Night on calls
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@Sarah is BF not a protected characteristic? Seems daft to give people somewhere else to work when there are alternative options in that area
I think if nights are in your contracted hours then it would probably be at the discretion of your manager. When I went back to work, he was a year old and I was doing long days and nights. My son was still breastfeeding and continued to breastfeed until he was two On the nights I was at work he would have cows milk in an open cup (bottle refuser 🙃) before bed and if he woke although it didn’t settle him very well. Then I’d feed as normal the rest of the time. My supply regulated pretty quickly and I didn’t need to pump on my shifts I really don’t think there’s much legal protection to breastfeed x
This is what I said about it being protected but it isn’t, we work in maternity and don’t even have a dedicated area for pumping at work. On the other side of it I guess if you can go to work in the day and make alternatives for your breastfed baby how is at night any different. I know that’s ridiculous but I’m assuming that’s the stance they come from. One colleague went to Work shifts the other one just managed and didn’t feed baby if was called out.
I'm a respiratory physio and we don't do on calls when still breastfeeding through the night. Although I do need to check if that's written in a policy or just manager's discretion.
I’ll be honest, my trust / department is pretty good and flexible. I got back to work on a full time flexible work (set days), with protected time to express (I do it once a shift for half hour), and the Trust has a breastfeeding/ expressing room for privacy. One of my colleagues got it agreed she wouldn’t work past 6pm as she was still breastfeeding for bedtime.
@Sarah night and day is different personally for us as baby can be given food instead. Won’t drink milk in any other form though so I would also need to pump I guess but I can do that the day before and leave it but this is also hit or miss. I could also just pop and feed little one in the early days or get them brought to me in the afternoon as that’s the feed that won’t be dropped. Which will be quicker than pumping time quite honestly!
@Rachel this is really good to know that even if it’s just your manager at least this has been accepted elsewhere 🤞
@Ana that’s amazing support. They should all strive for this!
Absolutely totally get this, I just wondered how they reason not giving the flexible working request and that was the only thing I thought of with you saying you can do the day on calls . Sounds like slot of it is managers discretion. I just think it’s unfair, I used to do on calls and luckily I only work “office hours” now so I’ve been lucky going back to work just think it’s unfair on others who don’t x
How old is your baby? I’m going back to work in a few weeks. My baby will be 10.5 months. I don’t have to do nightshifts for 3 months due to bf but if I wanted longer I had to put it in a flexible working agreement. I have and it’s been accepted
Not speaking from experience but experience from friends recently (more than one) They were offered work elsewhere if they couldn’t work on the areas where they were required to do on calls :-( They looked at the flexible working policy and there’s not much to support BF mums, which seems crazy! You could contact pregnant then screwed (instagram/ facebook) for further advice.