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Milky Adventure
Returning to work, bottle feeding, and weaning: the next chapter of your breastfeeding journey
In this final episode of the series, Lauriane Emond guides you through returning to work: your rights, alternating breastfeeding/pumping, milk storage, and weaning.
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Summary
🔊 This program is an information program by a trained professional. This is generic advice and is not a personalized diagnosis. In all cases, we recommend that you be followed by a gynecologist and/or a midwife for individualized follow-up.
What you will learn in this episode
In this final episode of the series, Lauriane Emond guides you through returning to work: your rights, how to alternate between breastfeeding and pumping, how to properly store and bottle-feed your milk, and finally, how to approach weaning calmly.
- Understand your right to breastfeed or pump at work
- Alternating breastfeeding and pumping without decreasing your milk supply
- Properly storing your milk (storage times, containers)
- Choosing the right bottle and physiological bottle-feeding
- Approaching weaning at your own pace, when you are ready
💡 Key figures
In France, employees who are breastfeeding their child are entitled to one hour per day during working hours to breastfeed or pump, for one year from the child's birth.
Source: Article L1225-30 of the Labor Code. Légifrance Link
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French recommendations on breast milk storage were revised in 2024 by the scientific committee of CoFAM (French Coordination for Breastfeeding), specifying storage durations in the refrigerator, freezer, and after thawing.
Source: CoFAM Scientific Committee, “Collection, transport and storage of breast milk”, 2024, cited by La Leche League France. Link
The right to breastfeed or pump at work
In France, the employee is entitled to one hour of breastfeeding per day during their workday, unpaid, which can be split into two 30-minute periods. This right applies equally to directly breastfeeding their baby (if it's brought to you) than for pumping breast milk. Companies with more than 100 employees are obligated to provide a dedicated room with a water point. In smaller organizations, it's more a matter of negotiation, but the employer faces penalties if they refuse.
Alternating breastfeeding and pumping without losing milk supply
When the mother is separated from her baby, she generally pumps her milk every 3 hours or so, double pumping, for 15 to 30 minutes, to compensate for missed feedings during childcare. Every feeding or pumping session counts towards maintaining milk supply : if the baby feeds elsewhere without the mother pumping in parallel, milk supply decreases.
Storing breast milk: durations and best practices
If there's no fridge at work, expressed milk can be stored for 24 hours in a hard-sided cooler with ice packs, at 4°C. French recommendations, updated in 2024, state: 4 to 7 days in the refrigerator, 6 months in a separate freezer, 2 weeks in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator, and 24 hours for thawed milk. A specific French practice: an opened bottle can be put back in the fridge and given a second time on the same day (this is not the case in American recommendations).
Choosing the right containers
Opt for specific containers for breast milk (glass, dedicated freezer bags, or BPA-free plastic), avoiding any container not designed for this purpose. Bags are practical if freezer space is limited.
Choosing the right bottle and nipple
Depending on the age, you can use a spoon, cup, beaker, or syringe (often in maternity wards for colostrum), then the bottle with a triangular conical nipple, which better mimics the shape of the breast compressed in the baby's mouth. Avoid narrow-necked, thin, and flat nipples. There are only two conical nipples on the market, despite the extensive marketing around "anti-colic" nipples.
Physiological bottle feeding
Give the bottle calmly, for 10 to 20 minutes, with breaks, with the baby sitting upright or reclined on their side, as if breastfeeding (never lying on their back to prevent the milk from flowing too quickly). For the first bottles, stick to around 100 ml (the average storage capacity of breasts being 60 to 120 ml), and re-evaluate intake before increasing quantities.
Soapy taste: nothing to worry about
Frozen and then reheated milk can develop a soapy taste due to the destruction of lipases. This isn't a nutritional concern, but if the baby refuses it, you can heat the milk to 60-62°C before freezing to further destroy these enzymes (at the cost of losing some nutrients).
Weaning, a personal choice
Weaning is a personal choice for each family, whether desired or necessitated by health circumstances. Weaning a baby under one year old is often simpler, as they have less say in the matter. After one year, the child can negotiate, and the natural weaning age for a toddler is typically between 2 and 6 years old. After one year, the child no longer strictly needs milk: solid foods cover their nutritional needs.
🔎 Useful definitions
Double pumping : a technique involving pumping both breasts simultaneously with a breast pump, to maintain stimulation and milk supply during separation from the baby.
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Conical nipple : a triangular bottle nipple shape that mimics the shape of a breast compressed in a baby's mouth, unlike classic narrow-neck nipples.
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Weaning : the gradual or complete cessation of breastfeeding, initiated by the mother, the child, or due to health circumstances, which can occur at any age depending on each family's choice.
🎯 Practical actions
- Understanding and asserting your right to breastfeed at work:
- One hour per day, divisible into two 30-minute periods, for breastfeeding or pumping milk
- Request a dedicated space if the company has more than 100 employees
- Organizing your breastfeeding/pumping schedule during separation:
- Pump your milk approximately every 3 hours, double pumping for 15 to 30 minutes
- Never skip a pumping session if your baby is feeding elsewhere, to maintain your milk supply
- Properly store your milk:
- Hard-sided cooler with ice packs if no refrigerator is available (24 hours at 4°C)
- Observe storage times: 4-7 days in the refrigerator, 6 months in a separate freezer, 2 weeks in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator, 24 hours after thawing
- Use appropriate containers (glass, dedicated bags, BPA-free plastic)
- Choosing the right bottle:
- Opt for a triangular-shaped nipple rather than a classic one
- Give the bottle over 10 to 20 minutes, with breaks, with the baby sitting upright or reclined on their side
- Stick to around 100 ml for the first bottles, then re-evaluate
- If your milk tastes soapy after freezing:
- Heat the milk to 60-62°C before freezing if your baby refuses to drink it
- Approach weaning at your own pace:
- Seek support, regardless of the weaning context
- Know that natural weaning for a toddler typically occurs between 2 and 6 years of age
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Summary
🔊 This program is an information program by a trained professional. This is generic advice and is not a personalized diagnosis. In all cases, we recommend that you be followed by a gynecologist and/or a midwife for individualized follow-up.
