A breast pump, four baby's bottles and several plastic bags for storing milk became daily necessities for Xu Weiting when she returned to work from maternity leave.

She spent about two hours at work retrieving breast milk. Once the bottles were filled, Xu stored them in a company fridge until she left for home.

Xu, 30, who works for a clothing company in Beijing, continued the routine for 20 months, until her daughter turned 2.