Teacher expressing at work... do-able?

[Elena67]

I'm planning ahead a bit: Going back to work (3 days) when baby is just over 6 months and I wonder if it's feasible to express at work? I start at about 8.15, have a 15 min break at either 9.50 or 11.10 and 30 min lunch at either 12.30 or 1.30 (ridiculous split day...)and finish at 3.10. Assuming that bf works out, will it be possible to express at one / some of these times and maintain breastfeeding for the rest of the non-working week?
I know it seems insanely early but if you have any advice, I can try to arrange my timetable to reserve one of the best breaks/lunchtimes.
Thanks for any advice - you can probably tell this is my first!

I did it at lunchtime for half a term (not that ds would drink any expressed by then, but that's another story!) I had just enough time to do it between 12.00 and 1.10 - and to set up classroom and throw a sandwich and a cup of tea down my neck!

It's not ideal - ds was 5 months, and despite having had a bottle of expressed milk every couple of days of his little life he suddenly decided to stop touching any kind of bottle at 4 and a half months, and pretty much carried on that way forever!

I worked full time, so he would then be attached to me constantly from about 4 in the afternoon until half past 7 the next morning.

Sorry, have rambled a bit! It's certainly doable if you can get a reasonable length break, and I would have thought you'd have been able to maintain breastfeeding the rest of the week.

Good luck, hope all works out!

Hi, I am in the same position and teach too. With my first baby I had a year off so it wasn't an issue. With DS2, I can only have 6 months
By then I would have thought a feed before you get into school would be fine, then express at lunchtime (playtime just won't work in reality!). If you can be home by 5/6pm do an evening feed, then perhaps one over night?? The expressed milk can then be used the next day for babies 10am feed???

On your days off just keep feeding...

I gradually moved some feeds over to formula which would be during the day when I was at work but expressed and froze the milk my DS wasn't drinking IYSWIM. That way I had a supply if expressing at work (primary school) didn't go well.

If you can express at the times when you would normally feed that would keep the pattern up for your non-working end of the week.

Best of luck, I was heartbroken going back but remember, your work place has a duty to provide you with a space in which to express and a fridge (not the one in the staffroom!) to store your milk. xxx

It can be done but get an electric pump and abandon any ideas of doing it in a 15 minute break!

I went back when DD was 8 months and was offered the nurses room to express in and the use of her medical fridge for storage.

It worked well though not ideal (I not only locked myself in, I also left the key in the back of the door - kids banging on the door and trying it to see if the nurse was in did throw me off a few times!).

Expressing during lunchtime suited me and the nurse as she went off to the staffroom for lunch. Generally, it would take me about 25 mins to do each side once I got into a routine of getting set up, etc.

However, I did go down one day and there was an ill pupil in there waiting to be picked up so I had to go away and come back later.

I did take marking in (though drips would be hard to explain!)and had my lunch too, which legally is not what it should be about but hey, ho...

The only reason I stopped expressing after a few weeks was because DD wouldn't take any of the damn milk at nursery! Didn't harm breastfeeding on my days off , though I think she does tend to make up for it at night.

Sorry, that should read "25 minutes to do both sides in total"

I did this. As other posters say it is do-able.
I did put my milk in the fridge in the staffroom and it was fine. It was common knowledge that I was expressing so nobody touched it.

I used to use the sensory room as it had a lockable door.