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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

expressing at work - advice needed

37 replies

foxcub · 09/08/2007 21:55

I am planning to return to work in September when my third child is 6 months old.

I have mixed feelings about it but my main concern is that I will only be able to BF in the morning/evenings/night.

I did not express at work with my first two children, but allowed them formula.

I feel unconfortable doing this again and I would be far happier if DS2 was able to benefit from my milk all day.

Has anyone expressed milk and work and stored it?

Do you know what my rights are in terms of asking for a private area to express and somewhere safe to store the milk so it can't be tampered with (I read a horror story once about a BF Mum who's work colleague put Vodka in her express milk, left in trhe office fridge, for a "joke").

Any tips or advice would be very much appreciated - thanks in advance

OP posts:

Bubble99 · 09/08/2007 22:01

Will these be 8 hour days?

moondog · 09/08/2007 22:02

Foxy,if i were you I would start expressing now in readiness and build up a good supply.
At 8 mths my baby could go all day without a breastfeed,just water,and I carried on breastfeeding around f/t work for 2 1/2 years/

bosch · 09/08/2007 22:09

Foxcub - my experience is that you do have the rights you refer to (private area, fridge) but I think that assumes that work colleagues can be trusted, ie you would share a work fridge.

You don't have the right to take the time to express - you have to do that in your own time.

I was lucky with an employer that gave me time to express. I'm so glad I did this for my ds's. I did gradually find that I had to supplement ebm with a little formula as I found that the milk supply gradually dwindled!

Good luck.

Bubble99 · 09/08/2007 22:09

I'm fairly sure you should be allowed breaks for expressing, foxie. DTI/ACAS website should have some info?

DS4 ( nearly 10 months) has a big BF early in the morning and before bed, he's not too interested during the day. Just bits here and there.

Can't remember what he was doing at six months, though.

Whizzz · 09/08/2007 22:10

here is all the legal stuff

Whizzz · 09/08/2007 22:11

"What facilities do employers have to provide?
The Workplace Regulations and Approved Code of Practice require employers to provide suitable facilities for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers to rest. Where necessary these should include somewhere for the woman to lie down.

HSE recommends that it is good practice, for employers, to provide a private, healthy and safe environment for nursing mothers to express and store milk (but this is not a legal requirement). It is not suitable to use toilets for this purpose"

3Ddonut · 09/08/2007 22:13

You are entitled to a private (not a toilet) area to express, and somewhere to store milk (not sure about the private fridge, absolutley horrified that someone would tamper with bm) good luck.

Original poster

foxcub · 09/08/2007 22:13

Yes they will be 8 hour days.

I recall DD just had morning/evening feeds, but she was 12 months when I returned. With DS1 I, sadly, switched to FF as I kept getting thrush anyway and was in tons of pain.

TBH I don't like the idea of expressing at work (can imagine my male colleagues sniggering), plus all the palava of taking the machine to work and storing at correct temp etc.

Does anyone know at what age babies drop their daytime feeds then??

DS2 is currently 23 weeks and feeding for England so have just started to introduce puree/baby rice as he is such a starver. TBH he feeds so often I can't ever imagine him feeding just twice daily!!

OP posts:

Whizzz · 09/08/2007 22:14

3Ddonut - its not an entitlement, only good practice

Original poster

foxcub · 09/08/2007 22:16

Whizz thanks that's very useful

We have a sick room, which is the only room which has shutters. I BF DS2 there recently when I visited and I was even able to lock the door so no one could enter.

OP posts:

Whizzz · 09/08/2007 22:16

best of luck

3Ddonut · 09/08/2007 22:18

really? I thought it was a legal thing?

Original poster

foxcub · 09/08/2007 22:22

I work in the public sector and I think my employers would be keen to demosntrate good practice, even if its just guidelines. When I visited recently they went out of their way to give me a space to feed.

I feel a bit awkward making these demands of them, and a bit reluctant to cart my expressing machine around and have to wash it at work/ store the milk etc.

I was just wondering if many people have actually done this and how easy/hard they found it.

