Hellobee Boards Topic: Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?

Hellobee Boards Topic: Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you? https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 11 Apr 2026 14:47:59 +0000 LemonLong on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1949856 Tue, 18 Nov 2014 20:38:01 +0000 LemonLong 1949856@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Sometimes I have to pump during calls and meetings. Usually they can hear the pump going, but only once did someone ask what is why. Pretty embarrassing! matador84 on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1949854 Tue, 18 Nov 2014 20:35:47 +0000 matador84 1949854@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I used a hospital grade pump with my first child and a PIS with my second and have had better results with the PIS, although, a lot of it is just due to supply. I'd rather have the privacy than what choice 2 entails. I never wash my pump parts...just stick them in the fridge and get them back out when I pump again. catomd00 on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1949825 Tue, 18 Nov 2014 19:51:27 +0000 catomd00 1949825@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I'd pump in my office. FwIW, I don't rinse any parts in between and have never had an issue. Half the time they don't even make it into the fridge in between. The cooler bag is good enough for my day - which lasts from 9 when I first pump until 6 when I get home. I'd say 50% of the time I forget the ice pack too. Breastmilk is good at room temp for quite some time. aegie on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1949470 Tue, 18 Nov 2014 14:53:55 +0000 aegie 1949470@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I blocked off 45 minutes for pumping on my calendar so noone would schedule anything then. It also shows me as "away" on our office IM system. This way I'm laying down expectations that I'm NOT at my desk and not available. I would take my blackberry and do work while pumping, but I wasn't answering calls which would be awkward with the pump going. shortcake on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1949427 Tue, 18 Nov 2014 14:25:40 +0000 shortcake 1949427@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I would recommend putting all pump parts in a ziploc and putting the stored milk and the pump parts in a opaque bag in the fridge between uses. I use my pump parts 4 times in a row this way and it saves so much time. They do not need to be cleaned every time if there is just breastmilk on them. Little Misters Mom on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1949388 Tue, 18 Nov 2014 14:07:05 +0000 Little Misters Mom 1949388@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @shortcake: I will need to ask about the fridge but my guess is no since they don't allow space heaters. That would be nice though. @kayakgirl73: Did the Symphony get more milk in a faster time period for you? kayakgirl73 on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1949305 Tue, 18 Nov 2014 13:21:38 +0000 kayakgirl73 1949305@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I didn't really like my Ameda Purely Yours and I rented a hospital grade to try to keep up my supply when I first went back to work at four months. I ended up keeping the Medela Symphony in my office and pumping there with just a sign on my door. I kept the Symphony about eight months. It was expensive but nice not have to schelp the pump back and forth. shortcake on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1949215 Tue, 18 Nov 2014 12:50:48 +0000 shortcake 1949215@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I would put a do not disturb sign on your door when you pump and pump in your office. Can you buy a mini fridge for work? Several pumping moms at my office have them. IHave done both and not dealing with other people's schedule when needing to pump is so much easier. Smurfette on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1948134 Mon, 17 Nov 2014 17:54:43 +0000 Smurfette 1948134@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Office would be nice!! I didn't even wipe my parts down, in a ziploc bag and in the fridge till the next session. blackbird on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1948097 Mon, 17 Nov 2014 17:11:18 +0000 blackbird 1948097@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Little Misters Mom: ask your hospital for some! Mine always gave me extra tubing and flanges and such for the hospital pump kimbed on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1948069 Mon, 17 Nov 2014 16:36:37 +0000 kimbed 1948069@https://boards.hellobee.com/ When I first returned to work the schedule for our lactation room was full and I had to figure out an alternative for about 4 weeks while they remodeled another conference room for a 2nd lactation room. I used a room on my floor with a locked door. It was nice to be able to pump whenever I needed to in order to work around meetings, etc. Now that I'm on the schedule for the lactation room I much prefer pumping there even though it's on a different floor because it's quieter and I feel more removed from my desk. And somehow it feels more private. It is nice to have the other room as a backup in the event that I can't make one of my scheduled pump times! (which happens more often than I would like!) ShootingStar on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1947904 Mon, 17 Nov 2014 15:14:08 +0000 ShootingStar 1947904@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I would try out both and see which you like better. And just so you