Edinburgh mother petitions Parliament to give breastfeeding women paid breaks at work

From the Newshound archive · first published 2 October 2026 · last updated 3 October 2026.

Rachael Bews, an Edinburgh entrepreneur and mother of three, has launched a petition demanding a statutory right to paid breastfeeding and expressing breaks after being barred from a professional development programme because she needed to bring her five-month-old daughter. Bews, founder of marketing agency Nu Coton, says the current system forces women to choose between feeding their babies and earning a living. Her 'Don't Make Me Choose' campaign argues the barrier is one of health and equality, not special treatment.

If the petition reaches 10,000 signatures, the Government must respond; 100,000 would trigger a parliamentary debate.

Bews says she has heard from scores of women who have faced the same impossible choice since speaking publicly about her own experience.