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The original was posted on /r/twoxchromosomes by /u/Exowolfe on 2023-09-27 19:42:07.

I’ll preface this by saying I (27F) don’t ever plan on having children so I (hopefully) will not need such accommodations. I just recently learned how sparse/sad they can be, and it really shocked me.

The other day at work I was sharing lunch with a few co-workers who have young children/infants and the topic of conversation moved onto coming back to work after maternal leave/needing to pump while at work. They started swapping horror stories about the “comfort” and “new mother” rooms they’ve used in order to pump while at work. Most consisted of a janitorial/storage closet, locker rooms, or just going to their car to pump. Our current work set-up is an empty office on the production floor (I work in an office in a production facility) that at least has a computer chair and lockable door but is still far from comfortable (and you have to walk by a bunch of staff to get there so it’s not exactly privately located).

I was amazed to hear this passed off as the norm. I realized I have never thought about where a nursing mother would go to pump when they’re clocking into their on-site 9-5 job. It sounds like an abysmal set-up and I’m sad that we treat mothers this way. I’m not expecting accommodations to be luxurious, but something above dehumanizing would be nice. Maybe a room with a sink/paper towels at least in case of a spill or if clean-up is needed? Perhaps a decoration on the walls or a magazine to cheer the place up? Nope, just go to your milk-pumping cell that doubles as storage/an office and think about what you’ve done. This definitely further solidified my position on never having kids.

My heart hurts for those that have to deal with this nonsense!!