know, you probably will need to schedule pumping time for yourself regardless of whether you do it in your office or in a pumping room. I constantly had people trying to schedule things we me, or I'd get busy with work and realize hours had gone by and I was late to pump. Little Misters Mom on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1947769 Mon, 17 Nov 2014 14:38:52 +0000 Little Misters Mom 1947769@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @ElbieKay: @autumnleaves: I considered trying both as convenient but I don't think the Pump in Style parts are compatible with the Symphony and I didn't want to invest in buying the valves and tubing unless that was my long term plan. But it would be easy to just start out in my office and then if it somehow wasn't working to switch. Thanks for all the feedback and thoughts everyone. Good to hear that so many moms are making it work with all kinds of set ups! edelweiss on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1947753 Mon, 17 Nov 2014 14:30:22 +0000 edelweiss 1947753@https://boards.hellobee.com/ both sound like great options. i ended up voting for the separate pumping room because of the privacy. my husband could always hear his coworker's pump even when she closed the door to her office. not a huge deal, though, and having to pick a certain time is a little annoying. meh, now i'm leaning towards using the PISA in your office! autumnleaves on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1947746 Mon, 17 Nov 2014 14:26:52 +0000 autumnleaves 1947746@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I would probably try both options and see which is most convenient. Not having to carry the pump every day to work would be really nice but then not being able to work from my computer and having potential room conflicts with other people needing to use the room could be a pain. I use the Medela PISA at work in an empty office on my floor and do well with that. ElbieKay on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1947745 Mon, 17 Nov 2014 14:26:49 +0000 ElbieKay 1947745@https://boards.hellobee.com/ My insurance Medela PIS doesn't really work. As in, I get no milk. I have to use a hospital grade pump. But, I have one (on loan from my best friend), so I use it in my office. I get better yield when I am not multitasking while I pump. But at least multitasking is an option if I stay in my office. Can't you sign up to use the pumping room when convenient, and then just keep your PISA in your office as backup? nana87 on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1947736 Mon, 17 Nov 2014 14:21:06 +0000 nana87 1947736@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I've sort of had this choice...I don't have an office because I'm a grad student/TA at a university with limited office space--I either work on campus in a shared space like a library, and then can pump in campus lactation rooms that have Symphony pumps but that you need to reserve in advance (and they fill up!), or I can go work from home and use my PISA. Even though campus is only 2 blocks from LO's daycare and home is about a 15 min walk, I have ended up working from home most days that I don't need to be on campus bc it's a big pain to always be schlepping to and from a pumping room. If I had my own office, I'd pump in there in a heartbeat!! sungirl on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1947708 Mon, 17 Nov 2014 14:08:10 +0000 sungirl 1947708@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Haha! So funny you asked that. When I first went back I called DH to make sure he couldn't hear. But today he called my cell while I was pumping and he thought I was in the car with the windshield wipers going. So I freaked out and made him call me on my office phone to make sure he couldn't hear and he still couldn't. Shewh! Haha! avivoca on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1947705 Mon, 17 Nov 2014 14:06:50 +0000 avivoca 1947705@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I would have loved to have a dedicated mother's room with a pump available! Anything to keep from having to lug the pump and its parts back and forth every day. When I used a hospital grade pump, I left it at work during the week. Little Misters Mom on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1947701 Mon, 17 Nov 2014 14:05:40 +0000 Little Misters Mom 1947701@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @catlady: I would be so upset if I people did that to me, not to mention in serious pain. I don't really know how full the schedules are, but I've never heard anyone complain. But that got me thinking that if the rooms do tend to be full, I should probably do my part to make things easier on women who don't have a private office by not taking up a slot. Bluebonnet on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1947698 Mon, 17 Nov 2014 14:04:26 +0000 Bluebonnet 1947698@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @catlady: That is terrible about your DH's coworker. At my office people are very respectful of reservations for the mother's room. Bluebonnet on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1947691 Mon, 17 Nov 2014 14:03:01 +0000 Bluebonnet 1947691@https://boards.hellobee.com/ There are pros and cons to each scenario. I would suggest trying out both options to see what works best for you. Or do a combination of the two depending on the day and what works best for your schedule. I have 2 LOs. With LO1, I WOH FT and pumped in my office's mother's room. I pumped at the same 2 times every day, and I blocked off my calendar so I wasn't available for meetings. With LO2, I WAH