‘Give mums paid breaks to breastfeed at work’. That’s the recommendation of a new report which blames the UK’s ‘unhelpful culture’ on the fact we have the worst breastfeeding rate in the world.
The World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative reckons mums who choose to breastfeed should be allowed breaks to either pump milk or pop out to breastfeed their baby over and above their official breaks.
I couldn’t agree more.
When Little B was just three months old an opportunity came up for me to work on the features desk of a national newspaper – one I had had my sights set on for years.
It couldn’t have come at a worse time, but it was one day a week at weekends and I was sure I could make it work.
It turned out I couldn’t. And all because I wanted to exclusively breastfeed.
It wasn’t that the newspaper in question wasn’t accommodating – the fact I needed breaks to pump milk was fine – but those ‘breaks’ (anyone who breastfeeds or pumps will tell you it’s tiring business) weren’t in addition to lunch and coffee breaks, they were instead of.
So in the end I gave it up, and here’s why.
Why I gave up my dream job to breastfeed
1. Sitting on a closed toilet seat to pump milk as fast as you can knowing your colleagues are all hard at a different kind of work is not conducive to the relaxed atmosphere needed to empty a boob.
2. Getting stressed about the fact everyone else is working while you’re not (except, of course, you are – you’re making your baby’s sole source of nourishment) means it takes even longer than it otherwise might to get the necessary milk out.
3. Spending all your official breaks pumping means you don’t actually get a break during the working day at all.
4. Not emptying your boobs properly owing to missing a pumping session due an ill-timed meeting or being in the wrong environment led, in my case, to a nasty bout of mastitis. Which, quite apart from meaning you’ll be off work, in pain, bed-bound and on antibiotics that will pass through your milk to your baby, doesn’t do anyone any favours.
5. Spending all week trying to pump enough milk to leave while I was at work (and extra, just in case) while at the same time giving my baby his normal feeds was exhausting and became so stressful and time-consuming it would keep me awake at night.
6. After a few months of this enough was enough. I didn’t need this job, I wanted it. And, of course, it wasn’t about me, it was about my baby.
So I decided to work from home until I stopped breastfeeding. I still write for the newspaper in question, just not from a desk at the beating heart of their busy London newsroom (I’m not bitter, honest!)
Could I have ‘had it all’ – my dream job and been able to breastfeed my baby – if I’d been able to take additional breaks to pump milk? I don’t know, but what I do know is it would have taken the pressure off.
The fact was that if I wanted to exclusively breastfeed my baby the best place for both of us was at home. How anyone manages to hold down a full-time job while exclusively breastfeeding is beyond me.
Of course this latest suggestion by the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative has been met with all manner of criticism.
Of course allowing breastfeeding mums extra breaks to pump or nurse during the working day is going to have an impact on a business, of course taking extra breaks is going to be easier to organise in an office environment than it is for cabin crew or someone working on a shop till and of course there are going to be those who say it’s not fair nursing women should be given extra time in order to do this (although frankly, the time a woman needs ‘off’ to breastfeed or pump during her career is nothing compared to the time smokers must accrue in breaks over the course of their career) but unless we do something then the fact that less than 1% of babies in the UK are breastfed until they’re one-year-old isn’t going to change.
We’re constantly being told ‘breast is best’ so stop telling us what we should be doing and help us to actually do it!
What do you think? Would you be happy if a colleague took extra breaks in order to pump milk or breastfeed her baby? Do you run a business and would nursing women taking extra breaks be a logistical nightmare? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Linking up with…
I 100% agree with you! I exclusively breastfed until 6mths and continued to breastfed everyday until they were 15mths, but I only managed to do it because I was a SAHM. I can’t imagine how hard it must be as a working mother. I HATED pumping – the amount of milk you get from it really does depend so much on how relaxed you’re feeling and what you’re thinking about (i.e. your baby rather than the stressful meeting coming up in a few minutes!) I totally get that none-breastfeeders will think it’s a con, but just think how much money the NHS could save if more babies were breastfed [insert long list of health benefits for mum and baby]. I hope businesses listen to this advice, but, in all honesty, I don’t think they will… #TheListLinky
I totally agree with you, I’m hopeless at expressing and would never be able to manage it on a toilet, I would have done the same x
You’re right. It;’s almost impossible to sustain breastfeeding while working. I’m at home and managed to successfully BF for 13 months but had I been working, there’s no way I would have been able to. The law here is ridiculous – it only allows for b/fing breaks at work up to 6 months but sure maternity leave for most is 6 months. It makes no sense. Needs to be extended. #TheListLinky
As a SAHM I didn’t have this issue but it must be very difficult to sustain breastfeeding while holding down a job, infact it would be near impossible!! #picknmix
