Bf and returning to work

[Lavender14]

Hi all, just looking some advice and experiences!

I'm due to return to work next month and our office is tiny and open plan. I'm ebf ds who's 10mths old and he currently feeds about 6 times a day most days on top of solids and water.

There's nowhere in my work that I could pump (there physically isn't the space for them to even offer me somewhere) and I wouldn't feel comfortable using my car in a public car park either.

I'm thinking I would like to be able to give some milk for ds to have bottles with his naps in nursery as he's currently fed to sleep and to nap and he has a hard time winding down during the day. And I'm also thinking maybe a wearable pump is my best option as I could wear it around the office?

What would others recommend? Any particular pumps that are well rated and any advice on navigating this in the workplace?

Thanks in advance!

For one bottle a day I would use a manual hand pump. Much more discreet and often more efficient at getting the milk out. I like the Medela one.

I think legally they have to find you somewhere to pump, whether you want to pursue that is up to you.

Best time to pump is usually after the morning feed so could you do it then at home? Start a few days before you go back to work so you have a little stockpile.

Then hand express at work to ease any pressure. I'd be happy to do that in the bathroom but I know lots wouldn't.

I did have a wee look into it and as far as I can tell there's no legal obligation to provide somewhere to pump but it's encouraged as best practice and I could possibly argue it through OH as risk of mastitis etc. But there genuinely isn't anywhere in my office that they could offer me, not even a storeroom etc. So I don't know what they'd even be able to come up with or I'd be requesting that.

How have you found your medela one lasting for you? I have used the manual one and initially really liked it but I've gone through two in the last few months as they've stopped holding any suction though I haven't been able to see the cause.

It's a tiny rubber ring! If it comes off it loses suction. You can put it back on though. Hard to explain where it is over the Internet!