Although breastfeeding parents are ‘entitled to more frequent breaks’ when returning to work (hse.gov.uk), the ‘law does not currently allow a simple, straightforward right to breastfeeding breaks’ (maternityaction.org.uk).
Mothers go back to work at different stages of their child’s life for different reasons. Although maternity leave allows you 52 weeks out of work, statutory maternity pay is only paid for 39 weeks.
I returned to work when my maternity pay would stop, when my son Rory was 9 months old. Luckily by this point he began o take milk from a bottle. If he hadn't, I would have had to delay my return to work but in the current climate of inflation, this would have been a difficult decision.
The NHS advise that ‘you’ll probably need to express your breast milk at least every 3 hours when your first away from you baby’ (NHS.uk). For me, this took around 30 minutes each time. My feeding/pumping on an average day would look like this:
Morning feed between 6-7
Pump 10am (at work)
Pump 2pm (at work)
Feed 5-6pm
Bedtime feed 7pm
By the time of my pumping breaks, especially earlier in the year, I would begin to be uncomfortable. My back would hurt, and my breasts would be full and sore. I was so grateful that I was able to take a break. If I had to wait until lunch time, it would have caused a great deal of discomfort and a risk of mastitis.
I understand that some employers and employees can come to an agreement of using their lunch breaks etc. If that works for them that’s great. However, employees by law are only entitled to have a ’20-minute rest break during their working day, if they work more than 6 hours a day’. If you follow the NHS advice above, one may not be enough throughout their whole working day. Additionally, I imagine employees would, while pumping, struggle to eat their lunch, grab a drink and go to the toilet all in 20 minutes.
Where they can, breastfeeding mothers are trying to use their existing breaks, but there are some circumstances where they may need extra breaks to avoid health complications.
Some mothers are having to bring their breastfeeding journey to an end.
The law requires an employer to provide a ‘suitable area where they can rest. It should include somewhere to lie down, if necessary, be hygienic and private so they can express milk if they choose to – toilets are not a suitable place for this and include somewhere to store their milk e.g. a fridge’ (hse.gov.uk). However, some mums have reported that they are struggling with this.
While it is nice to see that some people have had some positive experiences, most responses sadly show that people have been or are struggling. It shows the need for legislation to be passed that provides statutory rights and safeguards them.
Having this in place has the potential to save the taxpayer, the NHS and employers money from decreasing the real risk of health complications that people are currently exposed to.
‘The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding for up to 2 years’ (nhs.uk). Although the NHS advice is there, it does not have any weight unless it has some statutory backing when mums return to work
By providing accommodations for breastfeeding mothers, employers can improve the health and well-bring of their employees, increase job satisfaction and retention rates, and promote gender equality in the workplace. It would encourage breastfeeding mums to go back to the workplace making it easier for them to succeed an advance in their careers. It sends a message that they value their employees and care about their well-being.
Let’s come together to help change this by signing the petition. To enable breastfeeding parents to continue their breastfeeding journey without having to fight for it.
If you would like to sign the petition click here:
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/636160?fbclid=IwAR3q9yr27ryySFD3sWfXSVigzD3vb3a2-OHtIGIOqcsMUXcIvZ4L5YPVdJ0
We would love to hear your stories on this topic. If you would like to share your experiences with us, please comment below.