Breastfeeding and working part time

[HVB79]

Does anyone have experience of breastfeeding and working part time? I'm going back to work in a month, DD will be 13 months and currently feeds morning, evening and maybe once or twice in the day. Wondering whether I need to cut down the daytime feeds further or if I'll be able to feed her during the day when I'm not working and get nursery to give her water/cows milk when she's there. Not sure if I'll need to pump at work for comfort if I try this?
Any thoughts much appreciated!

[cupoftchai]

I went back at 12months and boobs and baby adjusted just fine. I wasn't uncomfortable but did get full and used breast pads for reassurance. Does she drink from cup?

[cupoftchai]

I find if I'm with her she'll take daytime feeds but if I'm away she'll be happy with water/cow's milk and my supply just adjusts day to day. Amazing bodies!

[Happydaze77]

I went back to work (3 days a week) when dd was 11 months old. While I'm at work she misses two feeds (pre-nap and post-nap) so I leave one 4oz bottle of ebm for her. Sometimes she drinks all of it, sometimes not.

I express on my lunch break - to supply the milk for when I am next at work, and also to keep my supply ticking over. Sometimes I only manage a couple of ounces though, but I never feel uncomfortable and we seem to feed ok the next day still.

I think a lot of people would say it's ok to give up pumping at 12 months as your supply is so established. Dd is now 15 months and I'm considering stopping soon. It would be nice to relax on my lunch break!

Another option: if your dd is happy with cows milk, then you could replace her daytime feeds with a cup (or bottle) of whole milk.

[HVB79]

Thanks, that's really helpful. She takes waster from a cup but haven't tried milk yet. Will give that a go.

[noblegiraffe]

I work part time and bfeed a 13 month old. I feed her in the morning, and when I'm not working, in the afternoon. She also has a feed at bedtime, and a lot of couple of night feeds.

The days where she is at the childminder all day, she is absolutely fine with no milk till I pick her up. Her brother never took to cow's milk as a drink so I've not even bothered trying to give her any! I don't experience any discomfort during the day, don't pump or anything.

I'm sure she's getting enough calcium from breast milk, cheese and yoghurt, they don't actually need that much.

[HVB79]

Thanks noblegiraffe, that's very helpful and reassuring. Good to hear so many positive stories!

[NachoAddict]

I went back to work 9-5 4 days a week when ds was 10months. He never drank any milk during the day as he was a total bottle refused but just had a huge feed when I got home and then lots all night.

My supply was fine although for a couple of weeks I was uncomfortable by home time. I never pumped.

I now work 8-3 5 days a week and my supply is still fine. Ds feeds through the day if I am around but just tea time, bed time and morning when I am at work.

[crashbangboom]

I went back when DD when 10mths old. Had water only during day.

It was fine but I worried for months about it!

[weebairn]

I went back when DD was 10 months, I do shift work part time, including night shifts. Very few problems though I was a quivering wreck about it all.

She fed in the night and morning and evening if I was there, and if I wasn't, she was ok with daddy cuddles. She never really drank much in the way of cow's milk. I couldn't express. She just seemed to make up for it when she saw me again.

I stopped daytime feeds at this time because I had had some problems with oversupply previously and didn't fancy engorged boobs at work in the day- very little time on busy shifts to express and I have never successfully expressed after 6 months even when engorged. Over time (she is now 16 months) this has completely settled down and now I could skip 24 hours worth of feeds no problem at all.

I also night weaned at 14 months because I was so tired. That went very well.

I spoke to a lot of women just before I went back to work and they all said almost the same thing: at this age don't bother expressing, they will adapt, you will adapt, it will work itself out, don't make your life unnecessarily hard by overcomplicating things, just feed them when you're there and don't when you're not, it will be fine.

[weebairn]

Happydaze I suspect you could stop expressing quite easily.

[HVB79]

Thanks for all the extra responses. So nice to hear all these positive stories.

[Malkofish]

I'm back at work part-time and still feeding my eight month old. I did send her to nursery with a bottle of expressed milk to begin with but she's just not interested in milk unless I'm around. She seems fine on just food and water during the day, and we BF in the morning, when I get home, before bed and during the night. I haven't needed to express during the day (but I've never been particularly 'milky'!). It seems to be working fine for us so far. Hope it works out for you!

[Chocchip88]

I went back to work part time at 12 months with both mine. No problems at all. When I'm not there they are fine. When I'm back DS2 has milk as and when he wants. He's happy, supply is happy. DS1 was the same but I worried about it a lot more.