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Comment by celticmusic | Hacker News Reader

Short of some form of difficult manual labor, I've never experienced a workplace that doesn't allow a woman to pump.

This is certainly not going to be the norm.

It's not a matter of being disallowed, it's a matter of convenience and comfort. If a woman is working a factory or a large department store, she may have to pump in the restroom. That's not exactly a comfortable or convenient place for it. Far different from an office which offers a quiet room with a comfortable chair or couch for her use.

Beyond that, there's also the matter of storage. Breastmilk is unpasteurized and needs to be refrigerated immediately for safety reasons. In an office, it can be as easy as putting the bottle in the fridge in the staff room. A fridge may not be available in other workplaces.

There is actually a 4/4/4 rule of thumb; 4 hours at room temp, 4 days in fridge, 4 months in freezer (source: newborn baby care class at large hospital in CA)

Still agree with the rest of your thoughts about other hurdles to overcome in the work place

There are a lot of things in life that aren't perfect, yet they're still solutions.

They are solutions, but would people choose them? This story is about what women are choosing to do with their lives. From what I gather, they’re not choosing the hard, inconvenient, uncomfortable way without a good reason.

this is so disingenous. You're trying to imply that the reason women leave STEM is because they'll have to pump at work.

that's ridiculous.

And I've personally seen plenty of women pump at work.

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