Ep. 40: The complexities of breastfeeding and returning to work with Prof. Sarah Jewell

Our guest on the podcast this week is Professor Sarah Jewell from the University of Reading, who talks to us about the infant feeding project she is currently working on.

Sarah is investigating the ‘Maternal Well-Being, Infant Feeding and Return to Work Decision‘. It is a project funded by the Nuffield Foundation and was inspired by Sarah’s own breastfeeding experience whilst on maternity leave during 2020. At the heart of the study is an exploration of the well-being, opportunities and experiences of new mothers who want to continue to breastfeed on return to paid work. 

Findings from the survey for parents have been incredibly interesting so far. Sarah reveals some of the key findings, including the wide variety of experiences of women – and why so many of them feel unsupported when returning to work. Next up, is a survey for employers to gain their perspective.

“78% of those who had returned to work or who were returning to work said either their employers didn’t have a breastfeeding policy, or they weren’t aware of anything…so clearly a lot of work to be done on the employer side.”

Sarah has re-opened the return to work survey and if you’d like to take park, please click here. You can also signup to the mailing list here.

Listen now to Professor Sarah Jewell

Our podcast sponsors – Pippeta

Pippeta are an award-winning breastfeeding brand offering a selection of breast pumps and weaning products.

The Pippeta wearable breast pump won Best Buy Breast Pump 2022 and 2023. It’s a revolutionary breast pump that is praised for its affordability and ability to give pumping mamas the flexibility to express milk on the move.

Most recently Pippeta launched their brand new product called Nips Cups. The Pipetta silver nip cups help care for sore nipples whilst breastfeeding – a very common issue experienced by new mamas when they are learning to breastfeed their little one. The nip cups are 100% silver and have all the natural healing, antiseptic, and antibacterial properties of silver. They can prevent the appearance of sore cracked nipples and aid healing.

You can find out more about Pippeta, and shop their range of products online at pippeta.com. You can use the discount code ‘BOOBINGIT10’ to get 10% off at the checkout.