_____
⭐ The Milky Adventure series is made possible thanks to the participation of Fizimed, a French company that develops innovative solutions for women's health, such as their Emy Pump portable breast pump.
What you will learn in this episode
In this final episode of the series, Lauriane Emond guides you through returning to work: your rights, how to alternate between breastfeeding and pumping, how to properly store and bottle-feed your milk, and finally, how to approach weaning calmly.
- Understand your right to breastfeed or pump at work
- Alternating breastfeeding and pumping without decreasing your milk supply
- Properly storing your milk (storage times, containers)
- Choosing the right bottle and physiological bottle-feeding
- Approaching weaning at your own pace, when you are ready
💡 Key figures
In France, employees who are breastfeeding their child are entitled to one hour per day during working hours to breastfeed or pump, for one year from the child's birth.
Source: Article L1225-30 of the Labor Code. Légifrance Link
___
French recommendations on breast milk storage were revised in 2024 by the scientific committee of CoFAM (French Coordination for Breastfeeding), specifying storage durations in the refrigerator, freezer, and after thawing.
Source: CoFAM Scientific Committee, “Collection, transport and storage of breast milk”, 2024, cited by La Leche League France. Link
The right to breastfeed or pump at work
In France, the employee is entitled to one hour of breastfeeding per day during their workday, unpaid, which can be split into two 30-minute periods. This right applies equally to directly breastfeeding their baby (if it's brought to you) than for pumping breast milk. Companies with more than 100 employees are obligated to provide a dedicated room with a water point. In smaller organizations, it's more a matter of negotiation, but the employer faces penalties if they refuse.
Alternating breastfeeding and pumping without losing milk supply
When the mother is separated from her baby, she generally pumps her milk every 3 hours or so, double pumping, for 15 to 30 minutes, to compensate for missed feedings during childcare. Every feeding or pumping session counts towards maintaining milk supply : if the baby feeds elsewhere without the mother pumping in parallel, milk supply decreases.
Storing breast milk: durations and best practices
If there's no fridge at work, expressed milk can be stored for 24 hours in a hard-sided cooler with ice packs, at 4°C. French recommendations, updated in 2024, state: 4 to 7 days in the refrigerator, 6 months in a separate freezer, 2 weeks in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator, and 24 hours for thawed milk. A specific French practice: an opened bottle can be put back in the fridge and given a second time on the same day (this is not the case in American recommendations).
Choosing the right containers
Opt for specific containers for breast milk (glass, dedicated freezer bags, or BPA-free plastic), avoiding any container not designed for this purpose. Bags are practical if freezer space is limited.
Choosing the right bottle and nipple
Depending on the age, you can use a spoon, cup, beaker, or syringe (often in maternity wards for colostrum), then the bottle with a triangular conical nipple, which better mimics the shape of the breast compressed in the baby's mouth. Avoid narrow-necked, thin, and flat nipples. There are only two conical nipples on the market, despite the extensive marketing around "anti-colic" nipples.
Physiological bottle feeding
Give the bottle calmly, for 10 to 20 minutes, with breaks, with the baby sitting upright or reclined on their side, as if breastfeeding (never lying on their back to prevent the milk from flowing too quickly). For the first bottles, stick to around 100 ml (the average storage capacity of breasts being 60 to 120 ml), and re-evaluate intake before increasing quantities.
Soapy taste: nothing to worry about
Frozen and then reheated milk can develop a soapy taste due to the destruction of lipases. This isn't a nutritional concern, but if the baby refuses it, you can heat the milk to 60-62°C before freezing to further destroy these enzymes (at the cost of losing some nutrients).
Weaning, a personal choice
Weaning is a personal choice for each family, whether desired or necessitated by health circumstances. Weaning a baby under one year old is often simpler, as they have less say in the matter. After one year, the child can negotiate, and the natural weaning age for a toddler is typically between 2 and 6 years old. After one year, the child no longer strictly needs milk: solid foods cover their nutritional needs.
🎯 Concrete actions
- Understanding and asserting your right to breastfeed at work:
- One hour per day, divisible into two 30-minute periods, for breastfeeding or pumping milk
- Request a dedicated space if the company has more than 100 employees
- Organizing your breastfeeding/pumping schedule during separation:
- Pump your milk approximately every 3 hours, double pumping for 15 to 30 minutes
- Never skip a pumping session if your baby is feeding elsewhere, to maintain your milk supply
- Properly store your milk:
- Hard-sided cooler with ice packs if no refrigerator is available (24 hours at 4°C)
- Observe storage times: 4-7 days in the refrigerator, 6 months in a separate freezer, 2 weeks in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator, 24 hours after thawing
- Use appropriate containers (glass, dedicated bags, BPA-free plastic)
- Choosing the right bottle:
- Opt for a triangular-shaped nipple rather than a classic one
- Give the bottle over 10 to 20 minutes, with breaks, with the baby sitting upright or reclined on their side
- Stick to around 100 ml for the first bottles, then re-evaluate
- If your milk tastes soapy after freezing:
- Heat the milk to 60-62°C before freezing if your baby refuses to drink it
- Approach weaning at your own pace:
- Seek support, regardless of the weaning context
- Know that natural weaning for a toddler typically occurs between 2 and 6 years of age
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