I laugh about it now; all the ridiculous places I’ve had to pump breastmilk. I share horror stories with my friends about having to pump in my car, in a bathroom, and that one time I pumped in the busy lobby of an office building!
“Wait, you pumped WHERE?!?!” is a common response to these stories. Yeah. I pumped in some weird places, and I bet you have too. Which is why I am so excited to share these awesome, free, and removable #IPumpedHere stickers with you!
Once you get your (removable!) sticker, simply slap it on the wall or a surface where you’re pumping, snap a pic with your phone, hashtag the picture with #IPumpedHere and post it to Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
It could be a less than ideal setting (broom closet, anyone?) or even a pumping palace. Simply slap, snap, and share those #IPumpedHere pics on social media! We’ll collect all the images and help highlight why breastfeeding moms need better places to pump!
Why is sharing your “I Pumped Here” story and picture so important? Because the thing is that right now far too many breastfeeding moms are finding themselves pumping in less than ideal spaces.
When you share your story and your pictures of really bad places to pump you’re showing other moms that they’re not alone — and gets more people involved in fighting for great pumping locations by demonstrating why we still have to do better! If you’ve got a primo pumping palace story? Well, that’s also important because it shows what CAN be possible for more women.
And when one person’s story is shared that inspires others to share theirs too and before you know it: We’ve reached critical mass to make real change and can relegate these less than desirable “You pumped WHERE?!?!?” stories to the dustbin of history.
Right now the simple truth is that not everyone has the time or place to pump. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), women who work an hourly job and some salaried workers must be provided with a reasonable break time to express breast milk up to 1 year after birth and a place, other than a bathroom, where she can pump.
But the ACA's breastfeeding rules excludes millions of breastfeeding moms -- and with talks of the ACA being repealed, things could get dicey for everyone.
In the coming weeks, you’ll get to see where your community pumps. And we’ll leverage those pictures and stickers and organize to take action and ensure that moms who plan to nurse don’t have to jump over insurmountable hurdles when they return to work. You see, three-quarters of moms are either the primary or co-breadwinner these days, so returning to work is a big deal. But sadly returning to work is too often a significant barrier to breastfeeding, putting moms at risk.
We want to raise awareness about, and bring into the light, a situation that so many working mothers find themselves in, and yet may feel like they're the only ones. And then we want to raise our voices, and our cameras in unison to make sure that we are supporting all of our working mothers. Are you in?
I can't wait to share more with you in the coming weeks. But first, get your sticker and spread the word!
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