Breastfeeding in the Workplace

Your right to breastfeed in the workplace

Continuing to breastfeed while you are working will provide many benefits for you and your baby. There are amazing health benefits for both of you and the specific irreplaceable immune factors in breastmilk will help to keep your baby’s immune system strong.

Breastfeeding will also support the bond you have with your baby when you are not together and will provide comfort, connection and security.

Gain support from your whānau

Combining breastfeeding/mothering and work can be a challenge that needs some careful thought and pre planning to ensure it is successful and enjoyable for everyone.

The support that whānau can give will help a mother to continue to breastfeed while working which has many benefits for everyone’s health and wellbeing.

Some of the ways that support can be given are:

• Some time before mum starts work talk together as whānau to consider the options and work out how your whānau can make this work.
• Recognise that there will be adjustment time for everybody when mum returns to work.
• Think of ways that whānau and friends can help such as:
  • looking after baby while mum is at work
  • taking baby to mum at work to breastfeed
  • dropping and picking up baby from childcare
  • taking care of the household jobs such as cleaning, cooking and shopping so mum can spend time with baby

For more information about how to support a breastfeeding mum check out the section Family & whānau: Good things to know.

Allow for time to adjust

So you and your baby can get used to being separated when you return to work. While you and baby are adjusting try to spend as much time as possible with baby when you are not at work. With support from others this is a good time to respond freely to your and baby’s breastfeeding needs which will also help you both to adjust to the change.

“When I’m home with her on the weekend, we feed on-demand and she does feed much more often…” (Maggie, 2016)

Because breastfeeding is much more than food and nutrition baby may request more feeds than usual as he/she makes up for the missed breastfeeding times when you were at work.

This is termed ‘reverse cycling’ and is a normal part of the adjustment period. If a baby can be supported to feed more when you are together then he/she may not need as much expressed breastmilk from the caregiver when you are at work.

There may be other challenges that come up along the way as your and baby needs change.

If you feel that you need more information or simply want to talk through any issues please contact Kelly at the Canterbury Breastfeeding Advocacy Service.