Help! Suspension on health and safety grounds for breastfeeding...

Jo_R_2

Hi all!

Here's one to fox you... I just started back at work in the New Year after maternity leave. DD2 is six months old and at nursery three days, and with my parents the fourth, and I am with her the other day (I work four days.)

I am breastfeeding as I did with my first, but trying to maintain this is difficult. There's nowhere to express (and believe me I mean nowhere!), so going down the health and safety route I've had a risk assessment, and me and my manager (who I should say is very supportive) worked out that I could shorten my working day by finishing earlier, thus cutting out the need for a later afternoon bottle at nursery by being able to feed her myself. We also discussed a shorter day on a Thursday or taking that day off completely.

However, just finishing my second full week I am realising already that this is still not working. I simply cannot express enough over the course of a week to provide two bottles of milk for the days I am away from her, and thus I have had to stay at home last Friday and again today. I am pushed to leave one bottle for her really on any day I am away from her. I had a huge stash of milk that I started freezing well before I returned to work but because she is having so much I have used it all up already.

I have explored the other options available, but I can't seem to find anything that fits. I travel the county with work so being able to pop back to DD2 during the day is out of the question, as is anyone being able to bring her to me. There is no alternative role I can do available. I am really looking down the route of being suspended from work for a short period until DD2 needs less milk whilst being cared for. I have spoken to the infant feeding co-ordinator at the local hospital who has advised me that in a couple of months, DD's requirements will have dropped, so I am wondering if a suspension for a couple of months may be the only way left as I simply can't see anything else to do. I "reverse-cycled" with DD1 when I had the same problem, fulfilling her milk needs by waking her at night which I don't want to do again.

The co-ordinator also said that although the suspension is an option, she does not know of a case in which it has happened. I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on what I could do, anything I might have missed, or if anyone knows of a case where this has happened? My manager has spoken about this as an option but I am worried about discussing it as I feel I am askin so much already, even though I know I am entitled to it if the need arises.

All thoughts appreciated!

Crispy_Ambulance

Or if you are struggling to express enough, could she have formula while she is at nursery and you continue to feed her the rest of the time? Breastfeeding is established by now, so your supply should be able to sort itself out if you feed more on some days and less on others.

msmicawber

Hi, I'm not sure about the work/suspension side of things since I haven't come across it, but just wanted to ask whether your daughter is still completely breast fed, or whether she has now started on solids. If not, would you consider starting her on solids, thereby reducing her milk requirement during the day? Or, alternatively, would you consider part breastfeeding and part formula feeding? At 6 months she will have had most of the benefits from your feeding her in terms of immunity and balanced feeding and will be developing her own immune system; also her gut etc. will have developed to the point where she can handle food from other sources.

I do feel for you - I found expressing milk very difficult and I think it becomes harder when you're tired, stressed, rushed, etc. It seems to me that you've given your little girl the very best start, but after 6 months you could reduce her reliance on breast milk quite quickly without compromising what you've done for her so far.

oldmotherreilly

Hello Jo R. I'm sorry to hear that breastfeeding is proving difficult at the moment. When you say that you are looking at 'suspension' from work do you mean that you would look at taking a career break for a couple of months? I think that you have done really well to feed your baby for six months. Health professionals all give different opinions on how long you should exclusively feed babies for but have you thought about mixed feeding-feeding your daughter in the morning and night and then formula during the day? I know that this is often easier said than done as my first would never take a bottle and would go all day long without milk until I could feed him in the evening but then my next was mixed fed from six months and was the most contented out of all my children. I know your health visitor said that the baby's need for milk will diminish over the next few months but I think that every baby is different so don't rely on this happening when you decide what to do.

Penry

Hi. My first post so please be kind. Sorry you are having this dilemma. Is it an option to take additional unpaid maternity leave or does your company offer family leave? Or were you hoping to be paid if suspended? I'm not sure how this works. I presume from your post that it is very important for you to continue to breast feed. If so, that is great. I just wanted to say that if you can't find a way round this, having formula in the day will not, in my opinion, do her any harm and I believe your milk supply will adjust to allow you to keep feeding when you are off work. Please don't feel guilty if it has to happen! I know this can be a contentious issue and good luck in finding a result that suits you. In turns of milk intake my DD2 is now 8 months and takes one bottle in the afternoon. She was breast fed until 6 months. For dd1 though she continued with 2 bottles in the day for much longer.

