You don’t have to stop breastfeeding just because you’re returning to work. Find out about breastfeeding and working - information from the Ministry of Health.
Returning to work
Many mums go back to work and keep breastfeeding their babies. You can continue to breastfeed by:
Expressing and storing breast milk so that someone else can feed your baby
having your baby looked after near your work, so that you can go and feed them
having your baby with you at work
having someone bring your baby to you at work for feeds.
Talk to your whānau and friends to see how they can help. Your midwife or nurse can give you advice.
Talk to your employer
As soon as you know you’ll be returning to work, talk to your employer about breastfeeding. (You could even do this when you’re planning maternity leave.) By law, your employer must give you unpaid breaks to breastfeed your baby or express milk at work, and must provide you with facilities to do this.
Explain to your employer that to breastfeed you’ll need a:
clean, quiet, warm and private room or space
low, comfortable chair.
Explain that to express breast milk you may also need a:
private room with a door that can be locked (if possible) – you can put a ‘busy’ sign on the door if the room can’t be locked
basin to wash your hands and equipment
fridge in which to store the milk, or a chilly bin with ice-packs
table
power point if you’re using an electric breast pump
