To pump on the train?

[jamtomorrow1]

My train journey is an hour each way. There are plug sockets. I feel that this is wasted expressing time and also my boobs hurt. Part of me fears getting the buzzing Tommee Tippee pump out but part of me really wants to see the facial expressions of the elderly male commuters around me. Thoughts?

I ended up with a Tommy Tippee pump and a Medela. The Tommy pump is so loud compared to the Medela.

If I wanted to have a conversation on the phone while expressing I always chose the Medela as the Tommy was much more disruptive.

I would have felt inconsiderate to use the Tommy pump on a train.

Anyway I think in public, pumping is different to feeding a baby and that it isn’t acceptable.

Why?

What about women who exclusively express milk for their babies, and have to pump up to 8 times a day, are they meant to hide away like lepers? I get that flopping a boob out in public is unnecessary but who actually cares that you are pumping, as long as you are discreet about it?

Go for it.

Any of the utter imbeciles calling it ‘attention seeking’ have clearly never experienced the pain/discomfort of engorged boobs.

Some public education on pumping is long overdue.

@jamtomorrow1 I thought pumping= breaking wind. It does in my vocab! (Not everyone associates it will b feeding.)

Anyway I think in public, pumping is different to feeding a baby and that it isn’t acceptable.

Why?

Many women exclusively pump.

It’s tough and it has to be done regularly. If it isn’t, it can upset supply and cause health issues for the Mum. Mastitis is no fucking joke.

Pumping mothers have lives too. Should they hide indoors because you don’t think it’s ‘acceptable’ for some reason?

@Bookworm4 exactly.

I’m struggling to understand why you would need to pump on a train. Surely you feed the baby before you leave for work, pump at lunchtime and then feed when you get home.

Surely you feed the baby before you leave for work, pump at lunchtime and then feed when you get home.

Surely the OPs in a better position to decide what works for her schedule than you?

I don't see why you need to do it. Feed your baby before work and if necessary take time at work to pump.

It seems as if you are insensitive to other commuters. There are still many, many people- men and women- who find breastfeeding in public and anything to do with it disconcerting and embarrassing.( I BF 2 DCs and never needed to feed in public, ever.)

I don't think they are necessarily right, but on the other hand you have a duty to consider their feelings as much as your own.

There are many kinds of devices we could all plug in to a socket on a train and use but would we???

My dc were all fed before it was illegal to stop someone breastfeeding. I fed in public as did many others and it helped to break down the barriers which is why some people are now saying that it is fine to feed a baby but not sure about pumping. Until it becomes acceptable and the norm some people will say it is different, wrong etc. If you feel comfortable doing it then go for it and hopefully in 15 to 20 years there will be posts on MN where everyone asks why we ever worried about pumping in public spaces.

While i get that OPs comment (which she's apologised for) about shocking people was attention seeking, i don't see how pumping itself even on the train is attention seeking.

I've never had anyone able to tell what I've been doing. I chatted to my colleague once, she walked into the pumping room accidentally, she was completely unaware and asked why i was doing mandatory online training in a small office. It's no different on the train, well minus the training.

As for unhygienic, i always pumped into a sterile bottle and sealed it with the bottle lid and top. Never had any issues and gave it the baby once i got in.

you have a duty to consider their feelings as much as your own.

I think this is horse shit frankly.

You wouldn’t say that about bfing presumably (or would you?)

Why is pumping different?

I think the point is, it's almost guaranteed that some commuters, whether they are women, men, young, elderly, will find using a pump disconcerting.

As it's not essential she does this, it seems more socially mindful NOT to do it. People nowadays are so quick to inflict their personal 'wants' on others.

OP- if your boobs can't cope with an hour before filling it, how do you get through the day at work? Genuine question. Are you pumping at your desk, till, office, etc?

