Boo had slept a lot on Friday. I'm guessing the vaccine left him a little drained. Saturday, however, he was a fuss-bucket. He did just fine through laundry and even fell asleep at the end. The rest of the afternoon however, he was tired and cranky and didn't want to eat or sleep. No fever, but I wasn't expecting one. That evening he woke up crying and screaming and didn't stop. For over an hour.
Nothing was working. I ended up giving him a dose of Tylenol (which I'm not sure did much...) and then plopped him in the bath for a bit. He's really beginning to like bath time. He wasn't happy boy, but he did sit there and kick and splash and not scream. Therefore, I counted it as a win. I eventually had to pull him out of the tub because my hands were getting wrinkled. It was then PJs, nursing and bed for the boy. He did sleep well through the night though.
I even remembered to call my dad on Saturday! (It was his 70th birthday. He's not happy about it, so I'll just let it go...)
Yesterday was a bit better. We had more boy smile, which is always a good thing. We didn't do a whole lot other than eat breakfast at the dinner, go grocery shopping and to the Q-mart. Our landlady finally got the toilet fixed, so no more constantly running water. It's nice having a quiet bathroom again! (I know, the small things in life...)
Gak is working full days through Thursday this week. Gramma Sue is currently asleep on my sofa so she can watch Boo all day today. This is going to be a long week for all of us I think....
Anyhow, anyone who doesn't want to listen to me rant about something that's probably TMI for most people, stop reading here.
OK. Here's my rant. As much as I love nursing my son, where I have to pump at work sucks!
Here's the numbers:
Over 60: number of people in my building.
12: number of women in my building.
3: number of women of possible child-bearing age and stage in my building.
1: number of women who is married (not a pre-requisite these days...), has an infant and is nursing.
So, the numbers are against me however you look at it. Yes, the corp who owns my business has received many honors as being both "family friendly" and "mother friendly". I say, that may be true if you work in one of the big corp offices, but it's just not the case here. I mean, sure I can get the time I need to take Boo to the doctor or whatever, but other than that, forget it. Of course, the numbers aren't in my favor to begin with in this industry. Oh well.
If you remember, when I first went back to work I said I'd been using the office of my former boss to pump. Well, the new guy running the department has moved in several weeks ago now. This means I had to change venues.
Options:
I work in a cubicle, so that's really not an option. I mean, I'm not shy, but please. This isn't something that the entire office needs or wants to be a part of.
I could use a conference room that doesn't have locks on the door and has at least one window in the door, if not the entire wall of windows. Again, a little too out in the open for comfort.
There is always the option of my car. While this does provide at least more privacy as I'd be the only one there, it's not exactly the most comfortable or easiest place to pump. I don't exactly have anywhere to set anything or running water. That and it's getting cold. I don't want to have to run the car and waste precious gas for 20 minutes at a time at least twice a day.
This leaves the bathroom. Or, more specifically, it leaves the "unisex" closet of a bathroom(yes, it literally was a closet when I started working here...) instead of the ladies room. The ladies room has two stalls, nowhere to set anything and I'm just not comfortable pumping in a place where people can come and go. Like I said, I'm not really shy but....
So, here is where I go spend at least 20 minutes twice a day. (I just can't seem to get my schedule or work load to let me pump 3 times like I probably should....)
This is the door that I must remember to lock. There have been two occasions where I forgot to do this for some reason. For being an "alternate" bathroom, this place is busy. The door gets rattled at least once a session, often quite a bit more.
This is the lovely seat I get to sit on. It's not comfortable. It's cold and hard and it creaks. Not to mention, I can't help but think of it as less than clean.
This is the view I get to stare at while pumping. You can't see it, but there is a cobweb that's reflected in the mirror. It's been there for weeks. You can also see my kit all zipped up on the sink. I love the fact that my entire kit fits into a two compartment lunch bag. I've got 3 ice packs in the top to keep everything cool and it works quite well.
This is the lovely space I get to try and set things on. There isn't much room, it's hard to reach and I'm never sure about how clean it really is.
And here, here is my wonderful little pump. See how nicely it all fits in the bottom section of the bag.
Anyhow, I just thought I'd vent a little at how miserable a place I've got to pump. I love being able to provide for my son this way, but I'm really beginning to hate this part of it. And there isn't much I can do. There are no open offices for me to steal. I mean, I could steal the one for the reg specialist, since he works from his home in OK over half the time, but that's just rude. I'd be invading someone else's spot. (It was different before, that guy didn't use the office any more, so it was "free for the taking" in my eyes.) So, for at least the next 6 months or so, I'll be staring at the cobweb in the mirror two to three times a day. *sigh*
Ok, it's safe to read again
Well, I must go hop into the shower so I can get ready. It's just about 6 now and I've got to put the pictures into the post yet.
Peace to all and may your days not be cranky and you have what you need.
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