well done mama, I’m sure it wasn’t an easy decision but you are doing your best for your baby. I’m currently a stay at home mum but if I was working I wouldn’t mind breastfeeding mums to get extra breaks to pump. I think we should all support mothers who wish to breastfeed their babies #thelinkylist
For what it’s worth, I think you did the right thing! Mums should just be at home until they are breastfeeding – it’s not just the fact that they need extra breaks to pump. Even if they had all the time they want, a beautiful room with relaxing sounds and beautiful pictures to look at (instead of a toilet cubicle), they are still missing one thing.. THE BABY! Expressing just isn’t the same. I always returned to work after 11 months or longer, but with my first 2 I was lucky to have them in nursery on site, so I could go at lunch time or take a break in the day and go and feed them. There’d be tears when I had to leave, but for my second one, who was lactose intolerant and couldn’t have normal formula or cow’s milk, it was a blessing. Well done you! #KCACOLS
Reading this I feel it could have been me writing it, I went through much the same and in the end left work with my third to run Coombe Mill where breastfeeding and working was possible. #KCACOLS
I bottle fed my first baby due to a c section (I simply couldn’t manage) but am determined to breastfeed on my second. Admittedly I’m very nervous because breastfeeding is not easy. I never imaginedid how hard it is for working mother’s with pumping. At the end of the day you do what is right for your baby. Congratulations on your decision but obviously more support is absolutely needed for mothers #kcacols
Thankfully I am not working, I was just expressing at home for 8 weeks (Piglet was being a pickle about the boob for a while – he likes it now haha) and I found that stressful enough – never mind doing it in the work place. The decision was obviously what was right for you, but it shouldnt have come down to an either/or situation for you. The proceedures should be in place to support breastfeeding mothers #kcacols
I agree wholeheartedly that breastfeeding mothers should be given all the support they need to be able to feed their baby. I didn’t breastfeed either of mine but that was partly due to the lack of support in the early hours. But well done you for managing!
Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next Sunday 🙂
I remember the struggles of expressing after Ella was born and having to ask for the medical room key so I could sit in there and pump before putting it in the communal fridge..and if I was working from another office it was a case of sitting on the loo lid and pumping. It wasn’t easy and I ended up giving up expressing quite soon. #kcacols
I think this should totally happen! And also a room to do it in and not a toilet! #KCACOLS xx
It’s a shame that you had to give up your job. It’s admirable that you chose to stick to breastfeeding over your dream job. Good on you.
My daughter is breastfed and won’t take a bottle. I am a lawyer and i take her to the office with me 3 times a week (we went full time for a while when she was a bit younger). If she wasn’t with me I’d have breaks to pump (in fact, we set up a private office so I could do so). So i know from personal experience that nursing women are NOT a logistical nightmare (at least in my occupation and, I expect, many office jobs). I love that you’ve written about this. I really wish more workplaces were flexible. Women can do amazing things, even with a baby on their boob!
I completely agree with this! I don’t believe those pumping/feeding breaks should be instead of actual breaks, that is ridiculous! Are cigarette breaks instead of lunch and coffee? They certainly never where in the places I have worked. You have to make the right decision for you and your family but often the work place doesn’t make it easy for you to make any other decision.
#KCACOLS
I breastfed my three babies until they were around 14 months each so I’m totally pro breastfeeding & would be delighted to see workplace initiatives that would allow women to pump. I agree we are told breast is best but at the same time there is very little support to help baby get that great milk! It’s great you are sharing your story & well done you for making a tough decision like that! Visiting from #KCACOLS x
Fantastic post, really enjoyed reading it. I am too a breastfeeding mum and my daughter has just turned 7 months old. I returned back to work last week (only 3 days a week may I add), but it doesn’t become very tiring having to pump as well as breastfeed her in the day. I wish I could just pack it in and stay at home, but unfortunately that isn’t an option for me! Many work places are completely oblivious to how time consuming pumping actually can be. Some women have even told me I must be mad returning back to work whilst still breastfeeding. Luckily my workplace are very supportive and let me take breaks whenever I need to to pump milk, but it still leaves me feeling guilty for leaving my colleagues stuck with tons of work. Thanks for sharing this. Laura xx #KCACOLS
I would absolutely support additional breaks for breastfeeding mothers to pump. It would really encourage women back into the workplace which is a short term ‘pain’ (on the companies part) for a long term gain. I went back to work after 13 months – my daughter was just about to turn 1. I had to stop breastfeeding her because I didn’t want the pressure of pumping at work in addition the pressures of getting away on time for pick-up. Plus I commute for an hour so wasn’t realistically going lug breastmilk back and forth.
