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Mum launches campaign for paid breastfeeding breaks at work

Mum launches campaign for paid breastfeeding breaks at work

A mum-of-three is calling for a change in UK law after being unable to attend a training course with her breastfed baby.

Emilija Manevska/Getty Images

Ruairidh Pritchard

Published: September 28, 2026 at 9:16 AM

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Returning to work after having a baby can be a huge adjustment, particularly if you're still breastfeeding. Between finding childcare, managing feeds and navigating a new routine, there's already plenty to think about. But did you know that UK employees currently have no statutory right to take breaks at work to breastfeed or express milk?

One mum is hoping to change that. Rachael Bews, a Scottish entrepreneur and mum-of-three, has launched a campaign calling for paid breastfeeding and expressing breaks after being prevented from attending a professional development programme because she needed to bring her breastfed five-month-old daughter.

Her campaign, Don't Make Me Choose, is calling on the UK Government to introduce new legal protections so parents don't have to choose between continuing to breastfeed and returning to work.

Why one mum is campaigning to change breastfeeding rights at work

Rachael launched Don't Make Me Choose after being told she couldn't attend a professional training programme with her breastfed baby because her feeding needs couldn't be accommodated.

Following her experience, she began speaking publicly about the difficulties breastfeeding mums face when trying to balance feeding their babies with their careers.

She's since heard from women who have had to express breast milk in workplace toilets, stop breastfeeding earlier than they wanted to, turn down career opportunities or leave their jobs altogether.

No woman should have to choose between breastfeeding her baby and earning a living. Yet that is the choice our current system creates.

Rachael Bews, founder of Don't Make Me Choose

"I began this campaign after being prevented from taking part in a professional opportunity because I needed to bring my breastfed baby," Rachael explained. "Since speaking publicly, I have heard from women who have expressed milk in toilets, weaned earlier than they wanted to, lost income, turned down opportunities or left work altogether."

What are your breastfeeding rights when you return to work?

If you're planning to return to work while breastfeeding, it's worth understanding what your employer is legally required to provide.

Under current UK law, breastfeeding employees have certain health and safety protections and can request flexible working. However, there are some important gaps.

There is no statutory right to paid breaks specifically for breastfeeding or expressing milk.
Employers are not legally required to provide dedicated facilities for expressing or storing breast milk.
Employers must consider relevant health and safety risks for breastfeeding employees and take appropriate action.
Employees can request flexible working arrangements that may help accommodate breastfeeding.

This means the practical support available to breastfeeding mums can vary considerably depending on their workplace.

More than a third of mums planning to return to work expect to reduce or stop breastfeeding

The challenges of combining breastfeeding and employment are reflected in recent official figures.

The 2024 Infant Feeding Survey for England, published in July 2026, found that 56% of mothers who had returned to work did so when their babies were between six and nine months old.

Among mothers with babies aged eight to ten months who intended to start or return to work within the following year, 36% planned to stop or reduce breastfeeding when they returned.

While the figures don't establish why individual mums make these decisions, they highlight how returning to work can coincide with decisions about continuing breastfeeding.

What would the new breastfeeding petition change?

The Don't Make Me Choose campaign is calling for changes to UK employment law that would give breastfeeding parents clearer legal protections.

Specifically, the petition asks the Government to introduce:

A statutory right to paid breastfeeding breaks during working hours.
A statutory right to paid breaks to express breast milk.
Suitable private workplace facilities to support breastfeeding and expressing.

The campaign wants UK employment law to align with Article 10 of the International Labour Organization's Maternity Protection Convention No. 183, which addresses breastfeeding breaks at work.

Rachael hopes the changes will remove practical barriers that can affect parents' health, feeding choices and opportunities at work.

This campaign is ultimately about the barriers that force people, particularly women, to choose between opportunity and how they want to feed their child.

Rachael Bews, founder of Don't Make Me Choose

How to sign the petition for breastfeeding rights at work

The petition, titled Introduce the Right to Breastfeed and Express at Work, was published on 14 September 2026 and is open until 14 March 2027.

Under the UK Parliament's petition rules, the Government must respond if it reaches 10,000 signatures. If it reaches 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

You can read the campaign's proposals and sign the Don't Make Me Choose petition here.

Whether you're currently breastfeeding, preparing to return to work or simply interested in understanding your rights as a working parent, the campaign raises questions about the support available to families navigating feeding and employment.

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Authors

Ruairidh PritchardDigital Growth Lead

Ruairidh is the Digital Lead on MadeForMums. He works with a team of fantastically talented content creators and subject-matter experts on MadeForMums.