HTH.

black-saturn

If they suspend you because you breastfeed you have a case against them. Other than that your baby is old enough now to accept a drink other than breast milk. If she won't have formula milk try her on some well watered down fruit juice or some baby rice.

BernadetteN

Maternity leave is now 12 months, with 6 months unpaid (it's going up to 9months paid and 3 months unpaid at my work but no idea if this is national).

You are also entitled to 3 months unpaid parental leave which can be tagged onto unpaid maternity leave.

I have always taken a full 12 months off work after giving birth, through all 4 babies. It's meant virtually giving up hope of a career and severe loss of income too but being able to breastfeed without problems through those first 12 months was the most important issue to me.

If you are unable to take up your entitlements to unpaid leave due to financial commitments, I really would consider using formula milk or cows milk and water. You have done well to breastfeed for 6 months already as most have given up by this time. All 4 of my babies lost their appetite for breasmilk a few weeks after weaning and I managed to wean 3 out of 4 babies off breast milk during the day at around the age of 12 months so that I could return to work. Our 4th child has been the difficult one and wants to be breastfed during the day so if I am at work she just has to do with water as she will not drink any other form of milk (she is 17 months old).

Only you will know what you feel is right for you and you baby but I wouldn't feel guilty, I would feel pleased that I have given the best for my baby at its most important time of life.

oldmotherreilly

Would you have a claim against them though if you agreed that you could not continue in the job due to the breastfeeding? I thought it was the law that companies now had to provide you with a place to express and store breastmilk and allow you to do so during the working day?

Jo_R_2

oldmotherreilly and BernadetteN - The suspension from work is fully paid, it's a health and safety law which covers pregnant women, new and nursing mothers if their working conditions or hours cannot be adjusted and puts either the health of the mother or baby at risk. It's a completely viable option for a nursing mother if all other avenues are exhausted.

msmicawber - DD2 has not long started solids, she's just 26 weeks you see. So we're still in the trying new foods for a meal a day stage but obviously as this increases, her requirement for milk intake will reduce (or that's the plan anyway!)

Having spoken to the nursery nurse at my GP surgery I am assured no one has ever asked about this LOL The formula option is one for a lot of mothers who initially start out breastfeeding but for me I wish to continue breastfeeding, as with DD1, until she self-weans. I just don't believe in giving formula. I wholeheartedly advocate breastfeeding for as long as possible, particularly since DD1 is veggie and DD2 will be as well, and the long-chain fatty acids in breastmilk are perfect for their essential fatty acids at such a young age, as well as for many other reasons!

I think I just feel that having tried adjusting my hours, that if even over the course of nearly three weeks I can see already that the adjustments to my hours aren't working then it seems like the next step is looking at suspension.

oldmotherreilly (just seen your last post!) - the health and safety laws state that pregnant, new and nursing mothers are entitled to a place to "rest and lie down" only. The Health and Safety Executive (I think it's them)recommends an employer provides a clean safe place for breastfeeding women to be able to express and store milk but it isn't a legal obligation.

I have also been told that if an employer prevents the mother of a child aged up to a year old from breastfeeding, then they could be seen to be putting that child "at risk" though that is something I don't know as much about as H & S. But food for thought anyway...

msmicawber

Hi Jo,

It sounds as though your employers are trying to accommodate you and your responsibilities to your daughter, so why don't you take up their offer? Just because no one else have ever taken up this suspension doesn't necessarily mean anything other than that their children weaned earlier, or weren't breast fed in the first place.

You say you're worried that you're asking too much of your employers, but they could just not have mentioned suspension as an option if they thought it was too much.

Jo_R_2

msmicawber wrote:

It sounds as though your employers are trying to accommodate you and your responsibilities to your daughter, so why don't you take up their offer? Just because no one else have ever taken up this suspension doesn't necessarily mean anything other than that their children weaned earlier, or weren't breast fed in the first place.

You say you're worried that you're asking too much of your employers, but they could just not have mentioned suspension as an option if they thought it was too much.

Yes, I hadn't thought of it that way round. My manager is great and has sat down with me twice and done the risk assessment, and even upon discussing various routes said I didn't need to think about putting DD2 onto formula - I was impressed :T

I am hesitant because I do love my job despite this problem and am keen to get back into things as I am starting training for future promotion. However the team is quite tight at the moment and I know that if I should have to take some time off, it will inevitably mean one or more of my colleagues will have to take on my client load as well as their own... At the end of the day though DD is more important.

A phone call to my manager is in order I think. I'll let you know what happens when I know.

Thanks :T