FT, but still pump 2 times a day. Some thoughts - I've only used the Freestyle, but I've heard that the hospital grade pumps are much more effective (more milk per session), which is a huge plus. No matter which option you select, you have to pump and if you don't have something blocked on your calendar, its easy to get distracted and forget to pump (or end up in back to back meetings and need to pump). Either way, you have to bring parts, bottles/bags, and a cooler bag back and forth so you do have to lug stuff in both scenarios. catlady on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1947682 Mon, 17 Nov 2014 13:58:51 +0000 catlady 1947682@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I think it totally depends on how many other moms would need to use the shared room and how well people stuck to their scheduled times. DH's company has a room like this and he was telling me that one of his co-workers had to wait 5 hrs to use the room once because other women kept sneaking in there during her scheduled times. That was her very first day back at work and I can't imagine going through that. I pumped with a PISA in a little room that was basically only for me, and it worked great. I had to bring my pump parts to the bathroom or kitchen to clean but I got used to it. Knowing that I could go in there whenever I wanted was a huge help. NeekieRose on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1947653 Mon, 17 Nov 2014 13:46:07 +0000 NeekieRose 1947653@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I pumped in my office with the door locked and a post-it that said I was available by phone for email. Most people figured out what that meant. I didn't have another option, but I think I still would have chosen to use my office. I was able to keep working but if I needed to zone out for a few minutes, it's not like anyone could see what I was doing. And I really didn't see that as any different than me being on personal websites (like now) during work time. I brought a cooler bag (lunch box size) and kept my pumped milk and pump parts in there with cooler packs. Like others have said, if you are keeping the parts refrigerated you don't need to wash them between each pump (which would have been such a pain). Little Misters Mom on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1947647 Mon, 17 Nov 2014 13:44:02 +0000 Little Misters Mom 1947647@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @sungirl: I have lots of conference call and email reply work, which I could do more easily at my desk. Has anyone ever asked you what the crazy "whoosh-whoosh-whoosh" noise was during a call? sunshineandsushi on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1947645 Mon, 17 Nov 2014 13:43:28 +0000 sunshineandsushi 1947645@https://boards.hellobee.com/ If work covers your breaks and you don't need to make up the time, then I would go for option 2. Otherwise, option 1 still is great. I pumped in my office with the door closed and stored milk in soft coolers in my office fridge. I preferred being able to keep busy during pumps, it helped the time go by faster for me. Whether you bring a pump to work or not, you'll still need to bring a bag with a soft cooler and ice packs plus your pump parts everyday, so not having to bring your pump won't make as big a difference. I did not rinse out my parts between pumps at work, I just stored them in a ziploc bag and put them in my soft cooler so people wouldn't see them. I'd wash them at the end of everyday. So, not having a sink for option 1 isn't terrible either. Little Misters Mom on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1947642 Mon, 17 Nov 2014 13:41:32 +0000 Little Misters Mom 1947642@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @blackbird: That's good to know. For some reason I thought the hospital grade pumps were supposed to be so much better. If I need to stay later that sort of decides it. But if the pumps are really the same, then there isn't much sense in leaving regardless. Thanks! sungirl on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1947638 Mon, 17 Nov 2014 13:38:46 +0000 sungirl 1947638@https://boards.hellobee.com/ At my work we have a lot of conference calls so being able to pump while I'm on a call is important. Plus having scheduled times would be hard for me. I schedule my pumping time on my calendar but I like having the flexibility with it if needed. So it really depends on what your work is like. ETA - I also don't wash pump parts at work just store in fridge v blackbird on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1947631 Mon, 17 Nov 2014 13:36:02 +0000 blackbird 1947631@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Little Misters Mom: hospital grade pumps are nice because you can have multiple users on them. i never had a drastic output difference between either of them, and all the LCs I saw said that my home Medela was just as good and efficient at drawing milk as the hospital pumps. I thought the hospital pumps were smoother and quieter sounding, but overall, not a huge deal. They call it breaks at my company, too! Breaks as in "unpaid breaks". Screw that noise! Little Misters Mom on "Pump at work moms: Which set-up sounds better to you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pump-at-work-moms-which-set-up-sounds-better-to-you#post-1947627 Mon, 17 Nov 2014 13:32:28 +0000 Little Misters Mom 1947627@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @blackbird: You know, I'm not sure. The HR paper work calls it a "break" so I assumed I would't need to stay later. I should follow up though! @lawbee11: I'd never heard of the wipes, thanks!