Expressing whilst at work?

[tots2ten]

I am going back to work at the end of May, dd4 will be nearly 8mths old. I have managed to get her to take a bottle of EBM.

I have spoken to my manager and I mentioned that I will need somewhere to express, as I only work 2 days a week so would like to continue BF. I was told that the only place I could do this is in the staff toilet, it is the only place that has a lockable door. I dont feel comfortable with the thought of sitting on the loo expressing milk. I have asked if it would be possible to have the key for the residents salon, which is only used 1 day a week during the day. they are going to think about it and get back to me. Can I refuse to express in a toilet?

Also how many times will I need to express? I will be working 1.30pm to 10pm, twice a week. I have no idea how many times a day dd4 feeds, I am feeding on demand, and some days we seem to have a pattern, other days we are all over the place.

TIA

Your employers will be behaving illegally in making you express in the toilet, tots2ten. It's a shocking idea, anyway.

If you put 'expressing breastmilk at work health and safety' into Google, you will get plenty of hits plus links to health and safety legislation.

Thank you, didnt think to google. Will get some stuff printed off for them to read.

Re how many times to pump, I would go with whatever the closest to the pattern you have on the days you have a pattern. I'd guess you'd want to express probably two or three tims, once in the middle afternoon, once around 6-7 pm (bedtimeish),and once possibly before you leave or just after you get home.

Thank you both. I called into work this morning, and thankfully there was a different officer in charge on, and I asked about expressing, and I was told I could take a pick of:-

the little office (it has a lockable door, a window with blinds that only half of them close, but no sick)

The staff room, lockable door, but can be easily opened by any member of staff, has a sink and comfy chairs.

or

the residents salon. I can take a chair in there with me, it has a sink, so i said that I would use this room, as I can lock it from inside.

I need to work out times that I will need to express as at certain times of the afternoon things need to be done. But I have been told that I dont need to express during my breaks, and that I can still take my normal breaks with everyone else.

Now I need to work out how much milk per bottle dd4 will need?

sink not sick