The Business Case for a Mother's Room

Of course I'd suddenly need to go on a business trip when Henry was teeny tiny. Of course.

So yeah, not long ago I hauled my hormonal post-partem butt out to LA for two days and faced something I've never had to deal with before: pumping breast milk at work.

Holy crap, what a pain in the ass.

And holy crap, do businesses *not get it.*

On the first day, not wanting to make a fuss (and, as an only-in-town-for-two-days-consultant, not really knowing anyone I could fuss to) I thought I could find a quiet room, sneak in, and do my business. So I took a lap around the office and looked for a room with a door that locked and found nothing. Instead I ended up ducking into the bathroom. But I had to do it a couple times during the day. This was problematic in a couple of ways: for one, the bathroom experience was just plain gross and awkward, and more importantly, it completely shut down my productivity. For a good 15-20 minutes I couldn't do anything except stand there (eeewwwh, I wasn't going to sit!) and pump.

My type A brain couldn't take it. Thanks to fancy pumping technology, if I had a decent set up, I could be checking email! I could be making phone calls! I could be WORKING.

So I went to my primary contact at the company (who happened to be the President) and I made my case. I explained that he was paying me by the hour, and when I had to duck away to the bathroom to pump he was losing time and money. If I had a room with a lock, and, even better - a computer, I could work while pumping. And doesn't he want that?

Once we got past the initial two minutes of awkwardness he actually listened, and get this -- seemed interested. We discussed the number of minutes it took and how many times a day I needed to do it, and then he asked me to guess how many women at the company were probably pumping in any given year. (With 60% of women breastfeeding these days, and much of his workforce in childbearing years, it was a decent amount.) You could see the numbers cranking away in his head.

There's a business case for everything, people.

They found me a room, and I worked and pumped. And I suspect (or at least hope) in the future other women at the company will now be encouraged to do the same thing.

By the way - hats off to you ladies who pump at work regularly. Warrior women, I tell you.