Giving bf-ing mums extra makes might not improve bf-ing rates in the UK. But it certainly can’t make it worse! #KCACOLS
I certainly wouldn’t begrudge someone extra breaks to breastfeed, its so important that women are free to make the decision that is best for their family x #KCACOLS
You’ve really painted a very clear picture of the problems of working and expressing at the same time. I’ve read other posts before on this subject but it’s sunk in how hard it must be in practice. I was lucky to be a SAHM and now freelance from my home studio, but think your situation would have done me in long before you made your decision.
I’ve worked in national newspaper offices and know only too well the high octane buzz and sense of urgency and expectation. The mixed message that BFing is both ok and not at the same time is confusing and disingenuous. Good on you for bringing this to the forum. Jo x #KCACOLS
It really is impossible to express, especially with a deadline! I pumped for 3 weeks exclusively (due to bubbs having tongue tie) and ended up quitting as it was so frustrating! Attitudes and working conditions really do need a good shake up for breastfeeding rates to increase. #KCACOLS
I had planned to go back to work after 9 months but my little girl loves her milk so much. Even then I would have express. So I said I’ll go back after a year. It got to a year and I just couldn’t do it. Luckily it gave me the push in the right direction to turn self employed. I get the best of both worlds now. Even if it does mean staying up until late to get my work done!
#KCACOLS
Great post, I took a year off of work to make sure I could exclusively breastfeed for the first year. They shouldn’t have been making you pump in the loo, they should have supplied you with a clean, comfortable area! Well done for realising what was best for you and you family #KCACOLS
What a shame you had to leave your job because of this, I definitely think breastfeeding mums should get extra breaks to pump/feed. I’m a sahm so I don’t neEd to worry about this but I definitely would find it hard to put under such pressure, it’s hard enough to get milk out when I’m trying to pump in the relaxed atmosphere of my own home. I can’t believe how awful the UK breastfeeding rates are!xx #kcacols
Oh absolutely! I defineitly think we should be afforded additional breaks to pump. I fortunately didn’t have to face this as I didn’t end up going back to work but I worked in a very busy law firm and I can’t imagine any additional breaks would have gone down too well. Good for you for making the decision that was right for you and here’s hoping society and the working world will take heed of that report. #KCACOLS
Totally agree with you and I would have done exactly the same!! #KCACOLS
I totally agree with you, I think the current work culture in the UK isn’t conducive to breastfeeding at all! #KCACOLS
I went back to work part time when Ava was 7 months old. I found it awkward and embarrassing having to pump in the disabled toilet the only lockable room without a window. I also could only do it in my break times meaning I was eating my lunch at the same time, not ideal!
Thanks for linking to #PickNMix
I only fed for 5 months and didn’t go back to work till Charley was 12 months old so have no idea how you managed to work and exclusively breastfeed too.I can’t see what the issue is if you need to pump. No one times a man when they go to the toilet and i get they go far more times than you need to pump #KCACOLS
It is such a shame as breastfeeding is so important for your baby and I can see why you made the decision to quit. x #KCACOLS
I couldn’t agree more. It was a massive factor in me not returning to my teaching job and I don’t regret my decision at all. I am still breastfeeding at almost 23months and although there are nights when I wish I didn’t have to because I’m so tired, I am also grateful that it is a quick way to get my ‘non sleeper’ back to sleep quickly. I’d like to wean him off gradually but for now he looks forward to that time too much for me to force it. We are down to two breastfeeds now – one at bedtime and one very early morning. I certainly couldn’t have got through the first year of working and managed to breastfeed for this long. #kcacols
Ugh, it’s so blinkin’ hard isn’t it? I went back only 1-2 days a week with my first, but luckily could get away without pumping as he was on a mix of breast and formula anyway and was only a short work day. I did end up pumping at home though to ensure my boobs were drained and to keep up supply. I just couldn’t face doing it at work with no extra breaks. I did end up with plugged ducts various times though and have to say I was not a fan of pumping in general. The second time I am lucky enough to be at home and am still breast feeding at 9 months, but don’t think I’d be managing it if I was working outside the home. xx
#TheList
I’m breastfeeding my son who is now 16 months old. At 3 months I returned to work full time and pumped three times a day in the office. It was tiring and thankless and certainly added stress to my day! As an employee of a US company, I was entitled to time and a private place to pump each day (separate from my lunch hour) so it was more manageable, but still not easy to schedule around meetings and other demands. I was so lucky that at 8 months we relocated so I left that job and started working from home. I’ve hardly pumped since then and it was so much easier to maintain our breastfeeding relationship.
I’m totally with you. I find it ridiculous that we are put under so much pressure to breastfeed but then aren’t being helped to continue it when we return to work!
[…] figure is the lowest in world but this post isn’t about that – having given up my dream job to breastfeed I’ve written about why I think UK breastfeeding rates are so low before. It’s a […]