We are delighted that our breastfeeding and return to paid work toolkit for mothers is now live, to support mothers who wish to combine breastfeeding and return to work. This toolkit is free to use 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 often experienced pre-return anxieties and concerns relating to their child’s and their own emotional/ physical well-being, and the practicalities in the workplace. Mothers often did not know what to expect, what their rights were or how to approach their employer. The study showed that often the burden was on the mother to find out information and ask for any support/accommodations they needed.

Drawing on the varied experiences of mothers from the study, this toolkit offers guidance to mothers relating to balancing breastfeeding with paid work. It provides information on employee rights, the practicalities and how to communicate with their employer. It includes case studies and examples from the study, as mothers in our study said they had really valued hearing the experience of others.

The toolkit 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 professional qualification in breastfeeding, globally recognised). Before developing the toolkit we ran focus groups to find out what mothers thought would be useful and what they wish they had known. We then sought feedback on the toolkit from mothers and breastfeeding supporters. If you have any feedback or suggestions please contact Professor Sarah Jewell (s.l.jewell@reading.ac.uk).

 

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.

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