Many mothers continue to breastfeed when they go back to work after maternity leave.
Returning to work can feel overwhelming. Work and family life can be hard to balance.
But there are many breastfeeding support systems for staff returning to work after maternity leave. Planning ahead and talking to other breastfeeding mothers can help you prepare.
Breastfeeding when returning to work
There are lots of ways to carry on breastfeeding when you return to work. This depends on your baby's age, how often they feed and your work schedule.
If you work day shifts, you can breastfeed in the mornings and evenings. You can then express milk during the day or in the evening.
Your childminder or crèche can give the expressed milk from a cup or beaker while you are at work. Many mothers choose crèches near to their workplace where they can drop in for feeds.
If breast milk is not available, you might consider adding in formula feeds. That way your childminder or creche can give your baby enough feeds.
Expressing breast milk
Planning ahead will help you continue breastfeeding when you go back to work.
Start giving your baby an occasional feed of expressed breast milk from about 6 weeks onwards. This will help you become comfortable with expressing your breast milk.
Parents often use a bottle to give expressed breast milk to their baby.
If possible, ask your partner or another family member to give these feeds. This will help your baby get used to taking breast milk from someone else.
Paced bottle feeding may help a breastfed baby to take a bottle.
Your baby will still get the same health benefits from expressed breast milk as they will from direct breastfeeding.
A month before you return to work
Begin to introduce an occasional feed of expressed breast milk. Use a cup or bottle for these feeds.
Practise expressing and preparing feeds. You may want to freeze expressed breast milk so you can build up a stock for when you return to work.
2 weeks before you return to work
Try out a trial run of your work day. This can help you identify any challenges and solutions.
Begin leaving your baby with your childminder or crèche for short periods to help them get to know each other. You can give expressed breast milk to the person looking after your child.
When you give expressed milk to your childminder, store the milk in smaller batches to avoid discarding. Use a slow flow teat and encourage paced feeding.
Feed your baby before leaving your home. Ask your childminder or crèche to give a small feed during the last hour before your baby goes home. Then you can breastfeed your baby as soon as you arrive.
Ask our breastfeeding experts
When back at work
You may need to express milk during the day when you go back to work. This will help maintain your milk supply and relieve breast fullness (engorgement).
If you decide to express breast milk while at work, make a plan for how you are going to pump and store the milk. For example, you can store your breast milk in a fridge at your workplace or in a cooler bag with ice packs.
Have breast pads and an extra top in case of milk leakage. Wear 2-piece outfits to make milk expression easy. Have a jacket handy to cover up if needed. Patterned or dark-coloured tops will hide leakage.
Accept all offers of help, especially during the early days of returning to work. It may help to make a gradual transition to your work routine. For example, you could work shorter hours at first.
Try to continue breastfeeding at night as much as possible. This helps you to keep producing milk.
Breastfeeding at work
Contact your employer in writing to let them know you plan to breastfeed at work. Do this at least 4 weeks before you return.
This gives your employer enough time to provide a private space for expressing and storing facilities, if not already in place.
You are entitled to breastfeeding breaks during work hours. You may be asked by your employer to provide a copy of your child’s birth certificate or another document confirming their date of birth.
Breastfeeding breaks and support
Talk to your employer about breastfeeding breaks. Ask them how they can help you to continue breastfeeding.
It may be possible to breastfeed your baby if there is an onsite creche at work or your childminder is available nearby.
If you choose not to breastfeed while you're at work, your milk supply may reduce as it adapts to the change in demand.
Concern about your breast milk supply
Legal entitlements for breastfeeding
In Ireland, you are entitled to breastfeeding breaks at work up until your child's 2nd birthday.
You can take up to 1 hour (with pay) for an 8-hour working day.
This time can be taken as:
- one 60-minute break
- two 30-minute breaks
- three 20-minute breaks
You are entitled to have your normal rest breaks as well. Your employer cannot deduct pay for the time you took on a breastfeeding break.
For longer shifts, you are entitled to additional breastfeeding breaks. For example, you can take 1.5 hours (with pay) for a 12-hour shift.
Part-time workers are also entitled to breastfeeding breaks. This is calculated on a pro-rata basis (proportionate to the breaks you would get if you worked full-time).
At the choice of your employer, you are entitled to either:
- breastfeed or express breast milk where suitable facilities are available in your workplace
- have your working hours reduced (without loss of pay) to allow for breastfeeding - if suitable facilities are not available
Breastfeeding and work - citizensinformation.ie
How often to express when you return to work
To keep up your breastmilk supply, try to express as often as you would feed your baby.
When breastmilk is not regularly removed from your breasts, it may lead to:
- blocked ducts
- mastitis
- reduced breastmilk supply
Do not have a break of more than 8 hours from expressing or feeding.