# What was my co-worker doing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 17, 2007, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-my-co-worker-doing/388356 "2007-01-17T19:05:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2007, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-my-co-worker-doing/388356/1 "2007-01-17T19:05:36Z")
I was just in the ladies’ room and am wondering what was going on in there. There has been a chair in the handicap\* stall for weeks. When I was in the ladies’ today, there was someone in there, in the chair. An extension cord was run from the only accessible outlet into the stall. Some sort of device was running in there that had the sound of some sort of pump. The pace of the pump seemed too fast for a nebulizer-type treatment, but I could be wrong. I also thought about portable dialysis machines, but I have no idea if they sound like that or not. So I put it to the Dope: what is most likely being done in there?\*\* \*Don’t scold me for using “handicap”. I didn’t invent the term, and it is still in use for parking and bathroom stalls. \*\*Yes, I know it’s none of my business, and I would never pry, or even try to see who was in the stall. I’m just curious in a general sort of way. ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2007, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-my-co-worker-doing/388356/2 "2007-01-17T19:10:19Z")
Does she have an infant? Could she be using a breast pump? ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2007, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-my-co-worker-doing/388356/3 "2007-01-17T19:14:59Z")
[QUOTE=brewha] Does she have an infant? Could she be using a breast pump? [/QUOTE] That would be my guess, too, especially if she doesn’t have a private office. ---
**Author:** ![InappropriateHumor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eb8c5e/32.png) [@InappropriateHumor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InappropriateHumor)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2007, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-my-co-worker-doing/388356/4 "2007-01-17T19:19:36Z")
Second the breast pump theory. People weren’t shy about asking me what that noise was. I admire your restraint. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2007, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-my-co-worker-doing/388356/5 "2007-01-17T19:19:55Z")
Sounds like breast pumping to me as well. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2007, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-my-co-worker-doing/388356/6 "2007-01-17T19:29:38Z")
It’s totally a breast pump, unless the co-worker is like 70 or something. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2007, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-my-co-worker-doing/388356/7 "2007-01-17T19:50:14Z")
Heh! As a non-mother, that would never have occurred to me! And yes, we live in cubie-hell. Hardly anyone has an office. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2007, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-my-co-worker-doing/388356/8 "2007-01-17T19:51:18Z")
And…Thanks! I knew Dopers would know! ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2007, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-my-co-worker-doing/388356/9 "2007-01-17T20:07:10Z")
I thought employers had to provide a room with a locking door for breast pumping? Is it a large company? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2007, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-my-co-worker-doing/388356/10 "2007-01-17T20:10:27Z")
I bet she’s testing some fancy new dirigible. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2007, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-my-co-worker-doing/388356/11 "2007-01-17T20:14:33Z")
Are we sure it wasn’t a dildo so powerful and feature-rich that it required AC power? ---
**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2007, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-my-co-worker-doing/388356/12 "2007-01-17T20:17:03Z")
[QUOTE=NurseCarmen] I thought employers had to provide a room with a locking door for breast pumping? Is it a large company? [/QUOTE] I think it depends on the number of employees. My office is tiny - maybe 9 people total - and there’s no way to provide a room to me, although everyone was quite kind about letting me use their office if they were out. I pumped in the bathroom, which was a hassle, but it really wasn’t that bad. E. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2007, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-my-co-worker-doing/388356/13 "2007-01-17T20:18:59Z")
Look on the bright side. You could have heard the same noise coming from the men’s room. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2007, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-my-co-worker-doing/388356/14 "2007-01-17T20:22:43Z")
[QUOTE=hotflungwok] Look on the bright side. You could have heard the same noise coming from the men’s room. [/QUOTE] and the user coming out of the stall with a bottle filled with white fluid. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2007, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-my-co-worker-doing/388356/15 "2007-01-17T21:23:01Z")
[QUOTE=NurseCarmen] I thought employers had to provide a room with a locking door for breast pumping? Is it a large company? [/QUOTE] Yes, it is a large company. Maybe they consider a locked stall-door sufficient. There really aren’t any truly private places here, as pretty much every other door in the place has a window in it. And you guys…ew!!! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2007, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-my-co-worker-doing/388356/16 "2007-01-17T22:32:39Z")
So, when she’s done pumping at work, what happens to the milk she’s pumped out? If someone is going to say it goes into the lunchroom fridge, I’m not sure I want to know that. (The phrase “half-and-half” is taking a whole new meaning all of a sudden. :eek: ) ---
**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2007, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-my-co-worker-doing/388356/17 "2007-01-17T23:57:50Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou] So, when she’s done pumping at work, what happens to the milk she’s pumped out? If someone is going to say it goes into the lunchroom fridge, I’m not sure I want to know that. (The phrase “half-and-half” is taking a whole new meaning all of a sudden. :eek: ) [/QUOTE] Mine went in the fridge :eek: . Of course, we’re an all-woman office, and one of my co-workers also pumped and stored hers in the fridge before me, so they were used to it. I’d just take it home with me at the end of the day. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-my-co-worker-doing/388356/18 "2007-01-18T00:01:58Z")
I’m more grossed out by the idea of pumping in the toilet than the product thereof going into a communal fridge. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-my-co-worker-doing/388356/19 "2007-01-18T00:03:36Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou] So, when she’s done pumping at work, what happens to the milk she’s pumped out? If someone is going to say it goes into the lunchroom fridge, I’m not sure I want to know that. (The phrase “half-and-half” is taking a whole new meaning all of a sudden. :eek: ) [/QUOTE] [That’s why you shouldn’t take milk (or anything else) from the office fridge unless you know it’s yours.](http://www.snopes.com/pregnant/mommilk.asp) ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-my-co-worker-doing/388356/20 "2007-01-18T00:20:19Z")
[QUOTE=NurseCarmen] I thought employers had to provide a room with a locking door for breast pumping? Is it a large company? [/QUOTE] I’ve never heard of any law that requires it. What would it fall under? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-my-co-worker-doing/388356.md?page=2)