Does anyone's workplace have a policy about bfing mums and overnight stays?

[francesrivis]

My friend works for the environment agency and I believe they have a policy that says bfing mums do not have to do overnight stays. Just wondering whether this is incredibly enlightened of them or whether other workplaces have similar policies. I'm a bit fed up as my employer has just issued guidelines stating that anyone who spends 12 mths or more on maternity leave must go away for five days' retraining on returning to work. I'm only 5 weeks pg so it's very early days, but I am hoping to bf this LO for 2 years as I have done my DD1, and these guidelines do not take bfing into consideration. Any thoughts? TIA

Bumping and waiting for someone more knowledgeable to come along but I believe that as a bf mum you need a risk assessment when you return (they've not done mine yet ) and they need to ensure your job requirements don't put your bf at risk.

ours would be based on individual risk. our risk assessment covers both pregnancy and bfing mums.

I would, technically, have to do sleep overs on my return to work and be away from home for 26hrs but I would be able to negiotate this and although am not there yet, know that my manager would not expect this of me.

I am not an expert on this area. As others have said, it normally comes under health and safety. I suspect that they need to assist you with adjustments to avoid sex discrimination issues.

But (and please don't take this the wrong way) two years is still considered a long period to breast feed. When HR (or whoever) put the policy together, they may have simply assumed that mums who take a year will have finished breast feeding by the time they come back and so it wouldn't be an issue. Often policies don't allow for specific circumstances not because the employer is trying to be a pain in the arse, but because they simply have not identified the situation.

My advice would be, once you are getting to the stage in your pregnancy where your managers know and you are talking about detailed arrangements for your leave, raise this point directly. Just sit down and explain the issues. There may well be a compromise to be reached that works for everyone. It will also be a hell of a lot easier to discuss before you go off than from home. IME the discussions that are most likely to go wrong are the ones that take place over the email when an employee is about to come back. She often feels vulnerable and a bit sensitive, the manager feels out of his/her depth and put on the spot. Everyone is easier to misunderstand over email than face to face. Get your employers used to the question early - a year is a long lead in to sort out alternative arrangements, even the most disorganised employer should be able to!

Hope that helps. I am afraid it's not a very legal answer this time, but hopefully it's a practical suggestion.

My work wouldn't know a bfing policy if it slapped them in the face ! But I did tell my boss that I wouldn't be doing any overnights before DS was 6 months. If my travel is in this country and for a few nights, what I have done is to take DS and my mum with me and enjoy a bit of time away with her, she gets to spend a big chunk of time with him without being responsible for him at breakfast/bedtime/night, and when I was bfing it kept that issue to a minimum.

That said, I have travelled regularly overseas in the 2 years I was breastfeeding, for up to a week at a time, and managed to maintain my supply with no problems.

I agree with Ribena. Often not possible or practical to have a specific policy for lots of things - usually it comes out of a scenario happening several times and the organisation then coming to the realisation that a policy might be useful.

None of the organisations I've worked for or with have had one - its never been an issue, partly because regular lengthy overnight stays haven't been an issue either.

Have a reasonable discussion about your concerns at an early stage and try and work out a solution that will work for all of you. Proposing a possible solution yourself is always a good starting point I think.

Thanks all, I think I will do as Ribena says and discuss it with them when I'm ready to tell them I'm pregnant