Breastfeeding - can they make me travel?

[girlwiththecherrytattoo]

Hello, am due to return to work in 2 months, I am BFing dd who will then be 9months. I need to go to London (am far up north) sometimes for work,which means at least one night away. This would be a problem for BFing DD who is still feeding a lot at night and would cause her a lot of distress. Can they make me go?

I think you're protected until the baby is 6 months old, but am not a lawyer. Had a similar situation when baby was 3-4 months and was expected to travel.....

Can you express. Its only 1 night?

The HSE obligations on employers and new mothers apply until the baby is 6 months or whilst you are breastfeeding. However the H&S obligations are more to do with carrying out risk assessments and making alterations if you work with lead, mercury, etc etc. Even the guidelines about providing somewhere private to express and store milk are just guidelines. If you are still breastfeeding on return to work it's a good idea to tell them in writing so then they are forced to carry out a risk assessment and its a good opportunity to raise the travel point, see if they are willing to reduce it.

In your case it's going to be all about what is reasonable in the context of also doing your job. It's worth talking to your employer about whether the trips to London and overnight stays are really necessary, can be reduced, to what extent teleconferences etc would work instead (not knowing your job I don't know) - after all it is in their interest to save costs of travel and accommodation as well where necessary.

If your job does require you to travel though then I think you're just going to have to express (which will you be doing during the day anyway or will your DD not have any milk during the day?).

Do remember that it is two months away so you have two months to get her used to taking the bottle if she's not, or she may need less milk at night (which you may want to see if you can achieve anyway if you'll be going back to work and don't want to be getting up in the night).

I had a risk asessment done on returning to work as I was breastfeeding.

In looking at the risks I identified that being apart overnight would not be suitable because it would possibly damage milk supply, baby still had frequent night feeds and didn't take any bottles.

My work were fine with that - my job has no travel but the option of night shifts. It may be worth discussing with them, as they may be quite understanding. They may not of course - in which case come back

This would be something to raise with them. If you want to avoid expressing you can try and raise it as a flexible working request - if only one for a limited period. However if the job does require the travel I think it is reasonable of your employer to refuse.

The legal position is, I believe, secondary to the impact of refusing to travel might have on your career. Do you want to be treated with kid gloves, or as an equal to your colleagues?

I had to travel when DS1 was 10 months, having put it off as long as I could.

He never settled for the night without me, and was still waking up. However, when I wasn't there, he was fine - he drank the EBM that DH gave him and slept through! I, OTOH, had painful boobs and had to express when I was away.

There was no harm done to our breastfeeding relationship.

I had this situation once when DS1 was c. 4 months old, DH and DS1 ctually came with me and we stayed in a cheap room together, DH looked after DS during the day and I fed like a demon whenever I saw them. Of course we couldn't have done it on a regular basis, and it helped a lot that DH's sister was living in the town where we went so he could call it a visit ... Suppose it depends on frequency, it's not something you could afford to make a habit of.

Generally I expressed milk before the trip and froze it, and DS1 took it from a kind of beaker (not a bottle, funnily enough). I also had to express while I was away, to keep the supply going, but I had to chuck the milk down the sink as there was no satisfactory way of storing it in a hotel and transporting it back home. Can't tell you what I felt about that!

So DS was still getting breast milk ... which was the main thing. Missing him was just something I had to put up with. Good luck.

... and I guess could have refused but ... I had a job to do.

I'm in the same situation. I have asked for a risk assessment as I am suffering from PND and my G.P has written to my employer advising them that to prevent me from breastfeeding is a risk to my health i.e it would be detrimental to my mental health. I returned to work in February and I am still waiting for the risk assessment findings. In the meantime I have taken out a grievance. I would be really grateful if anyone has any insite into the legal situation here.

Do you have any idea when your first trip will be?

why did you return to work if you are unfit to work?

rn, was that the the OP or to Lilac?

Why do most mums return to work? We need my income, it's as simple as that. ( OP?)
I think we are asking for help, here, or at least something constructive. Thanks.

to lilac.