expressing at work - advice needed

[foxcub]

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

Yes I did it.

I used a loo to express (a kind of semi private one - the MD's secretary's) and borrowed my boss's mini fridge to store it - he was a bit freaked out but agreed.
Used an Avent hand pump and just stored it in the frisge.

I went back when DS1 and DD were 4 mths old and for DS1 expressed at least 2 big feeds a day. A bit less with DD, did it mainly to keep supply going with her.

With both I expressed before to get a supply frozen.

Aaah seems ages ago now....

I remember on ds1, the pumps available at the time were rubbish but I still managed to express. In the evenings I used to have to literally run half a mile to catch a train home to be in time to collect him and would be running along with a backpack with 2 pumps and a coolbag of milk in it!
Those were the days!

Hi

Yes i did this for 6 months, my work gave me a key to the sick room, so I could lock myself in. They also told me i didn't have to make the time up which was great. I used to pump twice a day about 11.00am and 3pm (reflecting times I used to feed when DD at home - and kept doing feeds this time at weekends) I used to take a newspaper to work and read while I pumped, so it was a nice little break from work too . DD used to have 2 feeds of about 5oz each per day at nursery. I used to manage to express this at work, but somedays if I didn't get enough I would express a bit more in the evenings.
I used an Avent hand pump, which when packed up fitted into a small washbag. I just used to bung the pump, bottle etc in this in the fridge after the morning pump, didn't bother washing the pump between morning and afternoon session, I just used to sterilise it in the microwave every morning before going to work.
I had built up a good weeks worth supply in the freezer, which was great as it took the pressure off me if I did have days where I didn't express so much.
Over the 6 months I gradually reduced the amount of dd's feeds at nursery - as her solid intake increased.
At a year, I heaved a sigh of relief and stopped expressing. She went onto follow on milk at nursery.
But we are still happily breastfeeding now and she is 2.2 .

Hope that helps - it really is possible.

Many that's really heartening. I feed a bit at the prospect that my return to work might mean the beginning of the end for Bfing.

My sister has a colleague who pumps in departmental meetings. They all reckon she rocks!

Blimey!... "Respect"!!!!

bump

foxcub, I did pretty much the same as mandymac and fed ds3 till he was 2.6! So there are at least 2 of us! Or at least 4, I'm sure popsycal and kiskidee can tell the same story.

bump - just in case anyone has any more anecdotes

I expressed at work from 4.5 months till DS was 13 months and stopped having a daytime feed - at first 3x a day 5 days a week. I used the first aid room and kept my milk in the canteen fridge (in a plain black wash bag). Just used my lunch cool bag to take the milk home in.
I found it very easy, and missed my expressing breaks when it stopped. I have a Ameda Lactaline, and have two pump sets so mostly didn't need to wash anything at work. Also works on batteries so could express in alternate locations if necessary.
People were suprisingly supportive, and only had one little moment when facilities cleared out the fridge before christmas shutdown and I had to explain that they had thrown MY milk down the sink.. They were waay more embarrassed than I was. I do know someone who uses a little cash box to keep her milk in in the communal fridge as a just in case thing.

Thanks for those pumps MrsR