Breastfeeding and Work

Many mothers want to continue breastfeeding after they return to work, and there are certain measures in place to protect their right to do so. If you are one of those mothers, you might find this leaflet useful.

The following information is taken from Directgov, the website of the UK government:

"You should let your employer know in writing if you are planning to breastfeed when you return to work. Ideally you should do this before you return so that your employer has time to plan.

Your employer must carry out a risk assessment to identify risks to you as a breastfeeding mother or to your baby. If there are risks they must do all that is reasonable to remove the risks or make alternative arrangements for you. Your employer must also provide suitable rest facilities.

Although there is no legal requirement, employers are encouraged to provide a private, healthy and safe environment for nursing mothers to express and store milk."

Although there are laws in place which make it against the law for you to be treated less favourably when receiving services because you are breastfeeding, there is no legal right for you to breastfeed at work, although the Breastfeeding Manifesto Coalition aims to change this.

Some workplaces are going to be more supportive than others, and there are lots of ways you can work with your employer to enable you to continue to breastfeed. For example, if your workplace has its own nursery or creche, or your childcare is close to your workplace, you may be able to visit, or have your baby brought to you at feeding times. You might be able to change your working hours so that you work more, but shorter, days, meaning you might not have to pump milk as you won't be away from your baby for that long. Otherwise, you will probably have to begin expressing milk for your baby to have whilst you are away.

Expressing and Storing Milk

You can express milk into a sterile container either by hand or with a breast pump. You can find a step-by-step illustrated guide and video showing how to hand express here, or you can ask one of our Peer Supporters to show you what to do by attending one of our drop-in sessions.

There is a wide range of breast pumps available on the market, from affordable, simple manual ones to expensive, sophisticated, electrical double ones. We recommend you visit a site such as Express Yourself Mums
for advice one which type of pump will best suit your needs an budget but, as a rough guide, a manual pump is best for occasional expressing and an eletric pump is better for more frequent expressing. If you are returning to work full time, it may be worth your while investing in a double electric pump - if you can afford it! If you only need to pump for a short period of time, you can hire pumps from organisations such as the NCT. Whether you hire or buy, it is important that you dismantle your pump, wash it thoroughly in hot soapy water and then sterilise it before each use.

The important thing to remember about breast pumps is that they DO NOT give you an accurate indication of what your milk supply is like. Babies are much more efficient at getting milk out of your breast than a pump - even the hospital-grade ones, although they are better than the ones you can buy in the shops.

You may find you get a greater yield of milk from expressing if you properly prepare beforehand. If you can, be with your baby, as this will help stimulate your milk. If you can't, for example because you are at work, look at a photograph of your baby, think about your baby and this should help encourage your milk to flow. Thoroughly massaging your breast before you begin will also help, and our Peer Supporters can show you how to do this at our drop-in sessions.

If you aren't going to use your expressed milk straight away, you need to store it properly to prevent bacteria growth. You can keep it in the fridge, in a sterile, sealed containter, between 0° and 4°C, for up to 5 days. You should keep it at the back, where the fridge is coolest, not in the door, and try to avoid opening and closing the door more than is necessary or leaving the door open for longer than is necessary.

If your fridge has an ice compartment, you can store milk in there for up to two weeks. In a domestic freezer, at minus 18°C or lower, you can store milk for up to six months.

Always ensure you label and date your breastmilk. You can buy breastmilk storage bags, which are ideal for freezing milk in, from Boots. These are pre-sterilized and have space for you to write in the quantity and date/time.

Frozen milk should be defrosted in the fridge and used straight away (or at least within 24 hours, provided you keep it in the fridge) once thawed. It should not be re-frozen.

(Please note these guidelines are based on information given by the NHS. There has been no definitive research into the storage and handling of breast milk, so these guidelines do err on the side of caution. Our Peer Supporters are happy to discuss alternatives with you).

Transporting Milk

La Leche League advise that an insulated cooler bag packed with a temperature of between -15° to 4°C should preserve your milk for up to 24 hours. They recommend you keep the ice packs in constant contact with the milk containers and avoid opening the cooler bag any more than necessary. This is also a way for you to store your milk if you do not have access to a refrigerator at work.

How Much Milk?

Because babies variy so much, it's impossible for us to tell you precisely how much milk you will need to leave with your childcare provider whilst you are at work. However, La Leche League advises that breastfed babies normally take between 2-4oz (60-100ml) of milk at any really substantial feeding, and that this amount doesn't really increase for babies over six weeks old because their metabolism and growth slow down and their ability to use the milk improves. Kellymom provides a calculator for you to work out roughly how much expressed milk your baby will need at each feed. Another good rule of thumb is 1-1.5oz per hour that you will be away from your baby. You may wish to send extra milk, perhaps frozen, if your childcare provider can keep it frozen, in case it is needed, and you may need to send larger quantities of milk during a growth spurt.

Keep in mind that, after six months, once your baby starts to eat solids, their milk intake will start to gradually decrease. Some babies also like to wait until you come home; they will take just enough milk to take the edge off their hunger during your working day, but will want to feed for longer and/or more often as soon as you get home. Try not to worry if yours is one of these babies - remember, some babies will sleep for eight or more hours at night without needing milk, so there's no reason they can't manage for as long a period during the day. As long as they are gaining weight and producing at least six wet nappies a day, you can be sure they are getting enough milk. Just ensure you give your baby plenty of opportunity to feed from you when you are together.

If you have any questions about breastfeeding and returning to work, speak to our Peer Supporters.