To have a big cry about work now saying they won't give me time to express?

[BumpPower]

Fuck! Any breastfeeding teachers have any ideas?
Started back at work end of July. Expressing for my 5month old. Explained to work/line manager what I'd do. I'm a teacher and asked to be excused lunch duties. Was told it wasn't a problem and got on fine but mat cover was still there so no really impact on school. kids back on Wednesday and today been told "my request has been turned down!!". I'm a classteacher with my kids all day so I asked that I be excused duties during lunch (half staff supervise kids eating while others have their lunch then after 30mins we swap over). This would give me 15mins at 1100 and then an hour at 1200 everyday to express plus I could express before 0800 and after 1530. This was the only solution I could think of that didn't impact on the pupils learning (I.e. Have me leave them). I am effectively only asking for 30mins extention on my break.
Do I have U expectations?

Well done! Poor site staff guy came to move a filing cabinet & got an education about pumping instead today... He was definitely more embarrassed than me, poor chap.

I'm a teacher and I expressed in my classroom at lunchtime when I went back. I got a lock put on the door and i had a double electric pump. I have a 45 min inch and had time to express, store and boil up equipment to sterilise it. I ate while I expressed.
It was very tedious and hardgoing.
As an aside, eating things with oats helps you produce milk so I ate loads of flapjacks and alpen etc.
The midwives in hospital were amazed at how much I produced in the first few days! It's definitely worth trying. NCT adviser told me this.

Well done, and I can imagine the look on the face of the guy wHo moved the filing cabinet!

I used to have to express in the loo, which people were outraged by, but my work were actually excellent and there was nowhere else as we're a very small organisation with no separate meeting room or anything. Sad as it sounds I quite liked expressing, it was the only time I was on my own.

Breaks my heart to read all of your awful experiences. It's bloody outrageous that in this day and age women still have to fight for basic maternity rights.

I'll be returning to work at the end of the year and am thanking my lucky stars that my Head is understanding - otherwise my boobs would be a permanent feature in the staff room.

Good luck OP, keep going strong. Perhaps we should all lead a school based campaign to normalise expressing. Surely it's massively discriminatory to refuse women opportunity to express. At the very least it's inhumane.

I haven't read the whole thread .... but your employer's are on dodgy ground here in relationship to sex discrimination. See your UNION. Unless it was impossible, I'd never advise a manager to turn down your request.

I suggest if you haven't already done so, you put your request in writing and ask for their response in writing. I'm sure they'll be scared to refuse in writing. Request that the written response details the reasons they're unable to accommodate your request - if they ask why you want it in writing.. tell them that you want it for your records or that you need it to seek advice on where you stand legally with this.

Lozengeinlove, it would be great to campaign on this. Could we get the unions behind us? Mumsnet teachers, what do you think?

Thanks ladies. After 2 weeks I've got myself into a bit of a routine. Its hard. I feel like I spend a lot of time taking my bra off I. Toilets! On a few occasions my partner has brought baby in at lunch and we've sat in the car while I feed her. Make me realise how much quicker it is to feed a baby than to express!