At one point in the few weeks of my maternity leave, there were a few conversations regarding the terms of my return to work with our HR rep. After a few messages back and forth, I came to the conclusion that many women in the workplace have little understanding for mothers in the workplace. Here's one big misconception that you really need to take into consideration before agreeing to some off the wall practice.
When you return to the workforce as a mother, everything is different. Your time management has to be altered to suit the baby, and you might even find yourself running to the sitter for a quick nursing session during your lunch hour. But, eventually you'll either have to sacrifice your baby's health in order to supplement formula, change their schedule to fit work or give up the idea of any type of nap or sleep again.
The suggestion of pumping breast milk in the bathroom is the most preposterous idea I have ever heard of. Not only is the thought of a mother being forced to pump sitting on a toilet the most demeaning thing ever, it also happens to be a rather unsanitary location for collecting someone's food... especially a baby's.
Every time a toilet is flushed, bacteria enters the air, hangs around and sticks to a number of surfaces. Would you really think a baby, someone with an undeveloped immune system, needs to ingest a dose of E coli? This is why infants die from tainted formula! But thankfully, n some states regarding companies with a large number of employees, it's actually illegal for your boss to have you use a bathroom to pump in. Everyone has to make a reasonable exception.
If you are concerned about losing your job and income, don't let yourself be bullied into working and pumping in unhygienic conditions. Stand up for yourself, and don't be afraid to respectfully remind your direct superiors that there are laws in place to protect working mothers.
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