Best way to do this? (Unsocial hours and breastfeeding)

[TerrorCottaPumpkinPie]

This is something that i have been trying to work out in my head for a couple of months but I'm just going round and round in circles so would appreciate some ideas :)

I go back to work from maternity leave in a few weeks. DC3 will be 11 months and currently having 4 bf a day and none overnight. He sleeps 12 hours a night from 7pm.

I will be working 6pm to Midnight for 3 days a week so will miss his bedtime feed on those nights.

I was hoping to get to 12 months of bfing and then decide how I felt about continuing or go to cows milk and we'll be so close to that when I do go back to work.

What do I do with his last feed instead? Do I let DP give him something to eat like a yoghurt and something else and then stir him to give him a bf when I get in (he eats very well so I know he'd get a good supper)?

Do I try to squeeze in an extra feed before I go to work? Although if he's not ready for one I usually have no hope and as it is it's only his morning and bedtime feeds that are the best (mid morning and afternoon feeds seem to just be a quick snack to him recently)

Or do I just go to formula for that feed (although I'd rather not)?

Or is there something I'm not seeing? I should add I'm 11 weeks pregnant so it's very possible that I'm not seeing the obvious!

The pregnant part I guess is relevant too in a different way as right now I don't really fancy tandem feeding (that might change, I just don't know). So is there any point stressing about all this as in just over 6 months it's very possible he won't be having breast milk anyway?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[BlueStringPudding]

You could do any of those. Alternatively if he's had plenty to eat, then you could try just having DP give him water or cow's milk for those nights - or expressing and leaving a bottle for DP to give him.

I stopped BF at about 12 months and just replaced the last feed with water and it was fine. I'd be wary of waking him for a feed when you come in, as otherwise you might find that he then expects a feed at that time every night, and if he's sleeping through and continues to, then he won't need anything extra.

[TerrorCottaPumpkinPie]

I was thinking that about the waking him up too Blue. He's been such a good sleeper that I would really hate to do anything to upset that!

I hadn't really thought of expressing (see told you I wasn't seeing the obvious!). I think though it's probably because I'm rubbish at it and so it never enters my head to do it. I will ponder that some more.

Thanks for replying :)

[BlueStringPudding]

If you find expressing tricky, then I always found I got better results by expressing from one side whilst baby was on the other, rather than trying to do it separately.