BFing while working for NHS?

[Tiggytigert]

To ask if anyone here, works for the NHS, breastfed and continued or knew their policies around this?

Im real anxious to ask! I've not got a start date and it's not directly at the hospital but, does anyone know roughly a policy regarding this?

My daughter will eventually be able to be relatively close to me at work, im not expecting to go and be able to feed her, but regarding pumping and keeping up supply?

I'll be doing 8 hrs with only 30 minutes of a break so I'm really concerned I won't be able to keep up my supply if i only have one opportunity to pump!

Especially during Covid id love to be able to continue with EBF (obviously eating solids now too but never touched formula which I'm quite proud of)

I breastfed when I returned to work. My manager wasn't aware of the policy but there is one. She was quite shy about it all so I had unlimited 15 minute breaks to pump and brought my own fridge in (didn't fancy labelling my milk in the staff fridge lol). I'm clerical though so don't know whether you could have so much freedom in a clinical role. Bottom line is the policy exists and they have to provide a room and the time

Check for your Trust's policy. I was able to split my break to allow for pumping, the Trust provided a private space for this and a fridge for storage.

I did have to fight a bit at the beginning though, as it wasn't a well used policy.

@LashesZ I'll be working in a nursery, so pretty hands on job! I'm just hoping ill be allowed as other wise I'm anxious i won't be able to keep supply up or be engorged!

@stompythedinosaur ah okay, so you had to split your 30 mins into smaller chunks to be able to pump? No extra time allowed? How would I find the policy?

How old will your dd be? I'm not saying don't pump but I wanted to share my own experience. I went back to work full time when my dd was 9 months old. I pumped once a day but found it a real pain to juggle with my workload. I stopped pumping at 12 months. I still bf her no problem, and she carried on bf until she was 4!

I returned to work at a paramedic, doing 12+ hour shifts, when my daughter was 9 months old. I pumped once a day (and this was just enough to make it through till home time). I was very apprehensive about it as some of our control room staff don't have a great reputation for being supportive of our welfare. However, turns out they were great about it. I just called them up when I needed to pump (between jobs of course) and they stood me down whilst I drove to base and pumped. I carried my pump and a cool bag) on the ambulance just incase I got stuck away from my station and couple of times stopped off at another ambulance station to do it, and once when stuck outside hospital I asked the ED sister and she found me a room.

If the ambulance service can manage the logistics of it, any NHS Trust should be able to.

Remember that the law is in your favour and it is a protected right.

Also, my top tip would be to wear breast pads incase anyone starts asking you about your baby, or you have to deal with any tiny babies...nobody wants to spring a leak!!!

I’ll be returning to work for the NHS very soon still EBF my 8 mo, but in a clinical role. From six months when he started weaning he’s feeds less so I planned to pump once in an 8 hour shift and twice on a 13 hour shift if possible. Yesterday he went 6 hours without feeding so I feel this will be following his natural feeding pattern, depending on how old your baby is, your supply should be just fine😊

@AntiHop She will be 7 months, i dont think i could physically go 8 hours without becoming severely engorged! She feeds about every 3 hours so pushing to 4 hours (if my break is bang on half way, through my day which it's unlikely to be) I'm concerned ill be extremely uncomfortable at some points!

@Cyw2018 Thank you for sharing your experience! I assumed it was a protected right, NHS has a, whole page about extended breastfeeding past 6 months and the benefits of it plus states that most places should have a policy around it! Which im hoping to find if not ill ask. My interview was over zoom so they know I'm a breastfeeding parent! Just hoping they will be flexible!

@thetangleteaser she feeds every 2, 3 maximum on a good day she loves her solids but is still most definitely a boob dependant baby! So some days it may be bang on 4 hours my break others it could be 5 in between so I'm anxious about being uncomfortable and engorged if I go that long. She will be 7 months, my cousin gets 45 mins extra over 3 15 minutes breaks in a care job and works the same amount of hours.

Contact HR and they will send you a copy of the policy, then contact your manager to ask about the specifics I.e. Where will you go, how often etc.
Our policy didn't specify if the breaks were on top of your normal breaks so I just added some extra time onto my lunch without asking (I only had to pump once a day and the designated room was about ten minutes from where I work - it is a massive hospital - so I otherwise would have used up most of my break just getting there and back).
They also have to provide a designated fridge to store your milk.

maternityaction.org.uk/advice/breastfeeding-at-work/
Does this help?

It’s a horrible feeling when they’re too full, I randomly had a boob leak in town the other day where he is finding much less, I was not prepared for it! I think three 15 minute breaks would be acceptable, it’s so hard thinking about going back to work!

@thetangleteaser honestly it's awful isn't it! Such a weird sensation! Id be happy with an additional 20 minutes that I could split up in two really! I'll have a chat and see!

