Workplaces going to be urged for private Breastfeeding areas

[HermyaAndThePomBears]

Here!

The government are going to give mothers the right to Brestfeed at work.

I don't know about anybody else, but I think this is great news.

Laydee -that's how any sensible business minded employer would treat a valued member of staff

[ Now expecting a lot of ridiculous posts saying I am a brain surgeon / tightrope walker/ lap dancer, are you suggesting I take my baby to work???]

Sigh

oh the bitterness in some of the letters on Womans Hour - some of them were basically saying ' i didn't get on with breastfeeding, so i fail to see why it should be made easier for anyone else'

Isn't the easiest thing just not to go back to work until you're BFing less.

I always thought that 9 months off seemed a manageable time to have off work. Though I BF my two until they were 1, I didn't feed them much during the day after 9 months.

Saying that, I did carry on working when the second one was very little, doing the odd site visit (I work in construction) and never found it an issue talking to a builder while BFing the baby. We live in a place where BFing is the norm.

yes it might be easier, but not everyone can afford/ wants to take the full parental leave / career break

as you say civil, when bf becomes the norm again it wont seem such a big deal for people

I don't think would go down well at my work, we have a small staffroom and I don't think it would be fair to make it smaller to supply a private room for 1 or 2 people to express milk. I think if you choose to go back to work you can't really expect your employer to give you a room to yourself to express milk, especially if you've had a good maternity package. Mine went onto bottles when I went back to work, the thought of expressing milk in a room next to where my colleagues were working would have horrified me!

Civil - part of the reason this is being brought in is to enable dads to take part of the parental leave, which i think is great. We would have loved to go halves on my leave.

Jo- doesn't necessarily need to be just for you - I will be using the first aid room at our place, which is already there, they just fitted a blind and a lock for me. We've just agreed that if anyone needs it, they just knock, no problem.

Bit daft about not wanting to express in the same building - I assume you go to the loo at work?

fgs. Why in one of these discussions does someone always say that these changes shouldn't be brought in because it will make them feel guilty that they didn't/couldn't bf or that they didn't/couldn't do it for longer.

You never get anyone going on about how the 5-a-day campaign for fruit and veg is a bad idea because their children won't eat veg!
I find it very hard to get ds3 to eat veg but it doesn't mean I think other mothers shouldn't try to get it into their dc's to save my feeling!

yeah, because your my " hurt feelings" are more important than your kids health

sophie - bad, bad mumsnet etiquette, sorry.

You ask Mumsnet towers and if they think it's ok, the request then goes out.

Good point Chipmunk :)

:( that a few still feel uncomfortable with BF/expressing at work - a reflection on how then UK does not have a BF culture, that some women still feel uncomfortable or about the fact they BF and somehow feel it has to be somethink kept quiet about in a work environment, rather than just a natural part of being a parent

Those Mums who do BF/express at work will make it easier for the next woman, as the precendent has already been set :)

Our quiet room/spare office/cupboard was used for all kinds of purposes:

Bfing/Expressing/for sick staff to have a lie down/for Muslim staff to pray during Ramadam - we all happily coexisted and accomodated each other rather than getting hung up or

Quite, CM Ds1 couldn't BF. And? Swapping him to formula quite likely saved his life as he ahd an undiagnosed problem, and we couldn;t get help (11 tomorrow- problems over milleenium, great timing, no HV or anyone willing to come out).

I don't feel guilty, not in the least. you does yer best for the kid you have: and what that is varies. I went on to extended breastfeed not ebcuase I was better in any way but because I ahd a different baby. that's life.

And stuff earlier about people feeling unvomfortable themselves BF'ing in tehir office- woudln;t that only be relevant if one as forced to do it? giving options wildly different than forcing them, and forcing people not to have the option every bit as bad as forcing someone to express. Would I have done it, working in a male dominated parochial haulage firm? probably not, tbh. Why would that mean anything to what anybody else woudl choose?

I'm a great fan of BF when it works for the family unit, and indeed of FF when that's what works. most of all I am a fan of people being given the tools needed to enable them to follow through their choices. Especially when some kids are likely to benefit more than others- ds4 has a high risk of allergies, autism, has intolernaces- enough for it to be worth me finding ways to breastfeed for as long as I can. Whether that's 3 months or 3 years, the key being as long as I can.

