Breastfeeding rights at work - please clarify for me please! I start in 3 days!

[carrie3003]

Returning to work part time after 10.5 months mat leave. Breastfeeding.

It is a new job (bank hours so 0 hour contract I can work when I like). Not worked there before.

First shift and induction is on Friday morning for 6 hours - a 20 minute break.

I have emailed and said my baby will be brought to me around 10/11am for a feed. (I read online that you need to tell your employer in writing you’re breastfeeding so that’s why I emailed)

They have just emailed back:

“That’s fine, we can look to work your break around that time if that’s ok with you”

I don’t have to use my break for this do I?
Surely as a breastfeeding mother I am entitled to my full break for me and a 10 minute breastfeeding “break” for my baby?
They can’t make me use my break to breastfeed can they?

What do I reply? It’s really shocked me as I thought she would just reply saying “yeah that’s fine”

Please tell me I’m not mad. AIBU? I need clarification on my rights and what to say back.

Not keen on returning to work as it is and now this has pushed me even more to just not go!

Thank you in advance lovely ladies xx

Just from a childcare point of view, I think your baby may find it quite distressing to be brought to you for 5/10 minutes for a quick feed then whipped away again.

There's some info here about your rights: https://www.nct.org.uk/information/life-parent/support-change/breastfeeding-and-returning-work

I think realistically though it wouldn't be 5 minutes you were away from work for. By the time you've walked to the car park / said hello to baby / fed / said goodbye etc and walked back again then it would likely be a lot longer than 5 mins.

To be honest, I'd be more worried about your child finding this upsetting. I know for sure / experience (had to do occasional visit to the child minder middle of the day when I'd forgotten something etc) that if I was to see my child for literally a few minutes and then have to say goodbye again this would be very upsetting / distressing and unsettling.

I honestly think they need to be fine without BF if you're going back to work. Expressed milk in a sippy cup or none at all whilst you're out.

Then if needed pump and dump on your break.

I wouldn't be expecting my employer to give me paid breaks for this. Like others have said - it may only be 10/15 mins for you once in a 6 hour shift, but if they have a policy then it has to be the same for all. Others may say they need to BF 3x in that 6 hours etc and they couldn't then refuse that if they've allowed others. It all builds up.

That's hilarious!

They sounded pretty reasonable tbf allowing baby in so you can breastfeed and saying they could accommodate your break around that time so you can feed. You’re not entitled to an extra break for it paid or unpaid. Can you change feeding routine to work around your job, baby have earlier feed or later feed?

🤣 Rubbish. Babies under 1 should be on a predominant milk diet and be essentially 'tasting' food and water. No 10 month old baby is getting the calories they need from 'solids' and water through the day. Babies absolutely shouldn't be weaned off milk before 1.

At this age your child should be able to drink out of a cup. I used to pump in my break just to keep the supply up but never actually brought a baby to work!

This is 100% not true. It's normal for babies to continue breastfeeding along side solids for much longer than 10 months. WHO recommended at least 2 years (and however long mum wants to continue for) !!

OP- Maternity Action have some advice on breastfeeding and returning to work Here

Like others have said, hopefully baby (and your body) quickly adapts to feeding before/after your shifts. I think I only needed to express for a week or so, and I only expressed for comfort. It's in your employers interest to give you a break to feed/express really, as it can be so easy to develop mastitis if you're not used to not feeding for long stretches!

Don’t be silly, there are no ‘shoulds’ with a breastfeeding baby!

In the Irish civil service you get paid breastfeeding breaks up to 1 hour per day, or you can just reduce your work day by one hour without a reduction in pay. I pumped during my lunch break and then left work an hour earlier to minimise time spent away from my breastfed baby. It made a massive difference to me and really helped me to continue breastfeeding. I don’t think this is widespread across the private sector thought, the civil service is miles ahead in terms of family friendly policies.

Is your baby even allowed on the premises ?

