Hi Virginia
I was only picking up on the health aspect of the poor mother who was facing being told that she could only express in the loo
The point is that it is the Health and Safety legislation that mentions it, and H&S is a pretty blunt instrument, and only looks at, well, health and safety, and a mother's legal rights to leave, treatment and suchlike . Supportive politicians and b/f orgs do work towards better provision for families, including breastfeeding breaks [see point 4 of the breastfeeding manifesto http://www.breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk/doc/breastfeeding_manifesto.pdf ]
In fact the legislation requires that a full risk assessment is done for a mother who is returning to work and is breastfeeding. And there is no limit set to how long a mother chooses to breastfeed. So there is automatically a chance for pointing out what would be best for health of mother and baby, in fact if a mother insists on looking at what will be best for her and her baby she is helping her employer fulfil his legal duty. In Britain employers can be prosecuted for breaches of the legislation.
I know we should have more, but it is there, it points out that expressing in the loo is not acceptable , and if a mother is put in the position of the mother who wrote to Abby, she actually has a leg to stand on, well, 2 legs one that doesn't question her right to express in a more appropriate place.
I'm sure most BF counsellors/Leaders in Britain have helped mothers work out ways to find the best solution for them, including choosing nearby childcare or the carer bringing the baby along and some arrangements have been very good, others have had jobs which made things harder. But we have Statutory maternity leave for 52 weeks and some mothers may be entitled to receive Statutory Maternity Pay for up to 39 weeks of the leave. There is also the possibility for flexible working
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/Flexibleworking/DG_10029491
which could include some homeworking , for example, or other flexibility to care for dependents
So our situation is wholly different to a mother in the US.
I have also known of childminders who have actively encouraged the mum to pop to the carer's house to nurse at breaks, or for the carer to bring the baby along to work, and to nurse immediately before and after work and the mother has not wanted to continue with that arrangement after a few weeks.
Helen
Work with employers to create a
supportive environment for
breastfeeding mothers
No UK Government has provided sufficient protection
for women returning to work who would like to continue to
breastfeed4. We call on all Governments to legislate for
breastfeeding breaks for women at work, in line with several
other European countries.
Work with employers to create a
supportive environment for
breastfeeding mothers
No UK Government has provided sufficient protection
for women returning to work who would like to continue to
breastfeed4. We call on all Governments to legislate for
breastfeeding breaks for women at work, in line with several
other European countries.
----- Original Message -----
From: Virginia Thorley
To: [log in to unmask]
Cc: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2009 12:39 AM
Subject: Re: pumping in the restroom (toilet)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Helen Butler shared the links to the UK HSE's guidelines for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. At best, this is a very minimalist policy; at worst, it further enshrines the separation of the mother and baby without suggesting that other provisions are possible. I was very disappointed to see that there was no provision at all for breastfeeding. It never seems to have occurred to the authors to think that mothers might actually *breastfeed* when not at home. They either assume that mothers will prefer to pump and *breastmilk-feed*, or they think that providing pumping facilities will keep everyone happy and make the employer look good.
I'd have preferred to see some mention made for a) workplace childcare (okay, I'm going for the gold standard) or at least b) a family member or care-giver to bring the baby for breastfeeding. In some facilities, this would mean very little change to the room set aside for pumping, anyway.
Mentioning this in a policy, even if it is a rare occurrence, at least plants the seed in the minds of employed mothers and employers. Might I add that workplaces which have the foresight to set up workplace childcare should be able to recoup the cost in fees (even if offering subsidized fees), including accepting enrolments from parents in other nearby workplaces.
I'm currently "nomail". So please copy any comments to me to keep me in this strand
Warm regards,
Dr Virginia Thorley, OAM, PhD, IBCLC, FILCA
Brisbane, Qld, Australia
E: [log in to unmask]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ON Tue, 17 Mar 2009, Helen Butler wrote
Subject: My latest update from the [British] Health and Safety Executive = mentions their guidance for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers
MOTHERS AT WORK
++ International Women's Day ++=20
In support, HSE is raising awareness of its guidance for new and = expectant mothers.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/mothers/index.htm?ebul=3Dhsegen/16-mar-2009&cr=3D9 =
If you click through to the leaflet =
http://www.hse.gov.uk/mothers/mothers.htm you will find this Rest facilities for pregnant and breastfeeding women
Many pregnant women feel tired and need to rest. Breastfeeding mothers = need a clean, private place to express and store their milk. Employers = are legally required to provide suitable rest facilities for workers who = are pregnant or breastfeeding. Also, although not a legal requirement, = employers are encouraged to provide a healthy and safe environment for = nursing mothers to express and store milk. This could be provided in the = suitable rest facilities. However, it is not suitable for toilets to be = used for this purpose.
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