Returning to work after maternity leave

[pzyck]

I will still be EBFing my daughter when I'm due to return to work in April. My usual job entails 12 hour shifts working remotely, so I have two questions regarding my position:

1. My daughter will not take a bottle and does only feed from the breast. I know EBF by the time women usually return to work is quite rare (if statistics are anything to go by)... are my employer going to expect me to pump? How will this work actually feeding my daughter?

2. There is no where I could store any breast milk I did actually pump whilst being remote. There's also no guarantee I would be given the opportunity to pump due to the nature of the job. How will my employee likely mitigate these issues? Might they offer me an alternative role?

I don't really want to raise these questions with my line manager without understanding any rights I might have, as from speaking to other colleagues who have recently come off of maternity leave, my line manager has allegedly been very difficult with just flexible hours for them and so I can only imagine how pleased they'll be at my awkwardness...

TIA

I understand the suggestion totally, however I don't think I could function working nights if I'm having to get up every few hours during the day to feed her. Nights used to wipe me out even when I would sleep solidly the whole day between shifts. I think I'd be dangerous driving the sort of mileage we sometimes do on broken day sleep.

Has the dietician suggested anything to give her as a dairy substitute so oatmilk or coconut milk?

If your ambulance has a a plug in point you can get small electric cooler bags. As long as you popped the pump into a box and popped it in the cool bag then you would be fine. It's a trick used by women who solely express but in a fridge. That way you can wash when available.
It's more expressing for your own comfort.

Unfortunately the law is strange your work legally has to provide you with somewhere to express and a fridge but they don't have to legally give you pump breaks which is backwards!
I would discuss with your manager but request a HR person there as they will know it in a lot more detail and what can be done.

I suspect op, that this might work out better than you think. And I could be completely wrong as I don’t know the health issues of the baby but I’m guessing that the baby will adapt to you not being around so much and will eat more solid food and take a cup. I would guess that this will be much less of an issue than you’re predicting. Not that you shouldn’t plan of course but am hoping a cup etc and more food wil naturally happen

Unfortunately she's allergic to dairy, soy, egg, fish, nuts, wheat, tomato, potato, strawberries and they think some additives, so we don't risk anything that isn't a whole food anymore as there's so much we have to avoid.

The cool bag idea for milk and equipment storage is a good suggestion and definitely one I'll utilise depending on what they say my options are.

I do have a hands free breast pump but couldn't really pump on the job as there's too much uncertainty about what I could have to end up doing (getting into awkward spaces to extricate someone, if something happens on scene and I end up doing CPR, having to move around on the back of a moving vehicle, etc).

We have been trialling having her at MILs for a period of time in the day, and she's fine for 3 hours but then her nap only lasts 30 minutes because she wakes up hungry and upset. It's been like this for a month or so now.

That sounds really hard op. But ultimately she’ll have to take a cup sooner or later or you’ll be tied to her. Do you think she will start to take a cup of expressed milk if she doesn’t have the breast option? Or your milk in porridge oats?

Not meaning to minimise the issues here op as I can see that list of allergies must be very difficult to manage. But all babies move onto a cup at some point, I’m sure she would do that sooner or later?

OP

(Gluten free) Oat milk or coconut milk should be suitable for her

What do you have? Do you have to avoid having all of those allergens if you are breast feeding?
Has she been tested for all nuts? Almonds?

What is she struggling with cup wise that means she aspirates?

Have you tried a different cup e.g sippy cup v open cup? A little straw cup might help too as the baby ones do not have a fast flow.

It sounds tough but ultimately you have to return to work and that is pressure in itself. Trying to express and plan breaks in your job is going to be tricky!

You can express and leave in a cool bag with ice packs. Will you do 3 long days on return?

OP, I know people are suggesting a cup, but I think you need to try again with the bottle and expressed milk