My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

AIBU?

To store expressed milk in a shared fridge

83 replies

staffroomwars · 08/05/2013 13:57

Posting as a little murderous and possibly need perspective.

Just gone back to work for a few days a week (wishing I hadn't but...£) and dd is a total bottle/ formula refuser despite me nearly killing myself trying I'm having to express/ pop out for feeds.

Yesterday and Monday all the expressed milk ended up on the side and off when I went to get it at the end of the day. As it's in an opaque plastic bag I presumed it was a mistake. I just found my lunch time expressed milk which I was about to pass on again on the window sil and have been informed someone has put it there as 'it's disgusting storing bodily fluids in a fridge with food'. She would have had to open the bag to see it was a baby bottle!

Is this one weirdo view or do people really feel like this, others were quite neutral but may have been reluctant to get involved and questioned if I could use the other fridge (used for non-food) to avoid upset.

I'm in a senior position and could get another fridge but it seemed a waste of funds!

OP posts:
Report
Inertia · 08/05/2013 13:58

Expressed milk is food!

Report
5madthings · 08/05/2013 13:58

Yanbu your college is! Figs its sealed in a bottle and a bag!

I would be BLOODY furious, what a waste of breastmilk!

Report
MortifiedAdams · 08/05/2013 13:59

Well, it would be irrelevent to me of you kept your BM in my fridge at work, its milk - thats where it belongs. Why is there a non-food fridge, what items are in that?

Report
5madthings · 08/05/2013 13:59

Colleague

Report
SirBoobAlot · 08/05/2013 13:59

YANBU and the colleague was wrong to move it.

Report
Inertia · 08/05/2013 14:00

And where do they store cow's milk that goes in the cups of tea and coffee? By their logic, that's bodily fluids too.

And ham sandwiches contain actual pig body. Hope they are not stored in the same fridge.

I'd be bloody furious at whoever was taking the expressed milk out of the fridge.

Report
Scruffey · 08/05/2013 14:00

Yanbu but clearly it is a problem to someone so I would put the bags into an opaque sandwich box.

Report
staffroomwars · 08/05/2013 14:00

chemicals etc I think in other fridge, used by janitor, not really delved as it's it's locked.

OP posts:
Report
youmeatsix · 08/05/2013 14:01

so long as its sealed (for babys sake) and clearly labelled i dont see the issue, bit weird people reacted like they did

Report
Annunziata · 08/05/2013 14:01

If there's cow milk in the fridge then they don't have a leg to stand on!

Report
MrsHuxtable · 08/05/2013 14:02

I'd kick up a massive stink over this.

As pp said, all milk is a bodily fluid.

And you wouldn't want to store your breast milk in a non-food fridge that might contain harmful stuff.

Report
MoominsYonisAreScary · 08/05/2013 14:02

What an odd person, tell them to keep away from your milk or you will be putting it in their tea Grin

Report
anonpost · 08/05/2013 14:03

Wow, how juvenile of your 'workmate'. Maybe a cool bag with ice packs could work if it keeps happening. Personally I'd be sending a shitty email round!

Report
staffroomwars · 08/05/2013 14:03

it's in a standard bottle (pump attaches to this) and the bottle was in a small bag plastic bag.

Sounds daft but whilst I'm furious I'm not sure how to tackle! It's hardly a disciplinary but it's made my life difficult.

OP posts:
Report
DameFanny · 08/05/2013 14:03

Ew, breastmilk cooties on her tuna sandwich! Shock






Wink




If she ever brings in cake you should punch it. Hard.

Report
staffroomwars · 08/05/2013 14:04

If I wasn't in a senior position I'd just stick their lunch out instead.

OP posts:
Report
staffroomwars · 08/05/2013 14:04

There is a cake I could punch accidently squash right now

OP posts:
Report
OscarIsABookworm · 08/05/2013 14:04

I would be bloody furious. What the fuck do they think cows milk is?! bet they have no problems storing that in the fridge.

Honestly I would confront the person that is doing it head on and explain some basic facts to them, also how hard it is to express. Idiots.

Report
MortifiedAdams · 08/05/2013 14:06

Sorry but unless they were prepared to store their lunch alongside chemicals then they are BU to expect you to store your dcs there.

Im pretty sure legally employers have to make.provision for expressing and storing milk so I think your first port of call is HR. Check that they are OK with you using the food fridge and ask them if they will read the email you are planning to send round instructing everyone that you will be using the fridge and they are to leave the milk there.

Report
Peevish · 08/05/2013 14:06

I would raise hell. Of course YANBU. Expressed milk is like gold. Could someone who has worked while expressing clarify whether this is a discrimination issue? Isn't there legislation in place to ensure expressing mothers have time and space in which to do so during working hours, and shouldn't this extend to the storage of the milk?

Report
staffroomwars · 08/05/2013 14:06

Sounds sensible Oscar, when I have calmed down enough not to pour it down her. Probably not thinking straight

OP posts:
Report
5madthings · 08/05/2013 14:07

I think I would leave a polite note explaining how important the milk is, that is must be kept in the fridge and that it is sealed etc.

If that didn't work I would get arsey and sarcastic and point out that cows milk is a bodily fluid fro a cow etc.

Is it a complaint for the human resources type people?

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

Inertia · 08/05/2013 14:08

You really cannot put expressed milk in a fridge that's used to store hazardous chemicals, and I'm astounded that anyone has suggested it.

If you have the authority, it might be worth actually buying a separate fridge to be used for the storage of breastmilk only. You could then put a lock on it and give copies of the key only to those people who need to store breastmilk- given that one of your colleagues is clearly trying to deliberately make unsafe milk that's intended for a baby, I think it's an entirely justifiable expense.

Report
staffroomwars · 08/05/2013 14:08

Peevish, I am fortunate to be in the position where I can create time and space (locked office) and I think I'm the one to implement this. I think I need to be more open and state in a briefing that's what I will be doing so use Gregg's if you don't like it

OP posts:
Report
5madthings · 08/05/2013 14:08

Oh I also wouldn't store bmilk in a fridge with chemicals either!

Yanbu op your work colleague is, I as, furious on your behalf!

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.