You are also required to have a breastfeeding risk assessment
Have they done one?
You will need to be given enough time to feed and empty your breasts to prevent mastitis which is a serious infection.
I would also argue that expecting you to feed in your normal breaktime puts you at risk of dehydration/UTIs if it means you dont have time to also use the toilet etc as you normally could. Due to our physiology women are at higher risk of UTIs than men anyway without having limited access to toilets.
Your employer has a legal obligation under health and safety act 1974 to not jeopardize your wellbeing and by not giving you a full break as others get your wellbeing could be impacted.
If you're not in a union- join one now and then contact their adviceline.

• Indirect discrimination: A policy that disadvantages breastfeeding employees (e.g., no extra breaks) could be indirect discrimination unless the employer can objectively justify it as a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.
• Health and Safety: Your employer also has general health and safety duties to assess risks and ensure you are not exposed to harm.

True. But 6 hours shift shouldn't be an issue for a baby on solid food.

Well yes, it is too much to ask for. There is not a provision in law for this, so you would not be entitled to do so. Why you feel this means you need to rethink the world of work is a mystery, and given the very close proximity of your new workplace to your home, you are running the risk of cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Enjoy the fact that the fact your new employer is willing to be flexible around your break means you can see your baby during your working day. Majority of women are not this lucky.

Thank you!

I don't understand why a 10/11 month old needs a 5 minute feed within a 6 hour shift, that isn't the break already given to you.

I think you're chancing your arm to try get more time off.

Your employers sounds like it is very accommodating! Get over your entitlement.

True. But this is a 6 hours shift. If mum and baby can't handle this maybe SAHM is the better choice.
A lot of children are bf +1 year with being ferried into workplaces.

Baby absolutely does not need weening off milk at this age. Breastmilk is still hugely important and nutritionally valuable.
the baby under one won’t be eating full meals that substantially replace what they get from breastmilk.

Wrong re solids/milk. WHO and NHS would staunchly disagree.

Can you not negotiate an earlier finish or start time? Or bank hours of 5:45 so that you get your paid break for you and your unpaid breastfeeding break for baby?

I get also that it doesn’t seem to be much point in expressing when they are just round the corner but may also be a good time to start weaning baby off the boob and keep it for morning /night and have the expressed breast milk in a sippy cup

You actually aren't legally entitled to a break working 6 hours. It's anything over 6 hours you are legally entitled to a 20 minute rest period (unpaid).

However you are entitled to a private place and the ability to pump/feed if needed. So them offering to give you a break to do so (presumably unpaid, or making the time up at the end) is all they need to do.

You definitely aren't entitled to two breaks, as if you weren't breastfeeding you wouldn't qualify for a break anyway, from a strictly legal perspective.

I would expect you to be allowed to express when you needed (within reason), but not have your child brought to work for feeds at all. That has major implications for you employer: firstly, unless you are in a company where your breaks are all at very specified times for a particular amount of time, I wouldn't expect you to always have to stop at precisely one time because your child was arriving. Secondly, insurance for children is different for adults, and potentially insurance for adult employees is different for other adults. The business won't necessarily have insurance for these groups, so while they should let you express on the premises, your baby coming in with another adult might, quite rightly, be a hard no. Also actually feeding a baby tends to take longer than expressing. A good breast pump will go at a steady pace, not fuss or get wind half way through, so your break will be a very regular length. Breaks to feed baby could vary quite a lot. I think you need to get baby drinking expressed milk from a bottle before you return to work, then express during one work day to get bottles for the next. This should keep your milk supply steady, and make sure baby has enough milk. If you are doing all the evening/night/early morning feeds yourself, baby should be fine with mixed bottle/breast teats!

Contact The Association of Breastfeeding Mothers for clarification @carrie3003 much better than getting random personal opinions from people on here who just don't get it.

I agree asking for two breaks in six hours is excessive.

I have 4 DC, each was breastfed till over 2 years and I went back to work at 6 months (part time) with each of them, with work days longer than 6 hours. I expressed for comfort, they drank the milk I expressed during the day (or not, they generally preferred from the original package) and fed well when they were home.

I also agree with a PP saying your baby coming in to feed will be longer than you think.

It reminds me of the current one with the woman who wants to bring her newborn baby to university lectures.