Merced schools deal with breast pumping on case-by-case basis

When Jeanette Hukill needed to pump breast milk after becoming a new mother, the teacher locked the door of her classroom, closed the blinds and hid behind her computer where her pump was plugged in.

When she was finished, she put her milk in a brown paper bag and stored it where the rest of the school staff kept their lunches and other food items, trying to hide the milk so others didn’t feel uncomfortable.

When it was her turn for recess yard duty, and she needed the time to pump, she had to send an email to other teachers asking them to trade with her.

“I felt indebted to them,” said the 35-year-old, who now is a mother of three. “I felt bad that I was taking their easy duty. I personally didn’t like having to ask. I wish somehow it didn’t turn into a personal favor. I wish, as a teacher, it wasn’t made to feel that way.”

Eventually, Hukill said, she got so stressed out that she felt like she wasn’t producing enough milk. The inconvenience caused her to stop breastfeeding her first child before the one-year mark.

After Amy Verrinder gave birth to her children, she pumped breast milk in nearly every room on Buhach Colony High School’s campus – the theater box office, library closets, restrooms, the principal’s office and more.

She said as long as she advocated for herself, the school’s administrators were supportive.

“But I had to be relentless,” she said.

Finding a space and time for expressing breast milk is only the first part new mothers have to worry about, she said.

“When people pump, it’s not an exact amount of time,” she said. “You have to feel relaxed and safe and comfortable for the milk to come down, without the fear of germs. It literally won’t work if you don’t have the space and time in a day.”

Verrinder, 40, said she felt having to ask for a milk pumping space affected her professional reputation. Having to ask made it seem like she was asking for a favor.

“It shouldn’t feel that way,” she said.

If teachers struggled with pumping breast milk at school, what about students who are new mothers?

Q: What are Merced schools doing for teachers and students who need time and space to express breast milk?

A: Last year, state legislation passed requiring schools to provide accommodations for students to breast feed or pump breast milk.

The law requires schools to provide a safe and secure room other than a restroom, permission for students to bring a breast pump or other equipment onto campus, access to a power source for the pump, safe storage for breast milk and a reasonable amount of time to breastfeed a child or pump milk. This must be done with no penalty to students.

Though Merced County’s teen pregnancy rates have dropped dramatically in the last decade, they remain higher still than state rates, according to Merced County’s most recent annual Community Health Assessment.

So far, no traditional high schools in Merced Union High School District offer a special breastfeeding room, but administrators will make the effort to find a space for new mothers, whether they be teachers or students.

Ralph Calderon, the district’s assistant superintendent for human resources, said administrators typically make arrangements on a case-by-case basis, which mostly are teachers.

“They’ll usually speak with a principal and work together to work out a schedule,” he said. “On numerous occasions they designate a room where signs are posted.”

At Livingston High School, teacher Janel Mouillesseaux said she and other teachers had a positive experience when working with administrators on making arrangements for expressing milk.

Mouillesseaux spoke with her associate principal before she gave birth and arranged her schedule so she had breaks to pump twice a day when she returned to work. She pumped in a private workroom in the science building where she taught. The room had a sink and outlet and was private and clean, she said.

“Everyone was very accommodating,” she said. “I never had any issues.”

Other teachers were able to use a storage room in the school’s main office that was repurposed. The room also had a sink with hot water and a door that locked.

Mouillesseaux said the school secretaries also played a big part in making arrangements for teachers. And, school administrators made it work for other teachers in the past, making it a smooth road when she needed accommodations.

“Everyone was very supportive,” she said.

Emily Bernard, director of Before and After Baby, said she’s working with Merced County Office of Education to visit sites and do assessments on how campuses could better serve new mothers who are breastfeeding.

Merced County’s rate of breastfeeding – about 60 percent – is lower than the state rate.

Bernard’s organization offers breastfeeding education and supplies to new mothers, among other services.

She said every year she has several teen moms who approach her because they are concerned about their milk supply. That’s due in part to not being able to pump enough, she said.

Bernard said Steve Gomes, who is set to retire as superintendent of schools for the county, has gone above and beyond to support any breastfeeding needs for staff and students.

Verrinder, who has pumped milk at work after three separate pregnancies (one of those was with twins), said she recommends new mothers stand up for themselves and continue to voice their needs.

“Someone who doesn’t know their rights might not know to ask,” she said.

This story was originally published August 21, 2016 at 4:02 PM with the headline "Merced schools deal with breast pumping on case-by-case basis."