I am a home body. I was actually really glad to have my daughter in the winter, because I never felt any obligation to take her out - it was just too much work when I could barely get through a day with all of my "amenities" at arm's reach.
But, eventually, life goes on, and we had to emerge from our safe little cocoon.
Whenever I went anywhere more than just a quick trip to the store, I always brought my pump. I never knew what "hazards" could delay me, and I didn't want to be stuck somewhere and worry about missing a session or getting uncomfortable. I bought so many extra sets of pump parts that I always threw a clean set in my bag whenever I was done, and that meant I could just scoop up the whole thing and take off at a moment's notice (ha ha, we all know that's not true - it still took forever to pack up The Cupcake and all her accouterments, but at least the pump was quick!)
I'm lucky to have my family living just a half hour away, and very near a lot of shopping and entertainment options, so whenever we were out running errands that way it was easy to stop there for a pump break. Recent empty nesters, my mother even set up a special area in my sister's old bedroom with a power strip, pillows, and magazines if I ever needed to pump at her house. It was very comfortable.
On the flipside, the least comfortable place I've pumped was on the floor under a co-worker's desk. When I first went back to work, it took a few days to come up with a good place to pump. I work in the reception area of a public building, with no privacy. I refused to pump in the bathroom (mostly I'm too cheap to use up that much in batteries, but I was also way annoyed when I was pregnant and someone else pumped in there for hours a day. Not to mention...eew.). While my bosses were negotiating with other departments for a better option, I made due using various private offices when their owners were out. I soon learned to carry an extension cord when the only outlet I could access meant sitting on the floor and under a desk for 20 minutes...and I was glad I had my nursing cover, as most of the offices still had small windows.
At about 6 weeks we had to take a trip as a family to a funeral out of town. I was terrified (and tired, and not eating well, and otherwise just in poor mental and physical health) but actually things went really well. The Cupcake slept most of the 4 hour drive up, and when she was awake I could just pop a bottle in her mouth to feed her, so we didn't have to stop and lose time for that. Hubby and his grandfather sat in the front seat, baby and I were in the back, and I don't think anyone even noticed when I hooked up and pumped twice on that journey. My Medela PISA was pretty quiet, the battery pack worked effectively, and I used a nursing cover for modesty. It really helped that my daughter was sawing logs next to me :)
The strangest place I've pumped is probably in the bathtub. I'm not sure if it was a good idea or not (don't sue me if you get electrocuted!), but I used the battery pack and nothing got wet. I was able to multi task and make the most of my husband entertaining TC, and baths were a rare luxury for a while there.
The biggest lesson I've learned about pumping on the go (beyond BRING ALL YOUR PARTS! AND EXTRA PARTS! AND MORE PARTS!) is that it never hurts to ask. Once I needed to pump after an eye exam, and figured I'd just end up doing it in the car. But as I was on my way out of the clinic, I asked at the desk if there was anyplace where I could pump. The staff was so accommodating, they welcomed me into an unused exam room with a locking door, outlet, nice chair and even magazines. Not to mention heat (it was cold outside!). It never hurts to ask, and sometimes it can really help!
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