Back to work and struggling to keep up the bfing

[caesar04]

So....

DD 7 months, EBF till 2 weeks ago (has had bottles of expressed regularly) when I started adding a ff in preparation for going back to work which I did this week.

I am already finding it a big challenge to keep feeding her, not the expressing at work part, that's going fine but probs are:
Finding time to feed her in the morning before leaving for work
She's not having much milk in the daytime, waits for me to get home at 4ish so I have been feeding her then but that's a problem as should be getting tea ready for DS
Tea is then late which means a tired hungry toddler and grouchy baby
She's then not very hungry for her solids but then wants a big milk feed at 7ish, I have found she wasn't satisfied with just bm so offered her a bottle tonight and she took 7 oz!! She's obv been going to sleep hungry which explains why she's been waking at 9pm.

Feel in such a muddle and that my supply is all over the place.... should I just give up??

Any working mums still bfing?

[DrCoconut]

Do you have access to a BF support worker? If so they may be able to advise. I will be going back to work and am worried about the same issue.

[RitaMorgan]

For the morning feed, can you bring her into bed with you half an hour or so before you have to get up and feed her lying down while you doze?

Does she feed in the night?

For tea can you batch cook things and prepare stuff the night before so it just has to be reheated?

[caesar04]

Yes I think so, they rang me months ago just after DD was born. I'll dig out the number and give them a ring next week. Good idea

Although might have caved by then!

Going back to work had also coincided with her weaning (BLW) so milk feeds are naturally reducing, not even sure how often/much she should be having

DS was ff by the same age and also puree weaned so much easier to monitor food and milk intake.

Was planning to bf till she was at least 1 so a bit gutted if I have to stop.

[caesar04]

RitaM
She's very hit and miss in the night, sometimes sleeps till 4am has a cuddle and dummy then back to sleep till about 5.30am then needs a feed. Other nights wakes at 2, 4 and then 6! I sometimes feed her, sometimes not.
So the days she has fed in the night she's not v hungry in the morning which has lead to me trying to feed her before I leave for work as am worried she will be starving by 9am.

Hmmm...am now thinking this is all connected (obviously!!!) and maybe if I night wean her properly she would take more milk in day?

[upsandowns]

Poor you, sounds hard. Do you want to still bf? If so then I'm sure you'll find a way. could you prep tea night before and just warm it up? Or offer dd a bit of your expressed at work milk in a bottle at 4 to keep her going then bf after supper? Could you get her up a little bit earlier and bring her into bed with you for the morning feed (and doze while she sleeps,)

My lo is 9 months and I feed her a little bit before work (but shes a bad sleeper and has normally had milk at various points through the night!) then express at work, she has supper at childminders and I feed her when get home. It's sometimes tricky to get times right, tonight she feel asleep fully clothed downstairs when I was feeding her, normally I just feed her before bed but tonight she was fractious and obviously hungry. So we don't always get it right but I am destermined to carry on.

I'm not sure if thats any help but I hope it gets easier. Maybe if it's all feeling too much then you could try and just drop one feed?

[upsandowns]

ABM helpline is fab 0844 412 2949

[upsandowns]

ABM helpline is fab 0844 412 2949

[caesar04]

Thanks upanddown, it is hard and only the first week back!! And have no RL friends who fed past 4 months so no-one to share exp with.

I do want to keep feeding as I enjoy it but bottles are quicker, DD tends to graze when bfing whereas with a bottle she'll gulp it down fast and I know she's had enough, fits in better with working/rushing about I think.

All this was so much easier on mat leave, we just kind of meandered through the day bfing with a vague routine but all a bit free and easy.

I think I just need to be more organised with tea/DS/bath etc and get everything ready beforehand. will do some cooking and freezing this weekend.

Although because I work in a school its only a few weeks till hols when I will still be working but is a much slower pace and flexibility with start time etc..so surely I can manage till then.

Also going to try very hard to night wean so hopefully will be off the boob and sleeping through by Sept...wishful thinking??!!!


Thanks for advice and support x

[upsandowns]

Yes easy to say get organised but difficult to do if she is waking a lot at night, as I imagine when you get any time to yourself you just want to chill out! Hope you have someone to help this weekend so you can cook and freeze and generally get prepared.
Going back to work is a big deal and it will get easier. Give it a week and then see if you need to change?

DD still feeds a lot at night and I would love to cut this down but am too weak not to offer the easy option that allows me to go back to sleep! But think I need to consider it.

Good luck and take it easy

[RitaMorgan]

How about doing a dream feed when you go to bed around 10pm? If she feeds 4x a day first thing/4pm/7pm/10pm that should be enough milk along with lots of milky foods in the day. Agree that if you are expressing at work and she will take a bottle at 4pm then do that if easier.