Breastfeeding mothers can find it challenging to return to work and keep up their baby’s usual feeding schedule.
While not impossible, getting mum and bub in the same place at the same time several times a day is a difficult task, and usually involves travelling between home and the office, or having someone bring the baby in for feeds.
To avoid this hectic and often stressful schedule, mothers might convert to bottle feeding sooner than they’d like, or avoid returning to work until they’ve finished breastfeeding.
But there is an alternative.
Working from home in a remote job allows new mothers to return to work when they’re ready, and continue their breastfeeding relationship uninterrupted.
And with a growing number of employers in a wide range of industries embracing remote teams, it’s an opportunity for mothers to not just return to work, but continue to advance their careers.
The first week of August is World Breastfeeding Week, and this year’s focus is ‘Anytime, Anywhere’.
This year we are being encouraged to think about ‘how to value our well-being from the start of life, how to respect each other and care for the world we share.’
In line with this theme, the Australian Breastfeeding Association actively promotes creating breastfeeding-friendly workplaces, providing advice for breastfeeding mothers and a register of accredited Breastfeeding Friendly Workplaces.
“There are many elements for families to consider when a mother returns to work after maternity leave. It is common for women to be concerned about how they will manage to continue breastfeeding their baby and fulfil work commitments.” – The Australian Breastfeeding Association.
With the privacy, flexibility and autonomy remote work provides, what could be a more breastfeeding-workplace than your own home office?
Remote Work Hub founder Debbie-Jo Dutton says remote employment is allowing career mums to have greater work-life balance than ever before, while continuing to advance in their chosen field.
“A lot of mums who return to work in a traditional workplace, do so in a limited capacity such as working part-time or fewer hours than they did before. Unfortunately, this can slow career progression and make promotions harder to achieve.
“By working remotely from home, more women may find they are able to continue on with their careers after maternity leave as though they never left. This means achieving career goals sooner, while also having the flexibility to balance their new commitments as a mother, including breastfeeding.”
If you’re looking for a remote career, browse our database of remote jobs and register for detailed job descriptions and to apply for jobs, as well as access our career resources and special offers from our partners through Partner Perks.