

    We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

    theAsianparent heart icon
    Nais naming magpadala ng notification sa'yo tungkol sa latest news at update sa pag-aalaga ng baby at kanilang kalusugan.