To use a breast pump in the office kitchen?

[AHedgehogCanNeverBeBuggered]

This would NOT be my first choice, but I'm not sure what else to do. I'm currently on mat leave with DS (6m) but need to attend a specialist update soon. DS is EBF so l need to express a minimum of twice during the all-day session to avoid discomfort and leakage. I asked the course organisers for a room to express in, but was told that meeting rooms are at a premium in that particular location and there isn't one available.

I really do need to attend this course but equally I can't go all day without expressing and the NHS website states that the toilet isn't a suitable place (plus the pump needs to be plugged in). I'd of course do it under a jumper so nothing would be visible, just the noise would be heard.

WIBU to do this, and if so can any wise MNetters think of an alternative?

OP your place of work need to provide a room for you and it is not as if you would be in there all day. Try to avoid using the kitchen if possible.

It makes me laugh just remembering my very conservative boss's face when I told him he was legally obliged to provide a room for me to breastfeed, express milk and rest in . He went bright red and got very flustered before stammering, 'But isn't your baby about six months old?'. To which I gave a big smile and said yes, and did you know the WHO advise you to breastfeed until at least two years old?' Ah, his face...

He gave me a key to the first aid room though, and got a small fridge in there for me to store milk, telling me to have a lie down whenever I needed it. No complaint or argument about it whatsoever.

I was amazed this has never been brought up before in my large office as many women had had babies and returned to work during my time there. I knew some of them were breastfeeding/expressing still. Apparently no one had even asked about it before as they didn't like to bring it up or were unaware of the law.

From when I was expressing in work in 2014 I don't think they legally have to provide a room but it is considered good practice.

We had nowhere private - we're a small organisation, no meeting rooms or private offices - so I had to do it in the toilet.

Use the prayer room if there's nothing else available it is how we manage this issue in our workplace

Prayer rooms are all multi-faith aren't they? We can use ours for any kind of religious, spiritual or reflective moment. I'd be happy to express in there.

Your employer sounds like an absolute arsehole.

I think if they have meeting rooms that can be made available for you then that should be their first port of call - from their response I think it sounds like they do indeed have available meeting rooms, they just would rather charge for them to other people than let you use one?

However, if there was no space whatsoever but a prayer room, I'd use that, and if you would feel uncomfortable if people came in whilst you were expressing in there, then put a note on the door explaining. I'm Muslim and as another PP said breastfeeding is very much encouraged in Islam. Half my family live in a Muslim country that have strict dress rules for women in public yet all my female relatives when breastfeeding would still be free to feed wherever/whenever they had to regardless of this, and nobody would bat any eyelid. It's funny as dress codes there are so strict compared to here, yet attitude to public breastfeeding is overwhelmingly positive (or just generally not arsed as it's seen as so normal) and here we have people making horrid remarks about women breastfeeding in public despite our more liberal dress codes.