Mother Guide

The Mothers’ Guide

This guide aims to help mothers, who wish to do so, balance breastfeeding and return to work.

This guide was developed from and draws on evidence from the Maternal Wellbeing, infant feeding and return to paid work study funded by the Nuffield Foundation. The study found that mothers experienced pre-return anxieties and concerns relating to their child’s and their own emotional/ physical well-being, and the practicalities in the workplace. These challenges often related to not knowing what to expect.

Drawing on the varied experiences of mothers from the study, this guidance suggests how mothers might balance breastfeeding with paid work. It provides information on employee rights, the practicalities and how to communicate with their employer.

The guide was written by Professor Sylvia Jaworska and Professor Sarah Jewell (members of the study team) with Sally Rickard IBCLC, an international board certified lactation consultant (the gold-standard, globally recognised professional qualification in breastfeeding).

You can download the guide as a single PDF:

Or view the guides as individual web pages:

Young mother breastfeeding an infant

Mother Guide 01: Benefits of Breastfeeding

Mother Guide 02: How can I continue to provide breastmilk for my child when I return to work?

Mother Guide 03: Solids, Expressed Breastmilk and Combination Feeding

Mother Guide 04: Your Rights at Work

Mother Guide 05: Practicalities of Expressing Breastmilk

Mother Guide 06: Breast Pumps

Mother Guide 07: Expressing / Breastfeeding at Work Considerations

Mother Guide 08: Working Patterns Adjustments

Mother Guide 09: Breastfed Child Policies in Childcare: What You Need to Know

Mother Guide 10: Communicating With Your Employer

Mother Guide 11: How to Prepare?

Mother Guide 12: Common Concerns and Anxieties

Mother Guide 13: Stopping Breastfeeding

Mother Guide 13: Stopping Breastfeeding – Test

Mother Guide 14: Useful Resources

© The University of Reading is the owner and the licensee of all intellectual property rights for the ‘Mother’s Guide to Combining Breastfeeding and Return to Paid Work’, and ‘Supporting Breastfeeding Mothers in the Workplace’ guides. You are encouraged to download, share, copy, and redistribute these guides in any medium or format. You must give credit and provide a reference to the Workfeed website (we encourage you to link to this website, as guides will be updated periodically). You may not sell these guides or use them for commercial purposes. You may not remix, transform, or edit the guides in any way. All publicity, privacy, and moral rights are reserved.
The information provided in these guides (the “Information”) is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal or medical advice. While reasonable care is taken to ensure accuracy, the Information may not reflect the most current legal or medical developments. The Information should not be interpreted as substituting medical consultation or professional legal advice and should not be relied upon to make medical decisions (or otherwise). You should always obtain medical professional or specialist advice before taking (or refraining from taking) any action on the basis of the Information. The University of Reading disclaims liability for actions taken based on the Information.

The ‘Maternal wellbeing, infant feeding and return to paid work’ research study was funded by the Nuffield Foundation. The Nuffield Foundation is an independent charitable trust with a mission to advance social wellbeing. It funds research that informs social policy, primarily in Education, Welfare, and Justice. The Nuffield Foundation is the founder and co-funder of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, the Ada Lovelace Institute and the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory. The Foundation has funded this project, but the views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily the Foundation.

Bluesky: @nuffieldfoundation.org; LinkedIn: Nuffield Foundation; Website: nuffieldfoundation.org