Your guide to expressing breast milk at work

Finding the time

You are legally entitled to two breaks of 30 minutes each per day to breastfeed. This is set for the first six months of your child’s life, but chat to your employer about the possibility of extending this.

Discuss appropriate times with your manager for you to take these breaks and mark these times as meetings in your calendar so you stick to them. Ask your employer to allocate a space where you can pump in private – this could be an available office or unoccupied meeting room.

“It would be ideal if you can pump at the same times that you would usually breastfeed your baby,” says Sister Doriska Posthumus, a registered nurse, midwife and certified lactation consultant in Cape Town. “If you work out how many direct feeds your baby misses while you’re at work, that will give you an indication of how often you should pump. In general, we look at 2-3 hourly. This will mean that you will have to pump 2-3 times a day while at work during a normal eight-hour workday,” she says, noting that this differs between women depending on breast milk supply and the age of the baby.

A note on supply

Your breast milk supply can, naturally, decrease when your baby is around six months old. This could be due to increased stress, reduced breastfeeding or pumping, a change in postpartum hormones (especially if your period has returned), and the introduction of solid foods.

“When you are stressed, your body does not secrete adequate oxytocin, which is the hormone that is in charge of the production of breast milk. To combat this, it is important to prepare well for going back to work – make sure you know how your pump works and have a plan for where and when you pump at work,” says Posthumus.

The key is to keep breastfeeding or expressing so your body knows there is a demand for it. “The best way to make sure that there is an adequate breast milk supply is to pump regularly with an effective pump that fits correctly,” says Posthumus.

Keep calm and pump on 

Try to relax while pumping – cover the pump so you do not ‘pump watch’ – and look at videos or photos of your baby to stimulate breast milk production. It's also important to ensure that you don't miss meals at work. Make sure you pack a wholesome lunch, healthy snacks and water for your day.

Keep it clean

“Most breast pump manufacturers recommend cleaning pump parts thoroughly after every use to help protect babies from germs,” says Posthumus. How would this work when you’re at the office? 

Posthumus says that access to a clean basin and microwave or stovetop to sanitise pump parts is ideal, but not all workspaces provide this. Another way is to sterilise the parts using a sterilising fluid or tablet in a clean bowl, which you could leave at the office. 

“If you cannot clean your pump parts thoroughly after each pumping session, you can rinse and then refrigerate pump parts (not the electrical parts) for a few hours between uses to help slow the growth of bacteria. It’s important to understand that refrigeration does not stop bacteria from growing,” says Posthumus. “If you choose to do this, rinse the pump parts first to remove milk residue and then place the parts in a sealed bag to prevent contamination. If rinsing is not possible, wipe milk residue off the parts with a clean, disposable paper towel,” advises Posthumus.

When you get home, make sure to properly sterilise all your pump parts, especially those that make contact with breast milk, so they’re ready for the next day’s pumping session.

What is the safest way to store breast milk?

After each session, make sure to safely bag and refrigerate your breast milk. Make use of appropriate breast milk storage containers or bags, and mark them with your name, date and the amount of milk stored in it.

Posthumus advises the following steps for storage:

• In the refrigerator: Expressed breast milk is a food and may be stored alongside other foods in any refrigerator that is appropriate for food storage. Ask your employer if you are able to store your breast milk at the back of the fridge, where it will be unaffected by the constant opening and closing of the fridge. 
• In an insulated cooler: You can store and carry freshly expressed milk in an insulated cooler bag with frozen ice packs for up to 24 hours. Once you get home, you should either use the milk right away, store it in the refrigerator, or freeze it.

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