I never realised people (mainly women I’m assuming on here) have such strong views about pumping milk in public. I’ve always thought of it as no different to breast feeding and I’d breastfeed anywhere. If anything you are less likely to flash your boob (if that’s the issue) as you can cover up fully and there’s no risk of a breast pump getting distracted and wanting a look around whilst you sit there with your nipple on show.

I don’t understand why people find it so offensive or attention seeking?

@gingersausage I went back to work when my baby was two weeks old. In order to maintain my supply I had to try to express every four hours or so. My routine went a bit like this:

05.30ish: Baby would wake, feed in bed whilst expressing on the other side
07.30: Leave house, express on bus/train until 08.45
12.00ish: Express for about 45 mins
16.00: Try to find some reason to leave desk, express whilst running work errands
19.00ish (or later, depending on how work was going): Leave office, express for an hour on the way home
20.30ish: grab baby and feed her (she's always been a bit of a snacker)

She's older now, and my routine just involves expressing during the commute and at lunch. I expect that if I dropped those expressing sessions my supply would drop too, and right now she's consuming exactly as much milk as I expressed the day before.

Does that help?

Surely you feed the baby before you leave for work, pump at lunchtime and then feed when you get home.

If you can pump at lunchtime. My last workplace had a big love of all day meetings with networking lunches. At least twice a month i couldn't pump until the train and waiting another 2/3 hours with agonising engorgment wasn't going to happen. I could cope at work, while distracted, but on the train it seemed much worse.

Why is pumping different?

I think this is horse shit frankly

Horse shit? Why horse?

.
Yes well, that says a lot about you. It's this kind of selfish me, me, me that has made society as it is.

Can't you see why? It's obvious.

A baby is not crying to be fed, that's why.

It's for 'convenience' she says. And sod anyone else.

Yeah, great way to live life. Bugger anyone else and do what you want

Laurie assuming you’re referring to me as one of those so called imbeciles who are apparently imbeciles because they have allegedly never had engorged breasts or mastitis ( though I’ve never heard this new definition of the word imbecile) . I have in fact had both but managed to avoid pumping on public transport. The OP has since been openly apologetic about her disdainful comment about “ older men” and their possible discomfort which is, naturally what lead many of us to find the initial post to have an attention seeking tone.

Also thought you were talking about letting the wind gang free!

But breast pumping? If you need to and have the time, space and requisite hygienic surroundings then do. I’d be discreet though... not because you should but because it’d be easier than dealing with complainers or gawkers.

I never realised people (mainly women I’m assuming on here) have such strong views about pumping milk in public.

They really do. I saw a post once about someone pumping in a booth in a chain restaurant, surrounded by friends and using a cover, and people were saying it was disgusting...

In America, because bfing is more common and women have to go back to work much sooner, pumping is very commonplace. But when I was pumping most people found it very weird and made comments (they didn’t see me doing it, just when talking about it)

I posted here once and referenced quitting pumping and someone said “pumping?! Do you mean breastfeeding?!”. Err no, I mean fucking pumping which is a torturous hellscape.

A baby is not crying to be fed, that's why.

Pumping regularly is necessary to maintain her supply AND ensure her own health. Are you saying that neither of those things are important?

Yeah, great way to live life. Bugger anyone else and do what you want

Great way to live life. Putting social obstacles in the way of women trying to feed their children the best way they know (as well as juggle demanding jobs). Really supporting the sisterhood there.

Surely you feed the baby before you leave for work, pump at lunchtime and then feed when you get home.

Bit of an ignorant comment really.

Findus I think people find it attention seeking when the pumper/ feeder in question relishes the shock that the process might cause and stereotypes groups/ genders by prejudging their reactions .

I used to pump on my commute by car.
The first hour travel was fine but the traffic jam at the end was torture if I didn't empty.
Used to change tit at each speed camera.

@meetthewildes fair enough, I don’t know why anyone would go back to work with a two week old baby and choose to pump over actually breastfeeding though.

The Queef- assume you were a passenger and not the driver!!