THE LAW ON EXPRESSING BREAST MILK AT WORK

“You can take a breastfeeding break while in the workplace. A breastfeeding break is a period that you take during your work day for either breastfeeding your child or expressing milk. “Breastfeeding breaks are paid time,” says Louise van Rensburg, owner of specialist Cape Town consultancy HR Plus. “In terms of the Code of Good Practice on the Protection of Employees during Pregnancy and After the Birth of a Child, arrangements should be made if you are breastfeeding to have breaks of 30 minutes twice a day for breastfeeding or expressing milk, each working day for the first six months of your child’s life.”

You may prefer to put your breastfeeding breaks together and take that time at the beginning or the end of her normal work day, or you might choose to express milk during your usual lunch break, Louise adds. The employer should make available a clean space with room to sit down, privacy, access to clean water, and a secure storage place for expressed milk. “Cleanliness, accessibility and security are key features. A toilet is not suitable,” Louise clarifies.

Louise urges you to check with your employer what the company policies are with regards to expressing milk in the workplace.