Do you B/F and work?

[bubhub]

Just looking for anybody with experiences of breastfeeding whilst working - do you express at work, do you have an understanding boss who has created a private area for you to express and understands that you need time during the working day to do this. Or is your boss and pain in the butt and doesn't understand at all?

[bigglet]

Yes I do!! :smiliedance:

I am lucky that I have a private office so when I express I just shut my office door. My colleagues are mostly male and even though I am honest and open about what I am doing I think they are just happy to "leave me alone". I have a bar fridge in my office which I store my milk in - I don't think the rest of the staff would want my EBM in the staff tea room fridge! :p

I have had a few comments about expressing in my office (we are in the process of moving to open plan offices and I've requested a private office) and a few people have suggested expressing in the toilets!! :eek: Was not impressed by that at all as you can imagine!

Working mums can still breastfeed!!!

[Rhoxie]

I did whilst we were feeding yes :)
I expressed at work - twice per 8 hour shift
My boss was young and male and didn't have a clue so I printed off all of the 'breastfeeding and work' info from the ABA web site and told him exactly what I needed.

He provided me with access to a private office that I could use to express - except I'm a bit too social so I just used to express in the staff room so I could watch tv, eat my dinner and chat during my break. (expressing seemed to totally fascinate most of the young female staff members). The male staff members were pre warned my 'break times' and it was up to them to avoid the staff room if they were uncomfortable. lol ( I didn't care in the slightest - 3rd child - lost all shame years ago LOL ).

I expressed during my dinner break as well as taking another break later on to express again. My dinner break was unpaid and my other 'lactation' break was paid. I did not give them a choice with regards to paying me for the 2nd break. - They would either pay me for it or I wouldn't work ;) .

I wouldn't call my boss supportive or understanding but he did everything I needed him too and he was rarely around for my shift anyway. I also had access to a fridge, freezer, boiling water, sinks etc Other staff that I worked with were very supportive and understanding but had to be educated first as they were all young and no one they knew had ever had a baby/gone back to work/ expressed milk etc.

[*Chels*]

When I went back to work not long ago I was just doing 2 6hour shifts a week.My boss and supervisor were both great.I started at 11am,would feed Riley before I left and always had a break at 2pm so Riley would come down to work so I could feed him.And they always made sure I ate too so my milk wouldnt diminish.
It was great but sadly I had to quit work coz of my stupid MIL!

[Mariposa]

i was very lucky also. with dd1 i went back to work when she was just over 2weeks old. they were desperate, and so was i. i was able to take dd1 with me for the whole hours that i worked, she was in a rocker, and whenever i needed to feed her, i just went into a spare room and was able to.

with dd2, i went back to work when she was 6mths old. i also got to take her with me, but she was more active, so my mum who lives down the road from my work looked after her, and i was allowed to leave anytime to go and feed her.

with dd3, ive actually resigned. i have said i would help out if anyone was to go on hols or was sick. but i did go in when she was a few days old, and got to feed her whenever.

having said all that, i do miss my job, and the ppl i worked with, but i love being a SAHM now. but if i ever want to go back, they will always give me my position back. now thats a great place :D

[SAMum]

Yes I work 6 hours a day 5 days a week, I express once a day, there is an unused office at my work that no-one goes into so I just told my boss I was going to use it for expressing! I have a little cooler bag that I put the EBM into and then it just goes into our tea room fridge, but it's not like you can see it or anything. My boss is happy for me to do it but doesn't want to know all about it! Bub is 12 weeks old now (been back at work for 2 weeks) and its working pretty well. hubby gives him the bottle of EBM in the mid afternoon and I BF all other feeds when I am at home.

[Goosie22]

Yes, I've worked and continued to breastfeed. My employer is bound by law to provide women time to pump or breastfeed. I returned to work after 12 months maternity leave so I didnt need to pump quite as often as some who return earlier.

Where I work there is ample room to pump, however I never considered privacy a requirement, but there is a room fitted out for those who require privacy. It is considered normal to breastfeed in my work environment and babies are often brought to work for feeds during work hours.

[zenifa]

Yes I breastfeed and I've returned to part time work. Luckily my boss and work environment is family friendly, so time and private space is given to me so I can express. The majority of employees are part time with young children, so they are understanding, although the business of our work can make it tricky to sneak off to express. As my DD was 10.5mths when I returned to work I only needed to express once per day at work, time taken could be up to half an hour & was in addition to my half hour lunch break. The time allowed and appropriate place to express was a huge consideration in returning to work, as I didn't want to stop bf until my DD self weans.

[Goosie22]

This is the Breastfeeding (http://www.workplace.gov.au/workplace/Category/SchemesInitiatives/WorkFamily/Breastfeedingintheworkplace.htm) in the work force page from the QLD government.

[bigglet]

Thanks for that Goosie - my workplace is changing to open plan offices and it's good to know that the employer has to have some facilities viable for me. I am worried about the lack of private facilities available in my workplace - the only place I could think of if I didn't have privacy was going to my car to do it!

[Goosie22]

I did it in the lunch room, while I had a cuppa that way you still get to have a convo with your friends and not be alone. Is that available to you? I have very supportive work place, though I would have still pumped there even if it caused a problem.

I think its mcuh less offensive than watching some people eat their lunches.

[bubhub]

Is there anybody from Sydney who manages to feed in corporate offices, etc?

[H&B'sMum]

I work in a child care centre and when I went back to work DS was at the same centre for a few weeks. I was able to go and b/f him during my lunch break which was great. When he moved to another centre, I would express at lunchtime. Sometimes this was down in the laundry but it was private and I didn't care really. I stored in a littel coller bag in the staff room fridge. I was very open about it and even when b/f DS into front of the staff I wasn't embarrassed in fact I was proud to still be b/f.

[bubhub]

Is there anybody from Sydney who manages to feed in corporate offices, etc?


There must be somebody out there??

[Merlion]

I went back to work part-time when Jess was 7 months old. Four hours a day (4-8pm) 3 days a week. I used to feed her before I left at 3pm had a quick express in the privacy of the longue at work around 6pm put it in a cooler bag and chucked in the fridge and fed her when i got home at 9pm sometimes my boobs were so sore I was leaking everywhere by the time bubs got to the boob

[jaydensmum]

Im looking at going back to work part time in a hospital and was wondering the same thing. Did any of you feel uncomfortable about expressing your milk at work? Are any of you working in a hospital environment? Does your boobs fill full at work at all? Im so worried when i do go back if ill still be able to bf!! :yes:

jaydensmum

[Goosie22]

I think its a personal thing regarding comfort and expressing, IMO if you are doing it to continue to provide your baby with the benifits given through breastmilk then its a small price to pay, and after you have done it once you probably wont think about again.

Does your hospital cater for maternity or children? If they do, then you would have access to an electric pump and attachments pre sterilised by the kindly sterilising departmenent and probably a nice comfy private expressing area, set aside for mums and used frequently by breastfeeding staff.