@Savingshoes thank you! I know the rights around it just wanted to see if anyone had any specific policies x

I used to pump in the staffroom under a shawl. No-one noticed. I was allowed to store my milk in the milk fridge in Maternity, but I produced so little that it went in a bag then into a thermos full of ice. My Boss was aware and I was supported. The Midwifery/Infant feeding team might be able to help you out with places to pump and storage

Ask for the trust policy - I suspect they will have one.

My friend (anaesthetist) got really great support after her RTW both times from the NICU staff and used their facilities to pump, sterilise kit and store her milk.

I went back when ny DS was 9 months, I just told them I would be pumping every 4-6 hours and they were absolutely fine with that. Turned out I didnt need to pump, I was engored by the end of my 12 hour shift and pumped when I got home and slowly over a few weeks my supply adjusted. Still bf now at 15 months. I even said in an interview before I returned off mat leave I would need time and a room to pump and there was no issues at all.

Hiya!
I returned to work in A&E (nurse) in April, 13 hour shifts, twice a week, with a very boob dependant baby!
My matron is super supportive, I had a allocated, locked room set up for me. I let her know plenty of time in advance, and she asked me what I would need.
I started pumping twice a shift, and this was comfortable.. then I was busy so pumped once a shift.. which was fine, I was very full by the time I went home but perfectly manageable.
I actually was so busy the other day, I didn't have time to pee, let alone pump, and of course it was fine - so try not to worry too much, when breastfeeding is established, the body is very responsive.
I do have the benefit of only working twice a week.
I think people want to be supportive, and of course if it came to it and you felt full then nobody would have a problem with you going to pump, even if it wasn't break time.
A couple of practical things - now I'm good at it, it takes me about 15 mins to pump. I also don't bother keeping the milk, as I deal with Covid patients, so I am contaminated when i pump, I suppose this makes things quicker.
Also, I was super nervous too going to back to work, it's hard enough to return, without this extra worry. But I'm sure you will be fine, it's fear of the unknown and after a few shifts it will be the new normal.
You go Mama 💪

There's definitely a policy, and it's very pro breastfeeding so don't worry. They give you breaks, space to pump and you can use the fridge.

BUT having returned to work full time twice, breastfeeding both times, I've never pumped. Bit of hand expression for relief but not actual pumping. My boobs adjusted within a week despite me working shifts. DC both fed on demand at home, ate food and drank water at nursery and were weaned off the breast at 2+. No supply issues, no nutritional issues. Pumping is faffyong and annoying (I donated 100+ litres of milk) and I certainly wouldn't want to do it at work.

@stompythedinosaurah okay, so you had to split your 30 mins into smaller chunks to be able to pump? No extra time allowed? How would I find the policy?

Surely you know where policies are stored for your Trust? Ours are on the intranet and also paper copies are stored in certain locations. I imagine your HR or manager would send you a copy if you need. It would be under Workforce Policies.

No, I didn't have to work fewer hours because of bfing. I imagine if you needed to take extra time you might be able to make it up at the end of the shift, but you'd have to discuss it with a manager.

At that point, supply is very adaptable. I didn’t pump at work during normal working hours. For long days (12 hrs) I had to and overnights. But it’s surprising how manageable it is.

The NHS tends to be good about this stuff - they certainly were with my DDs and DD1 is now 19!. I had two pumping breaks, didn't need fridge storage because my pump came with chilled storage, but could have had it.

Not all the managers were on board with it - but the one that wasn't caved when confronted with national policy and was a particularly awful person in every aspect of her personality.

Policy is that breastfeeding or expressing should be encouraged. You can be given time to express and should be able to do so in a private and restful area.

It is construed as direct sexual discrimination if you are not allowed to express.

I've recently been in touch with my HR dept about this trying to support a BF-ing mum back to work.

Also, you'll need to get your pump PAT tested and find somewhere to store your milk

Your body will get used to it. I went back to work when my daughter was 5 months old. Including the commute I was away for her for 10 hours but I only pumped once during the day.

The first couple of days were a bit uncomfortable but it soon settled down and my supply on non working days was unaffected.

How old will she be when you return to work? I went back to work for 4 days a week when DD was 9 months. At that point she was a good eater (baby-led weaning) and was eating 3 proper meals a day. When I was around her (weekends and Wednesdays) she had one or two small breastfeeds during the middle of the day but on my working days we just fed when she woke up, when I got home and just before her bedtime. I was absolutely fine not pumping in terms of supply and not feeling painfully full. She had a small cup of cows' milk mid-morning on my work days and water with her lunch (and to sip as she wanted during the day). I chose cows milk as we'd never had formula and didn't see the point in starting at this age, I never really had much success with a pump and as it wasn't her main source of milk (she still had at least 3 big feeds of breast milk each day plus extra on my days off), I didn't think it would do her any harm.
My supply was fine switching from work days to days off 'modes' and we continued like this until she was 14 months (when we both gave up due to me being pregnant).

@stompythedinosaur it is a brand new job, my first one for the NHS so I'm completely new to their systems and don't even have a staff email/log in yet! Otherwise I would, I've searched through the Internet to no joy hence asking here - I didn't want to be pushy and ask at interviewing