Charity Sector: Let's make breastfeeding and work, work!
🦸♀️ 🤱 You shouldn't require superpowers to juggle breastfeeding and work. I am a breastfeeding Mama helping charity professionals to overcome burnout and make their purposeful work possible. So you can see why I am passionate about making breastfeeding and work, work!
I have been breastfeeding my daughter for the last 15 months. We had a challenging start as my daughter was born a little early and a little, well, little, but with the support of my husband, friends, family, breastfeeding consultant, and peer support group - we are still going!
This year's theme for World Breastfeeding Week is: Let's make breastfeeding and work, work! And I have a few things to say on the subject!
🤱 Fewer than half of infants under 6 months of age are exclusively breastfed, and in the UK, only 1 in 200 women do any breastfeeding after a year, which is a very low 0.5%.
👉 Making breastfeeding at work, work, makes societies work! Breastfeeding provides vital health and nutritional benefits for children with positive lifelong impacts, building healthier populations – and workforces - for the future.
👩💼 Women shouldn't have to choose between breastfeeding their children and their careers. Breastfeeding support is possible regardless of workplace, sector, or contract type. Keep reading!
🧑🏫 Employers and managers can make breastfeeding and work, work by:
Providing paid maternity leave.
Providing time and space for breastfeeding or expressing and storing breastmilk.
Providing options that reduce the separation of women from their babies, such as flexible work schedules, on-site childcare, remote working, and part-time work.
🤝 Colleagues can help make breastfeeding and work, work by:
Being supportive of flexible work arrangements when women return to work.
Championing women's rights in the workplace.
Speaking up when women are treated unfairly.
I do not take for granted the fact that I work for myself, from home, and have the most wonderfully understanding clients, but breastfeeding should not be a privilege for the few.
If you are looking to return to work after maternity leave and need support, reach out to me and I will be there for you.
