Scottish Breastfeeding Week 2023 - Natalie Masterson, CEO of Stirlingshire Voluntary Enterprise, shares her experience and tips on returning to work in the third sector as a breastfeeding mother

In Spring 2022, my family expanded with the birth of my third child, Jamie. Just the week before, I said a temporary goodbye to my 'work baby' as I worked up until my 38th week of pregnancy. At that point, most meetings were still online, making it easier to hide my advanced pregnancy. So, my news came as a surprise to many!

Stirlingshire Voluntary Enterprise (SVE), the third sector interface in Stirling, is a small charity with a big remit. The board and staff team at SVE were incredibly supportive of my news, and I knew I was leaving the organisation in the more than capable hands of the Deputy CEO Anne Knox, who was appointed as Interim CEO.

Like most breastfeeding mothers, my feeding journey with Jamie had its highs and lows as we learned this new skill together. Although I had breastfed my other two children, the old adage that no two children are alike certainly holds true when it comes to feeding. We hit our stride around 5 months, albeit still waking every few hours to feed. It made me realise how grateful I am to have a supportive employer and to live in a country with good parental leave legislation, as I could not have imagined returning to work at that stage. I am also thankful for the support of the Breastfeeding Network volunteers and staff who provided me with support and encouragement. I know many people have not had an easy feeding journey with their baby, and I respect and celebrate however, you choose to feed your baby.

When I planned my return to work in Spring 2023, I spoke to the Chair of my Board, Rachel Keenan, and let her know that I would be continuing to breastfeed when I started back at work. She was very supportive, and together we put in place about what I would need to make that transition as seamless as possible, including a private place to express and store milk, flexibility, and communicating this to the wider team. Expressing milk means using an electric or manual pump to remove milk from the breast so that breastmilk production is maintained, the milk can be safely stored and given to the baby at a later date.

In the UK, breastfeeding mothers have legal protection under health and safety and sex discrimination laws. Employers have obligations to provide health and safety protection, flexible working hours, protection from indirect sex discrimination, rest facilities, and protection from harassment.

I had a very positive reaction from my board and team, but I know that many women do not have such a positive experience and may not have their legal protection respected. In the third sector, we often believe that we are more inclusive than other employers. However, joint research from HMRC and EHRC found that 58% of third sector employers feel women should declare upfront during recruitment if they are pregnant, and 1 in 4 employers stated that pregnancy puts an unreasonable burden on the workplace. Supporting pregnant and breastfeeding women and celebrating working families can help challenge these negative and pervasive attitudes. As a breastfeeding mother and a Chief Executive in the sector I feel I have responsibility to others who may come after me to normalise breastfeeding and work.

I'm not going to lie, expressing at work isn't that fun. Private space or not, it can feel a little awkward when it's time for me to pick up my expressing bag, head next door, and fumble about attaching the often noisy breast pump. However, parenthood brings with it sometimes awkward or uncomfortable moments. Who hasn't unknowingly gone to work with baby sick down their back? I feel happy continuing to breastfeed my baby because I know that in doing so, I am nourishing him and providing him with antibodies against the constant germs and viruses that come our way via nursery. It also helps us both manage the significant changes we are experiencing with me returning to work. Breastfeeding is a way to calm and connect with each other after a day apart. It also benefits SVE; studies have shown that employers who provide a breastfeeding-friendly workplace have reduced staff turnover, fewer instances of illness-related time off, higher job satisfaction, and increased morale and loyalty from employees.

I also feel proud that I may have made it easier for future employees or women in the sector who want to balance breastfeeding with work. By expressing at work and writing a public blog about it, I hope to make it easier for others to have a discussion with their employer about what they need to continue breastfeeding.

Tips for employers:

• Show support for breastfeeding mothers by signing up to the Breastfeeding Friendly Scheme at BreastfeedingFriendlyScotland@gov.scot.

• Consider creating a workplace breastfeeding policy. Ensure your maternity leave and return to work processes make it clear that you are happy to discuss support for breastfeeding.

• Make a private room available for breastfeeding and provide a refrigerator for storing milk. I keep a plastic box in the refrigerator so that my milk isn't crammed in next to everyone's sandwiches and leftovers!

• Publicly share information on the benefits of breastfeeding with all employees to create a breastfeeding-friendly culture. Join the discussion using the hashtag #BreastfeedingWeek23.

Tips for current or future breastfeeding mothers at work:

• Confidently state what you need in order to balance your return to work and breastfeeding. Look at information from Maternity Action and the Breastfeeding Network.

• -Create an expressing bag with everything you need: your pump and accessories, spare breast pads, wipes, and a spare top in case you need a change.

• Dress for easy access. It's already a challenge trying to express in the middle of the day. Dresses with zips up the back will not be your friend.

• Be realistic about the volume of milk you can express. Some women express a lot, while others only express a fluid ounce. Don't stress about it; cover the expressing bottle with something and look at pictures of your baby to get the oxytocin flowing.