Breastfeeding
Expressing and storing breast milk
How to express milk by hand and with a pump, hygiene, how long milk keeps at room temperature, in the fridge and in the freezer, thawing and warming. Based on the CDC and the NHS.
3 min read
Going back to work and breastfeeding
Going back to work need not mean the end of breastfeeding. The Slovak Labour Code (Zákonník práce) gives breastfeeding employees paid breastfeeding breaks. Here is how many there are, how to claim them and how to manage expressing at work.
How many breaks you are entitled to
An employer must give a mother who is breastfeeding her child special breastfeeding breaks in addition to the usual breaks at work.1
| Working hours | Child up to the end of the 6th month | Child from the 7th to the 12th month |
|---|---|---|
| the standard (full-time) weekly working hours | 2 half-hour breaks per shift | 1 half-hour break per shift |
| shorter, but at least half the standard hours | 1 half-hour break per shift | no entitlement under § 170 |
| less than half the standard hours | no entitlement under § 170 | no entitlement under § 170 |
The numbers apply per child.1 With twins, then, they double.
They are paid
The National Labour Inspectorate says that breastfeeding breaks count as working time and are paid as wage compensation at the level of your average earnings.2 So they are not the same as breaks for food and rest, which do not count as working time, and they are not given instead of them. If your shift is longer than six hours, you are also entitled to the usual break for rest and food.
How to claim them
- Tell your employer in writing that you are breastfeeding. The Labour Code treats as a breastfeeding employee one who has informed her employer of this in writing.1
- Agree how it will work. The breaks can be combined and taken at the start or end of the shift,1 or taken through the day for breastfeeding or expressing.
- Agree on a place to express and to store the milk, if you will be expressing at work.
Breastfeeding and solid foods
The WHO recommends continuing to breastfeed alongside solid foods after six months, to two years or beyond.4 For many women this means expressing at work, or breastfeeding in the morning and evening while the baby has solids and expressed milk during the day. Any arrangement is fine if it suits both you and your baby.
Preparing before you go back
- A few weeks beforehand, try expressing and having someone else give the expressed milk.
- Build up a small stock in the freezer; enough for the first few days will do.
- Plan the day: when to express, where to store the milk, how you will get it home.
- Clothes: a button-front shirt or a top with zips lets you express without undressing. See Nursing tops and vests.
Milk at work
According to the CDC, freshly expressed milk keeps for up to 4 hours at room temperature up to 25 °C and up to 4 days in the fridge. For the journey home, put it in a cool bag with ice packs, where it keeps for up to 24 hours.3 Do not store milk in the fridge door. In detail in the article Expressing and storing milk.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to prove to my employer that I am breastfeeding?
The Labour Code treats as a breastfeeding employee one who has informed her employer of this in writing. The law does not require a medical certificate. If you are unsure how this works in your situation, contact the labour inspectorate (inšpektorát práce).
Can I combine the breaks and come in later or leave earlier?
The Labour Code allows breastfeeding breaks to be combined and taken at the start or end of the shift. Agree this with your employer.
Where this comes from
The numbers in the text refer to these sources. The links go to the publishers’ own pages; we simply cite them.
- Slov-Lex:Zákon č. 311/2001 Z. z. Zákonník práce, § 170 Prestávky na dojčenie (Act No. 311/2001, the Labour Code, § 170 Breastfeeding breaks) (in Slovak)Check the current wording of the act before relying on it.
- National Labour Inspectorate (Národný inšpektorát práce):Pracovné podmienky žien, mladistvých a zamestnancov starajúcich sa o dieťa mladšie ako tri roky (Working conditions of women, young people and employees caring for a child under three) (in Slovak)Breastfeeding breaks count as working time and are paid as wage compensation at the level of average earnings.
- CDC (USA):Breast Milk Storage and Preparation
- WHO:Infant and young child feeding (fact sheet)
We last checked these sources on 13 October 2026.
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