Working and feeding

[Solasum]

Looking forward to going back to work.

I would like to keep bf as long as possible, but do not want to pump as it is not practical at work.

Initially I am looking at 3 consecutive days a week, on which I will be away from DS from 8-6. At nursery he will be ff How likely is it that I will be able to bf without supplementing on my non-work days?

Thank you!

[ForgettableTampon]

Should be fine, your supply is pretty well established I imagine

Be prepared for a bonkers month or two of reverse cycling (mad night feeding) at the beginning

[IUsedToUseMyHands]

Should be fine. How old is he?

[Solasum]

He will be 3.5 months

[HighlanderMam]

You say you do not want to pump at work as it is not practical. In the UK (are you in the UK?) law states that you must be allowed time to pump and a place to store your expressed milk.

You will need to pump at least twice between 8am and 6pm on your days at work, to start with most definitely. Worst case scenario are continual blockages and mastitis. Best case scenario you will be extremely full and uncomfortable and very leaky.

[HighlanderMam]

If you do not - Worst case scenario are continual blockages and mastitis. Best case scenario you will be extremely full and uncomfortable and very leaky.

[GreenGoblin0]

Agree with the previous two posters. Your employer must allow you to express and give you a clean private room to do so ( not the toilet!). You will be really uncomfortable if you don't express and may possibly get mastitis. I found it easy to hand express at work especially half way through day when boobs were full. Would only take about 15 mins to get off what I needed and we have fridge in office which I kept it in. I did this for about 5 months ( went back to work when DD 9 months old) eventually as she needed less milk I got to the point were I did not need to express. Still breastfeeding now DD is 20 months

[StarsAboveYou]

I could have managed that at 13 months but not 3.5 months.

At that stage I would have had to express just for comfort.

Sorry OP.

[ElphabaTheGreen]

You will definitely need to express. I didn't get mastitis until I went back to work. Despite doing a gradual substitution of feeds with pumping, then reducing the pumping, I ended up with mastitis SEVEN TIMES. This was because, mainly, I thought I could go the odd day without expressing then feed DS as much as he liked at the weekend. No, it turned out. Also, my DS was 8 months when I went back to work. Yours will be significantly younger so you may need to keep pumping to make sure your supply keeps up with the demand on your days off.

[IUsedToUseMyHands]

Just a slight quibble about the advice you have had. As a breastfeeding mother, your employer is legally required to provide you with facilities to rest, not express or feed. The provision of a fridge and facilities for expressing are only guidance, so don't go in all gung-ho.
With DS I expressed at first as he was only 4.5 months old when I went back - but I soon realised I was spending up to an hour a day going down to the first aid room, setting up my pump, expressing, stashing the milk in a collection bag in a cold bag and going back to my desk. And it was time I would have rather been spending with my baby. My supply adjusted very quickly after a few days going cold turkey during the day.

[GreenGoblin0]

You might find this link helpful OP
www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/breastfeeding-back-to-work.aspx#close