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

It would not be acceptable to be expected to feed or pump in a toilet or car park. There was a successful case at tribunal where this was deemed to be harassment on grounds of sex.
OP there are lots on here giving opinions with no facts. Please contact your union or ACAS to get clear advice on what you're legally entitled to. Best of luck!

OP I think you’ve gotten confused with time to pump, you get time to pump at work but not breastfeed, if you want to breastfeed a bit more during the day then you need to stay on mat leave for the full year.

I’d like to see you tell my 10.5 month old that! 3 - 4 nursing sessions is still average at 10.5 months but some will need more and others less. Mine has severe reflux so drinks little and often and restricting him to morning or night wouldn’t be fair on him.

I don’t think paid breaks are typical OP but I do think my employer will give me one based on what they’ve done in the past so worth clarifying.

Oh but of course you can bring your screaming baby into lectures to disrupt absolutely everyone. You'll probably have to leave the room every 10 minutes to deal with the baby but that's okay!

Maybe you need to specify how long you think you will need as a break? I don't think my babies would have been only a 5 minute feed at that age, and the manager may have no idea if you are talking about an hour or 5 minutes.

It is only OP who has mentioned feeding in a car park.

Everyone else has talked about being given a private space to BF (though actually the legal right is space to express or for a BF mother to rest, not have baby in to feed) but not paid time.

I don’t see the issue in expecting you to use your break. Must admit I have never heard of people being given time to breastfeed a baby at work. Most express and that’s used by the child carer

OP, my baby was brought to me at my office for breastfeeds when I returned to work. I was paid for these breaks and didn't have to make up the time or forfeit my lunch break so it's not completely unheard of. It made returning to work much easier for me as my baby never took a bottle. My employer was happy to do it to support my return to work. I guess it all depends how family friendly the employer is and the nature of the work but I think it's sad if any woman has to give up breastfeeding before her and her baby is ready, or has difficulty continuing, because her work can't support it well. I would talk to them about what you'd ideally need to happen to support your breastfeeding and just see what they say. They may be able to offer more or not but you will know where you stand.

Prizes if you can link it…. I thought this thread as golden, but I feel a new level of entertainment ahead if this thread can be found!!

This is what I’d have thought, although I’m no expert.

I’ve never heard of you being entitled to an additional break to breastfeed as well as the standard break “for you”. Surely breastfeeding is just what you’ve chosen to do with your break?

Yes to the private space obviously but I’ve never heard of an additional break being required, esp as your baby is 10.5 months already.

This sounds lovely and good on them, but I’d be surprised if it’s the law.

The issue thinks she is entitled to two breaks in six hours, one per her baby and one for her. Whereas the pragmatic reality for most women expressing at work is that it’s done as part of break.

Would anyone be able to find a link for this one? I'm still annoyed at the woman who brought her noisy toddler to a class where we were doing final presentations. I have no idea what our professor was thinking giving that the ok.

I agree. I also suspect that this poster was an established employee who had been in the job pre-maternity, and the employer knew her and wanted to keep her, rather than a brand new employee on a zero hours contract.

Yes but why not pump? You’re very entitled.

If you have a car (you're planning to feed in the car), and live only a 4 min walk away, would you not just drive home on your break and feed your baby there? No need to involve work at all

You’re only working for 6 hours. Can’t you feed before you go, when you come home a solid meal in between?

I never saw this thread but that’s quite incredible!

Why did she think anyone ever went back full time??

I work for a local authority - if you need to express breastmilk or have your baby brought in to feed then you can do that whenever. You don’t need to use your “break” or make up the time.

Totally agree. She’s taking the mick, mick!

Your employer is being petty and it’s also sad to see other women on here telling you that you’re acting entitled. God forbid a woman want to breastfeed her child. It is the norm in many many civilised countries for women to get an extra hour per day for breastfeeding up to the child being 2 (and some countries even longer!). In Ireland you get a full paid extra hour for breastfeeding up to two years for example.

That doesn't mean they have to allow that. That means they choose to go above and beyond.

I work in hospitality, 6 hour shifts are standard and you don't get a break at all. If a woman is pumping/feeding she can take an unpaid break to do so, then back to work. If she wasn't breastfeeding there'd be no break at all, so definitely not two breaks allowed.

Lots of employers are better than mine, obviously. But that doesn't mean mine is doing anything wrong or unreasonable.

I know you said you are on a zero hour contract but how many hours roughly are you expecting to work per week? If you are only part time I think your baby should manage without the milk a few days a week if it's only a six-seven hour shift. (Speaking from experience but I only work part time maybe it would be different if you are expecting to work 40 hours per week).

An additional factor in OP's case is that she is starting at a new work place. That means she's building relationships with unknown people and negotiating for additional benefits when she has no track record there. This would be easier if she already had strong links with people who already understood her value to the business. I know the law is the law (the hard factors) but the soft factors count too.

This is from the ACAS website:

Breastfeeding

If you're breastfeeding, you may need to:

• rest
• express milk
• store expressed milk

By law, your employer must provide somewhere suitable for you to rest.

They're not legally required to provide somewhere for you to express or store milk.

However, it's a good idea for them to provide facilities, such as a private room and a fridge to store the milk.

Read NHS advice on breastfeeding and going back to work