Any vet nurses or vets out there? Question about going back to work while breastfeeding.

[Cydonia]

Hi, I had my first DC in May and will be going back to work in February part time. I had thought I'd have stopped breastfeeding by now, but DS is allergic to cow's milk so it's looking like I will still be breastfeeding when I go back. Even if he takes to the hypoallergenic formula I think he will still be having at least two breast feeds a day.

My concern is about the safety of doing this while working with anaesthetics and other drugs. Has anyone else working as a vet nurse or vet looked into the risks involved? Or am I being over cautious?!

I think I will contact the BVNA for the official line on this but just wondered what other people have done.

might be worth contacting the Breast feeding network as well

Hi, I'm a head nurse and one if our nurses came back whilst bf. I rang the royal college. They said that as long as you weren't exposed to high levels of GA gas there was very little risk- we went with if you could smell it then the nurse got someone else in. Also she never re-filled it.
When dispensing, normal health and safety- ie wear gloves.
Our biggest thing was not putting the nurse in a situation were she might get scratched/bitten as then abx become a bit of an issue.

Thanks Abigail, I've been trawling the Internet but haven't been able to find anything specific. I'll speak to work and if they're not helpful I'll ring the RCVS or BVNA myself.

Well good luck!! Very impressed you are going back to work while still bf. I think I'm going to be in the same boat. I'm due back in April, currently in the negotiation stages, and my DS will take a bottle but of BM only!! Anything that might remotely have been once powder he throws a hissy fit! so am a little apprehensive about how it's going to work- I've never been that good at expressing, but guess in just going to have to get better!! Stay in touch and let me know how you get on xxx

Thanks, I hadn't really planned it this way but can't see me stopping just yet. Luckily he does take a bottle, and he did have some of his new formula yesterday no problem. I also struggle with expressing, I was advised to do it more often and for longer to trick boobs into producing more milk. Not sure if it works though as I never have chance to express more than once or twice a day!

Not a vet or vet nurse but just to say that I went back to work when dd was 11 months and managed to carry on breastfeeding until she was over 2.

For the first few months I did morning before I left for work, there was an expressed cup for afternoon milk and the I would do her bedtime. Just before I went to bed I would express the next days cup worth. After a few months I dropped the expressed cup (as it was a right hassle and she often didn't drink it) but we carried on with the two feeds until after her 2nd birthday.

I particularly liked the morning one where I would get an extra doze in bed with her while feeding.

That's good to know, did you have to express at work at all? That's what I'm not looking forward too, but thinking that I don't usually get very full so might be ok. My worry then was that my supply would dwindle, although only going back 2 days to start with so can feed as normal the rest of the time.

Cydonia, if your DS takes a bottle I would go with that in the days you are working and unless you feel very uncomfortable don't bother to express - is a lot of hassle TBH -then just feed as normal the other days - I went back to work at the same kind of age and only expressed if I was working long days and then only till DS was 1 - carried on BF for ages

Thanks, will hopefully be ok then. Been trying him with the hypoallergenic formula this week, he's not really keen. Which is a pain as I'm still struggling with expressing. Twice this week I've expressed thinking I had ages til his next feed and he's decided he wants milk straight after then gets mad that there's none left! Gah!

I didn't express at work at all.

When she was about 18months she started refusing / spitting out from the right breast (whilst still happily guzzling from the left) so I think the supply had started dwindling there. I started trying to express from it to get the supply back but she wouldn't take it at all so after a week or so I let it go.

I figured she was probably close to stopping by that point. 9 months(!) of one breasted feeding later we finally stopped. With hindsight I would have tried harder to keep that side going as it was a bit strange but I didn't and it didn't seem to matter too much.

Remember that breastfeeding mothers enjoy special protection at work. Among other things, your employer has to provide a safe, clean, private place for you to express milk (if this is at all possible) and also owes you an extra duty of care in relation to H&S.

So, if it turns out there are risks to you associated with working with particular drugs, your employer would have an obligation to make reasonable adjustments to avoid you coming into contact with them (again, if this is reasonably practicable in the circumstances).