The return to work is the main reason for women stopping or reducing breastfeeding. Providing workplace support for breastfeeding mothers is low-cost and has benefits for the child, the mother and the business. Breastfeeding continues to be a ‘taboo’ topic and not everybody feels comfortable to start a conversation about potential support.
In the UK, breastfeeding mothers do not have a legal right to paid breastfeeding breaks, in contrast to most other (European) countries. However, by law, employers must provide a suitable space where breastfeeding employees can rest and lie down. It is still good practice to ask them if anything could be done at work to support continued breastfeeding (see below).
Did you know? The UK has the lowest exclusive breastfeeding rate at six months in the world (find out more here)!
Employers might therefore wrongly assume that their staff members stopped breastfeeding before their return to work. At the same time, breastfeeding mothers might not ask for support as they fear being judged or as they do not want to be a burden by asking for support. Women often stop breastfeeding before they return to work, as they assume there won’t be any workplace support available and fear it might be too stressful to continue without it. However, some parents may wish to breastfeed or express milk when they return to work after leave or attend a Keeping in Touch (KIT) or Shared Parental Leave in Touch (SPLIT) day, and it is good practice to discuss their support needs with them in advance.
Supportive Employer Practices
Breastfeeding can feel like a sensitive topic, but approaching it in a straightforward, supportive way helps normalise the conversation. It is completely okay to talk about breastfeeding or expressing milk at work; this is a normal part of life for many parents, and employers are increasingly aware of the need to support it.
Employers can be proactive in assuring their employees that relevant support can be put in place if needed. Ideally, this should include flexibility around breaks for breastfeeding or expressing, a private space, and a fridge for storing milk. Not everyone will need these arrangements but raising the topic can make the employee feel more comfortable in discussing their support needs. Even if the organisation does not have dedicated facilities, employers can consider creative solutions such as flexible hours or temporary privacy measures (e.g., room dividers or frosted window film on office windows and glass doors to increase privacy).
Making this information visible, for example, in a shared document or staff handbook, can help normalise these practices and encourage open conversations about feeding and returning to work.
“They are providing me with a space where I can express milk and I am planning on expressing as frequently as my son is feeding… the breaks will be all paid and I will be able to take as many as I want for as long as I need.” (Linda, Medium business employee)
What can employees do to help? Be proactive!If an employee needs to breastfeed or express milk when returning to work or during Keeping in Touch (KIT) or Shared Parental Leave in Touch (SPLIT) days, it can help to raise the topic with the manager in advance. It can be helpful to already make suggestions on realistic support measures (e.g. on how and where a suitable space for pumping could be created; how working hours could be adapted to support an existing feeding pattern).
Tip for Employees – Enquiring about breastfeeding shows you are planning ahead and helps normalise these conversations for others too. If you are unsure how to start, you could say something like this:
“I wanted to check what support is available for expressing milk when I return – do you have a suitable space or are there arrangements we could put in place?”
Remember, you’re not asking for a favour, you’re raising a practical need. Most employers will appreciate your openness and want to support you.
In case of concerns that the support request will be denied, it can be helpful to also discuss support needs with colleagues who might be affected by the request. Having their support can help to convince the manager that the request neither harms affected colleagues nor the business (see Life-Course Approach – link).