It will make parting from DS2 all the more difficult if he can't have my milk during the day either

OP posts:

Whizzz · 09/08/2007 22:23

No - the link I posted is from the regulations - this is the legal bit "The Workplace Regulations and Approved Code of Practice require employers to provide suitable facilities for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers to rest. Where necessary these should include somewhere for the woman to lie down. "

"HSE recommends that it is good practice, for employers, to provide a private, healthy and safe environment for nursing mothers to express and store milk (but this is not a legal requirement). It is not suitable to use toilets for this purpose"

Whizzz · 09/08/2007 22:24

basically with good practice, if challenged, the company would have to prove that they have done all they could to comply & give a very good reson why they haven't followed the guidance

3Ddonut · 09/08/2007 22:27

Have you got a supply of bm in the freezer? I expressed like mad with my first, only for HV to 'advise' me to give up before I returned to work she wasn't even 4 months old! I'm just thinking that it's stressful knowing that you 'have' to express a certain amount for a certain time and it's not easy.

moondog · 09/08/2007 22:27

Fox,that is a storyline in that silly 'I don't know how she does it' book from what i recall.

TheOldestCat · 09/08/2007 22:33

Foxcub

I've been expressing at work for three months and have found it surprisingly ok!

If you're worried about carting the machine round, what about a smaller pump? I went back when DD was 6 months and was pumping 2-3 times a day and the medela electric was fine. It's noisy but compact!

I don't wash my pump at work - I just pop it in my cool bag in the fridge.

Don't feel bad about your employer - it's best practice for them to make it possible for you to carry on breastfeeding if you want to. My old-fashioned boss finds it embarassing, but has been really supportive. And that's to be encouraged!

Hope it works out for you. Why not give it a try? You can always stop if it's too much hassle.

canmummy · 09/08/2007 22:36

Hi Foxcub,

I'm in a very similar situation. I go back to work in September and want to express as dd3 is allergic to cows milk (and therefore formula).

I plan to feed dd3 when she wakes and send 2-3 bottles to nursery and feed at bed-time. I'm hoping to express twice at work to make up for it.

I'm building up my stock now and have 7 feeds in the freezer! I also might start pumping at bed-time to stimulate an extra milk supply if that makes sense.

I don't need anywhere special to express as my office is private with a lockable door and I have a lockable fridge as well.

My dd is 6.5 months old now and already her milk feeds are dropping so you might find by then your lo is less reliant on breastmilk.

mellow2 · 09/08/2007 22:45

I had to say I expressed in the toilet with an electric pump that came in a knapsack. I found it quite easy with my breast pump.

It's a pity that I've just sold my breast pump. I did not realise you were planning on expressing when you went back.

Dd dropped to one feed in the day when I went back to work but she was 9 months old, a bit older than your ds.

Gemmitygem · 09/08/2007 22:48

foxcub , I've been expressing at work for 6 months..

I expressed twice a day, so 7 am feed at home, 11 am express, 2 pm express and then bedtime feed at home. I stored the milk in fridge at work, then nanny gave it to DS the next day. At weekends I carried on expressing, otherwise on Sunday you have to get double the quantity, while wasting Friday's milk (I never sterilised anything so didn't want him to have 2 day old milk)..

I would say that you have to be determined to do it and not see it as a big barrier, but once you get into the rhythm it's fine and you should feel proud of yourself for doing it!

check out the great website www.workandpump.com, they have some good tips.

best of luck!

MrsRecycle · 10/08/2007 11:27

Foxie - if you do express at work I have loads of pumps(medela electric one (used this in the Sanctuary a bit noisy but I put a pillow over it)/double one that I've borrowed from Quokka/Avent manual). I also have loads of breat milk storage bags. I can drop them off to you with the boxes next week, for you to try out before you go back

Original poster

foxcub · 10/08/2007 21:44

gemmity tyanks for that link

Mrsrecycle - yes I would really like that thanks!! I ahve an Avent Isis IQ pump which is good but very big and heavy.

OP posts:

MyMILisDoloresUmbridge · 10/08/2007 22:44

Foxcub, just to say that EBM is fine in the fridge for 8 days. I expressed for 6 months in work. I stored the milk in a coolbag with icepacks until I got home except for one day a week when I worked for 12 hours. That day I brought in a mini-fridge that I got in Argos which could also connect to the car cigarette lighter. Just wasn't sure if the icepacks would hold out for so many hours and we don't have a fridge in work. My employer allowed me 2 extra breaks and I pumped at about 11 and about 3 each day. Didn't pump at all on my days off. foxcub, is your pump the avent Isis iQ duo? If so, I wouldn't give up on it. It's very quiet and you can pump in half the time of a single pump. I believe it's quieter than the Medela but can't say for sure as have never had to use a Medela in work, only when ds3 was in hospital.

Original poster

foxcub · 10/08/2007 22:58

Its a single pump. mellow was telling me today that a double pump is very efficient and quick, so it would be great to try a double one (thanks MrsR )

OP posts:

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