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Combine Coast, our strong and durable pushchair designed for everyday strolls, with a Simplicity Plus infant carrier & base
Add an award-winning Dream i-Size Infant Carrier & Base with your Coast pushchair, designed for everyday strolls
Everything you need with your Wave pram including Dream i-Size infant carrier & base, changing bag, footmuff, phone holder and snack tray
Turn your Wave pram into a Travel System with an award-winning Dream i-Size infant carrier
Everything you need with your Reef pram including a First Bed Folding Carrycot, Dream i-Size infant carrier, changing bag, footmuff, phone holder and snack tray
Add a First Bed Folding Carrycot and an award-winning Dream i-Size infant carrier on to your Reef pram
Everything you need with your Dune pram including a First Bed Folding Carrycot, Dream i-Size infant carrier, changing bag, footmuff, phone holder and snack tray
Add a First Bed Folding Carrycot and an award-winning Dream i-Size infant carrier on to your Dune pram
Everything you need with your Dune pram including a Compact Folding Carrycot, Dream i-Size infant carrier, changing bag, footmuff, phone holder and snack tray
Combine your Dune pram with a Compact Folding Carrycot and an award-winning Dream i-Size infant carrier
For compact travel
For families on the go
For everyday strolls
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Awarded the safest infant carrier for your newborn by ADAC, when used with the Dream i-Size base
The only 360° rotating car seat you need, suitable from birth to approx. 12 years
The multi-stage car seat, growing with your child from 15 months to approx. 12 years of age
Our high-back booster seat from 4 to 12 years old, approved to the latest R129/03 safety standard
Simple and beautiful, the Bromley nursery furniture collection offers the perfect canvas for creatin...
Create the best nursery for your little one to nap, play and grow with the Bromley Oak 3-piece nurse...
Create a sense of calm with our 3-piece Alnmouth nursery set with a washed oak finish. The multi-sta...
For traditional style in your little one's nursery, choose the Nostalgia furniture collection. Craft...
Returning to work while breastfeeding can lead to mums feeling conflicted or upset. It’s not always a choice but a necessity for some.
That said, some mums fully welcome returning to work and feeling more like themselves again, even if breastfeeding. If the latter is you, please don’t feel guilty. Both feelings are common and normal. Mum guilt often finds a way to creep in!
Lots of mums ask me about how to return to work and continue feeding. I’m a midwife but also a mum who went back to work whilst breastfeeding my daughter. She still occasionally feeds now and she’s almost two. In this article I will cover some of the things you need to plan for and consider.
Prepare yourself and your employer for the coming months. If you plan to express at work, you might want to drop your employer an email and explain. Ask if there is an area that is clean, private and lockable (not a toilet!) that can be made available to you, if this is what you want. There is a legal obligation for your employer to provide a place for expressing.
How often you will need to express at work will depend on you and your circumstances. The HSE (Health and Safety Executive) provide guidelines and recommendations to protect new mothers at work. You can also get free legal advice, by calling the Working Families hotline on 0300 012 0312. If you need further information or to encourage your employer to be more flexible, you can consult Maternity Action’s website as they provide information and leaflets around maternity and work issues. Hopefully you don’t need to refer to these but please feel free to if you’re not getting the support you’re entitled to.
"Ask if there is an area that is clean, private and lockable (not a toilet!) that can be made available to you."
Post Covid, it’s more likely that you and your employer will be able to agree on how you could work from home, even if that is one day per week (if you prefer this option), especially whilst you are still breastfeeding.
You could also look at working flexibly – this is becoming more popular now with the likes of campaigns like Flex Appeal. Lots of mums prefer to start work at little later than they did pre-baby to allow time in the morning to get the both of you ready and fed.
Communicating, planning and being as flexible as you are able to without compromising yours and your baby’s needs can help to avoid conflict and stress. The more prepared you are, the less likely you are to feel stressed about returning to work.
"Lots of mums prefer to start work at little later than they did pre-baby to allow time in the morning to get the both of you ready and fed."
Below are some top tips to prepare:
"Milk from the breast is considered best, then refrigerated, then frozen."
Rest is important and can affect your milk supply – this is the case before and after you return to work. Be prepared to be extra tired in the weeks and months after returning to work though, it brings new challenges and considerations. I’d highly recommend you take naps as often as possible and rest whenever you get a chance. Never, ever feel guilty for resting. This is a unique time in your life and wherever possible you need to prioritise your rest.
Also, try not to worry too much. I know it’s easier said than done but I have been there and worried about things that never happened – we do as mums. Yet, babies are resilient and adaptable. Your baby will soon get used to changes, especially if you can remain calm about the changes yourself. If you feel you really want to exclusively breastfeed, start to think about how this will work for you. Contact your employer in plenty of time to negotiate how you can work.
Lastly, your baby won’t forget how to breastfeed while you’re at work, they will reconnect with you and feed as normal when you’re reunited. You got this!
Marie Louise is an experienced Midwife, PTLLS adult educator and hypno-birthing teacher from the UK. She has travelled extensively to learn about midwifery in different cultures and has also practised in Australia. She runs ‘Modern Midwives Meetups’ which provide a safe space for midwives to share best practice and hear from experts in the maternity field. Marie Louise is a sought after expert and has most recently been invited to Parliament to discuss maternal mental health and maternity discrimination. She's also a communications partner for Child.Org, an equal opportunities charity for children and advises Cocoon Family Health, a perinatal mental health charity based in London.