Strollerderby

I admit it, I've pumped in public.  I was at the Projekt Revolution tour last summer, which was an all day affair.  I knew I couldn't last all day w/o pumping or breastfeeding and no way was I bringing my 5-mo to a concert.  However, I brought a black shawl and the free hand pump that came w/ my Medela Pump In Style.  No one could see anything, not even my husband who sat next to me.  It may have looked a little weird to see both my arms under the shawl, but most people were focused on the concert.

However, pain or no, I don't think I would ever pump as publicly as Clifford though.  I probably would have pumped after the meeting before getting on the subway, but that's just me.

I have been an exclusive pumper now for 13 months. There have been many times I have wished for guts enough to just pump where ever. Mostly in parking lots. But even that was too much for me. Power to this woman!

No, no, no! I am a BIG advocate of breastfeeding, but this is absurd. Breastfeeding can - and should, really - be a very unremarkable act that is totally under the radar. You feed yourself without making hoopla about it, and I feed my kid the same way. No one sees anything, and it's mostly a quiet affair (my friend's enthusiastic baby who said "mmmmm!" throughout and smacked his lips notwithstanding). If you have a problem with that, tough.

But whipping out your breastpump - and your boobs - in public? You're not only going to be noisy and calling attention to yourself, you're going to be showing off your nipples, too - and no one wants to see that. Seriously, they don't. Hell, I could barely stand to watch myself breastfeed - I felt like a cow being milked. Ugh.

While I'm sympathetic towards mothers who pump, if you really need to do this in the middle of the public eye, at the very least get yourself a bebe au lait or something similar and give people a break. It's NOT the same as breastfeeding.

I have to agree with Madeline here. Especially as a currently breastfeeding mom myself, I feel like women should feel comfortable doing what they have to do - when and wherever they need to do it - to maintain their milk supply and provide food for their babies. And if that sometimes means pumping in public, so be it. BUT - well, yeah - I personally wouldn't feel comfortable doing someplace as public as, say, the NYC subway (and, um - ick?!) On the occasions when I've been stuck out in public and needed to pump, I basically just waited until I could find a bathroom or dressing room. Although I like Sun's idea of doing it under some sort of shawl - discrete, convenient - perfect!

PS - OK maybe I'm totally immature, but does anyone else find that picture heeelarious?

eww.  I flop my boobs out anyplace, anytime for my kid, but pumping just is so....um, bovine.  I am kind of embarrassed in my own living room, never mind the subway.  I guess the little cute kid nuzzling and sucking makes the public topless show seem wholesome, but without the baby...eww.

I too was an exclusive pumper for about 14 months & I pumped in public too, but mostly in dressing rooms or under a nursing cover. I wasn't comfortable with it, but sometimes there was no other alternative. I think most people thought I had twins, rather than that I was pumping :)

I am happy to say I pumped wherever/whenever it was needed. On the train, on the plane, and at the big family table (with grandma, uncles, and all).

I am breastfeeding when I can, pumping when I can't. I often can work at home and pump in private, but sometimes I need to take a two-hour commute to get to work. While I am there I am so busy getting everything done that I often don't have time to pump, even though there is a lactation room. Then it is back to the train and another two hours of train ride. Why should I not pump while on the train? It's good for keeping up the supply, and I have nothing else to do.

Last Fall I had to take a brief trip to Europe - so I was on a plane for eight hours plus - with nothing else to do.

To me the question is not so much whether to do this or not but how to do it. There is a difference between pumping when necessary and pumping "in your face" ;)

This is what works for me: If someone is in the seat next to me, I say "I am sorry, but I have to pump." Generally, they don't know what I mean, and so they say "Ok". I make sure to wear a cardigan and a BH that works hands-free. That way, I can attach the pump without even needing to expose the breast. I then take a coat or blanket and wrap myself up, nice an comfy while holding the pump in my hand. The Medela Freestyle Pump is wonderful small and handy in that regard. Fellow passengers have been wondering about the noise, but there is hardly anything for them to see. (Sometimes the curious will catch a glance of the full bottle afterwards, and realize surprised what I've  doing ...)

I think I would at most compare it to the use of other electronic devices - like plugging a headset connected to an iPod into your ears. When people first started doing it with the Sony Walkman people thought it might be impolite b/c they were shutting themselves off to conversation, but now it is a very normal sight.