Returning to work and breastfeeding

If you’re heading back to work and still planning to breastfeed, there are probably a million questions running through your head!

Is it possible to breastfeed your baby when you go back to work? Where will you feed your baby or express breastmilk at work? Will your baby take a bottle? Can you take a lactation break? What are your childcare arrangements?

The good news is that working and breastfeeding is definitely possible. With some planning and support you can continue to breastfeed your baby and work.

What can you do to prepare?

Talk to your employer
Start by talking to your manager about the support you need to breastfeed when you go back to work. It’s helpful to start talking about this as early as possible so that they can help meet your needs when you return to work.

Workplaces can do their part to support mums who want to keep breastfeeding by becoming a Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace. A Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace provides time, space, and a supportive culture. Time to feed or express milk during the workday, a private comfortable space to do this, and support from your manager and colleagues are also important.

Prepare your baby for a new routine
Start to introduce a bottle of expressed breastmilk before you start back at work, so that your baby can get used to it.

Talk to your childcare provider
Discuss your plans to return to work with your childcare provider, including any plans to provide expressed breastmilk, or to breastfeed your baby on site.

For more information, the Breastfeeding and returning to work: information for parents booklet outlines:

options for breastfeeding while working
getting your baby ready for a new routine
what to talk to your employer about
what to talk to your childcare provider about
expressing and storing breast milk at work
your legal right to breastfeed.

Need more support?

Call the Breastfeeding 24-hour Helpline 1800 mum 2 mum (1800 686 268) or go to the Australian Breastfeeding Association website.