There is some sort of legal right to breastfeed on return to work at the moment, but it isn't particularly clear. Maternity Action has an information sheet on it which is pretty good.

It would be better if the Government made the law clearer AND supported employers to do the right thing.

tiktok (and others)

Sorry for the delay in responding, and for being rather self-indulgent in my post. It was rather self-pitying

I completely agree with you that my experience shouldn't mean that others should be prevented from having access to facilities at work. I support any legislation enabling those who choose to express to do so in private. I wouldn't have wanted to with DD1 but may feel differently this time around (25wks!!)

However, Bf'ing is a very hormonal issue and experiences differ for everyone and good on those who never take the situation to heart. I simply wanted to point out that not everyone wants to do it, or can do it. That doesn't mean I don't support legislation giving others rights to do so.

As for bringing children in to the workplace proper (by this I mean your office/shop floor rather than a dedicated feeding/caring area)... well flame me if you must but I don't think it's acceptable even on a KIT day. If you want to be paid the same as someone else, give the job the same attention as someone else.

I think the appropriateness of bringing children into work completely depends on:

a What the workplace is and whether having children there would be a H&S issue
b Whether it would disrupt or disturb other staff
c Whether the workplace public liability insurance would cover the company, if for example the child fell over and got injured

I've worked in an environment for years where staff often bring their kids in if their childcare fails during school holidays. The children just sit quietly and do work/sit on a computer for a while.

As a manager I would always agree to this as I would rather have the team member in work than having to take a day's leave unneccessarily.If the child was disruptive however, I would ask that they remove them.

We even had a Board member bring his son in once, as the Board meeting was late afternoon and otherwise the Board member would not have been able to attend.

I think all mine have been into work with me at some point, either on the breast or sitting in the corner doing something quietly

My sister used to take her daughter to work everyday during school hols, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to work.She worked in an art gallery and visitors used to love meeting her five year old (she also took her in as a baby to BF her - this was 18 years ago as my neice is at Uni now)

Public liability insurance should cover having minors in the building.

There would be some environments it wouldn't be appropriate, for example in busy industrial environments where there is machinery operating etc

Its a judgement call really on the part of the manager of that workplace

...a judgement call on whether kids should be allowed into the workplace that is.

The guidance around supporting BF and PG Mums is different as it stems from equalities legislation and ensuring that women are able to stay in jobs and not be discriminated against once they have children and it is great that it is place, to support Mums in BF when they return to work :)

Totally a judgement call.

I have a friend who is a school librarian. She worked part time when her baby was small, and took him to work. She bf him there. The older kids used to love taking him for walks in the pram at break time and lunch time. It was an easy going, small school - probably would not have happened in a different place.

msbossy - glad you clarified :)

as a non bf mum, can I have a room set aside plus fridge for me? i wouldnt employ any woman of child bearing age,however well qualified,too much hassle.

But why would you be preparing formula milk at work, fallon? The fridge is for the ebm expressed at work, to help keep it cool.

Your attitude towards women as employees is shocking, and if you are an employer, I hope someone takes you to court for it.

Amazed they have computers in the century you've escaped from Fallon. Lovely.

All this fuss about women being "allowed" to feed their children the way nature intended. Totally pathetic. Fallon8 - I suppose you're one of the myriad of so-called employers who care about nothing except bums on seats and money in the coffers. Sad.

I have worked for my boss for 14 years and have had 3 lots of ML with her and have expressed for about 6 months going back after each baby. Luckily my bosss recognises that I am good at my job and that many patients still want to see me as they have asked when I will be back from ML. So I reckon she thinks I am worth the "hassle", fallon Depressing that other women can be every bit as sexist as men.

IME ChipMonkey female bosses can be much much worse in this respect - two of mine have been utter cows. So much for "the Sisterhood".

I am all for enabling women to express (or feed their baby if the child carer is able to bring the baby to them - can't imagine this being practical in many cases though). This can happen through providing appropriate time/space

But that's a different issue from bringing babies or children into the work place though. If you're being paid to do a job, it's not reasonable to be simultaneously looking after children - not fair on anyone.