Mothers Anothers Ep 2 Breastfeeding and Returning to Work: WORKFEED study authors on what mums, HR and bosses need to know

Women already worry about breastfeeding and returning to work just after they have their baby. Prof Sarah Jewell and Sally Rickard – a breastfeeding expert who works with women in South London talk about what mums and employers need to know, how to approach conversations, and where to look in their WORKFEED project for all the policy and information you need.

Sarah and Sally reveal that:

80% of people surveyed in the British Social Attitudes survey said breastfeeding and returning to work were not compatible.

Employers these days love to talk about the Menopause, but have no idea how to talk about breastfeeding when women return to work. This doesn’t need expensive policy or permanent changings to working patterns: this is a temporary period.

Not all women need to express at work, but 26% of women who’ve expressed at work have had to do it in the TOILETS!

How employers risk women needing hospitalisation if they don’t support them to breastfeed or express when they return to work, through development of mastitis. Getting breastfeeding support wrong is a major Health and safety risk – and getting it right means health benefits for mother and baby. Surely both a priority for HR departments who care about employees and their health. Learnt that the Department for Work and Pensions said they had no plan to make any changes when Prof Jewell shared the research showing that current policy doesn’t work.

WORKFEED: https://research.reading.ac.uk/workfeed/ has toolkits for mums and employers Sally Rickard: https://www.baby-thrive.com/ The Other Half is a think tank developing policy in women’s interests, Mothers Anothers is a series of conversations exploring the ‘ethics of care’ . Family policy and ‘care feminism’ are neglected. With our society grappling with falling birth rates and staggering social care costs, we need to talk about care.

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