Jury duty & pumping...

[SkyrMommy]

I just got the letter for jury duty after Thanksgiving. I'm still breastfeeding DD and have plenty both frozen and that I can pump before I have to go, but I was concerned about actual jury duty itself.

Has anyone BTDT... do they let you have a 'break' to go and pump? Depending on the time I would probably need time every 2.5 to 3 hours. And then there's the question of where would do you pump? I'm certainly not going to in a bathroom - ick.

I was excused from serving jury duty right when I got home from the hospital with DD and wasn't even allowed to drive yet because of the surgery, so I don't have my 'freebie-can-I-serve-later' card. Sigh...

[DebbieJ]

You are the sole caregiver for a young child--you should totally be excused.

I was excused last year and my son is 5 yo!

[jenfromnj]

It varies from state to state, but I had a similar situation when DS was about 3 months old. I brought my pump with me on the first day and explained my "dilemma" during the interview process, and ended up being excused because of it-I think they thought I was going to be really annoying, LOL. But seriously, if you're exclusively responsible for providing your child's source of nutrition, it's a pretty valid excuse.

[Ivy_CA]

As DebbieJ said, there should be a bit somewhere on your form where you can check that you are the sole caregiver for a minor child and that should be the end of it. At least there is in California. I haven't served since before my first was born in '03.

edited to add: unless you have a job and you pump all the time. I don't know how it works then.

[jenny]

Same thing happened to me. I gave birth in July 2008 and got a Jury summons in September 2008.

I wrote a letter explaining that I had recently given birth and that I was exclusively breastfeeding my child and that if they wanted me to come in, then they would have to let me bring my child or let me pump every 2 hours b/c I didn't want to decrease my milk supply or get mastitis. I offered to submit a copy of DD's birth certificate if necessary and gave my phone number so they could call me.

The next week I got a letter in the mail saying that I was excused from Jury duty :p

[AnnieW625]

I have been called twice in LA County since having my daughter. The first time DD was 7 mos. old, and the second time was last month. The first time I wasn't breast feeding and both times since I work full time and DD is in daycare I didn't think I had a valid reason to get out. If I was a SAHM and had no extra care I would've been excused by the jury staff.

[geochick]

My county let me postpone until my child was 1 year old. Write a letter, or explain on the first day. Easy-peasy. Sometimes they just don't have anyone show up. In that case, you'll have to explain your needs, and your child's needs, but you may HAVE to serve. I think you'll be able to postpone or be excused. Try anything and everything. Good luck.

Actually, when I was called after my kid was >1, I had a blast being on a jury! It was fascinating.

[SummerBaby]

Hi, I'm an attorney, and also in NY. There are no longer any automatic exclusions from jury service in NY. However, you can postpone your service for good cause. As far as I know, you are not limited to one postponement. I was called the year I got married and I postponed three times. I would call the clerk/commissioner of jurors and explain your situation and ask for the postponement. I was able to choose the dates when I postponed. I wouldn't count on being able to pump during jury duty. One one hand, depending on what county you are in, if there aren't many trials scheduled, you may end up just having to call in, and not even have to show up at the courthouse. However, if you do have to appear, it's not a situation where you can take breaks whenever you need to that would allow you enough time to pump- especially if during a trial. Not to mention it would be hard to find a private spot to do it. Good luck- I hope you can postpone!

ETA- from the NYS courts website- http://www.nyjuror.gov/users/wwwucs/juryQandA.shtml#Q1

Can jurors postpone jury service for a later date?
A ] You can postpone your service once by calling 800-449-2819 at least one week before your date of service. Have your juror index number (from your summons) with you when you call. Pick a date between 2 and 6 months from the date on your summons and you will be assigned the available date closest to your choice. Any future postponement request or request for excusal from jury service must be made by calling your local commissioner of jurors office.

If you cannot serve even if granted a postponement, you may contact your local commissioner of jurors office and ask to be excused from service. The commissioner may ask you to provide documentary proof of the reasons why you need to be excused.

Val

[infocrazy]

I had the exact thing happen to me, called initially when DS2 would have been 2 weeks old, then reschedule for when he was 7 months. I sat in the jury pool forEVER but was never called for a trial. I'm in MI so could be different in terms of how it works. I'd just be prepared to tell them your needs if you do get called for a jury and then let them decide. I had no problem bringing the pump in past security and they provided me access to the employee bathroom that had a little lounge area with a couch and plug.

[SkyrMommy]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I was so unsure of what I should do and figured the mommies here had to have BTDT...

I've posted the summons on my 'fridge and will call in on Friday to explain my situation. I am a SAHM and only caregiver for DD, but I do have a wonderful MIL who can come down and sit if they can make provisions for me to pump. I think it would be interesting to serve on a jury, I just wanted to make sure DD's (and my breasts :ROTFLMAO:) needs were met.

Thanks again! If I can I'll update what the courts here in northern NY do...