Going Back to Work While Breastfeeding: Everything You Need to Know
Going back to work while you're still breastfeeding is a lot. New routine, new childcare, a diary full of meetings you now have to pump around, and somewhere in there, the small matter of still feeling like yourself. We've been through it, so here's everything we wish someone had told us before day one.
Talk to your workplace before you're back
You're entitled to somewhere proper to pump. Under UK health and safety guidance, employers have a duty to provide a private, clean and safe space for breastfeeding and expressing, and it should not be a toilet. It doesn't need to be a dedicated room built for the purpose, but it does need to be somewhere you can sit comfortably, lock the door, and not be walked in on mid session.
The best time to raise this is before you're back, ideally in writing, so it's sorted rather than scrambled together on your first day. If you're not sure what to ask for, Maternity Action and ACAS both have clear guidance on what reasonable support looks like, worth a read before that conversation.
This isn't legal advice, just what we'd suggest as a starting point, if your situation feels more complicated, it's worth getting proper guidance from ACAS or a solicitor who specialises in employment rights.
Be proud of it, not apologetic
Block your pumping time in your calendar like any other meeting. You don't need to explain, justify, or shrink yourself for it. Pumping at your desk job is you doing two jobs at once, feeding your baby and doing your actual job. That deserves zero apology, and the sooner you treat it as non negotiable, the sooner everyone around you will too.
Get the right bra
A good nursing bra should do double duty, comfortable enough to wear for eight hours straight, and structured enough to hold a pump in place hands free if you need it to. This is not the place to make do with whatever you've had since the early days. The Everyday Seamfree Maternity and Nursing Bra.from Latched is built for exactly this, and if leaks are a worry on top of everything else, the Leakproof Seamless Nursing Bra from Marbra has protection built in.
Sort your kit once
Storage bags, a cooler bag for the commute home, labels for the fridge at work, all the small boring bits that save you a 4pm panic when you realise you've got nowhere to put what you've just expressed. The Milk on the Move Expressing Kit has it covered in one go, so it's a decision you make once rather than every single day.
Choose your pump for your actual life
This is the one people get wrong most often. Hands free wearable pumps like the Elvie Stride are brilliant for discretion, you can pump through a meeting without anyone knowing. But they're generally less powerful and slower than a plug in double electric like the Medela Swing Maxi, so on days when speed matters more than stealth, a traditional pump will get you done faster.
There's no single right answer here, it depends what your day looks like. Plenty of mums keep both in rotation, a wearable for meeting heavy days and a traditional pump for when they've got the time and space to use it. If you're mainly topping up or catching let down rather than expressing a full feed, the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump is a low cost, no batteries option worth keeping in your bag too.
Dress for both jobs
You don't need a whole new wardrobe for this, you need a few pieces that give you access without a full outfit change. The Le Milk C'est Chic Nursing Shirt looks like a proper work blouse because it is one, with access built in where you need it. For an everyday layer under a blazer, the Bshirt Nursing V Neck T-shirt does the job without announcing itself.
And keep a spare top at your desk. Leaks happen at the worst possible moments, usually five minutes before a meeting. A spare in your drawer turns that into a non event instead of a crisis.
Give yourself grace on output
Pumped milk volume is not a scoreboard, and it rarely matches what your baby takes directly at the breast. Supply can dip in the first couple of weeks back as your body adjusts to a new routine, that's normal, not a sign anything's wrong. Staying hydrated, pumping consistently even when sessions feel short, and not comparing your output to anyone else's will get you through the adjustment period.
You don't need it all figured out by day one
You just need to have started. If you're not sure exactly what you need for where you are right now, our product finder quiz will point you to the right things in about a minute. Or browse the full Back to Work Edit for everything mentioned here in one place.
Sources referenced for workplace guidance:
