Once I returned to work, I pumped breastmilk until my son turned 1-year-old. My husband made this sign for me to hang on my office door at work while pumping:
It was handy because, since I work in a school, the kids had no idea what it meant. However, the folks I work with knew that when the sign was on the door, they shouldn’t knock (it did not, however, prevent some of them from standing outside my door and moo-ing).
You might think you don’t really need to announce to everybody when you’re pumping. Just close your door and lock it, right?
Well what happens when somebody knocks on your office door while you’re pumping? I found it awkward to yell out, “I’m pumping!” and going to the door was clearly not an option. I also felt ridiculous just sitting quietly, pretending like I wasn’t there. So, I recommend a discreet (or fun!) way to let people know you’re pumping so that they do not disturb you.
You can print your sign here. You’re welcome.
On the plus side, even though you can’t answer your door while pumping at work, you can answer your phone. I verified with my husband that he was unable to hear the WEYOOAH WEYOOAH WEYOOAH of my breastpump over the phone, thereby allowing me to at least use that time to return phone calls. With a hands-free pump, you can totally be productive while pumping at work!
Related articles
- Lesson 44: Tips for pumping at work (cabernetandbreastmilk.com)
- Lesson 46: How to increase milk production while pumping (cabernetandbreastmilk.com)
- Lesson 48: How to store breastmilk (cabernetandbreastmilk.com)
- Lesson 49: Whoever said there’s no use crying over spilled milk… (cabernetandbreastmilk.com)
