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Infant feeding

Going back to work at 10.5 months - milk during the day for baby?

5 replies

GreenSunrise · 25/03/2014 16:50

DD is 5.5 months and ebf. I will be going back to work 4 days a week when she is 10.5 months old and she will be in nursery 8-6.

Is it inevitable that she will need to have expressed milk or formula while at nursery? I intend to carry on doing feeds before and after work and through the night if needed as well as feeding during the day on my non work days. I know she isn't supposed to have cows milk until she is 1 but I didn't know if it is possible for her to go without milk for 10 hours at that age if she is doing well on solids

From a practical point of view if she is going to need to have milk during the day at nursery I was thinking that I will to start getting her used to a bottle soon but it does seem to be a bit of a faff to do all the expressing and sterilizing etc while Iam with her everyday at the moment and so could just easily feed her myself. If she will be able to do without milk during the day then I won't bother trying to introduce a bottle.

Also, anyone who did similar in terms of work and feeding, did your supply adjust ok to feeding more on some days (non work days) than others?

Thanks Smile

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CityDweller · 25/03/2014 17:54

I wouldn't worry too much about it yet - feeding will change a lot by then. DD was down to 2 feeds during daytime (4 total over 24hrs). I expressed, but she prob could have made so with snacks/ water on days we were apart. And by that age they can drink from a cup of some sort, so you can skip bottles.

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MrsMillions · 25/03/2014 17:59

DD is 8.5 months and probably has an afternoon bf feed still 75% of the time - but otherwise is down to first thing and bedtime. She very rarely needs a feed overnight. She's a bottle refuser so am hoping to get her settled on a snack plus water in the afternoon before I return to work.

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weebairn · 25/03/2014 18:19

I went back to work at 10 months, doing around 30 hours most weeks, including 13 hour shifts and sometimes night shifts. DD never had formula or expressed milk. She had water from a cup and was eating well at this point.

From 1 she sometimes had some cows milk in a cup too, but not regularly.

I definitely wouldn't try and introduce a bottle at 10 months; ideally you get rid of them at a year (I know this isn't realistic for lots of people). She was a bit rubbish with a sippy cup at first but decent by 11-12 months. I definitely wouldn't express right now when you don't have to, it's such a faff.

I really stressed about not being able to express beforehand, and she didn't like formula and I wasn't too keen on the idea either, but when it came to it she was absolutely fine on water and food.

My boobs were a little full and uncomfortable for the first week or so back at work, then they adjusted. On days when she was ill she could still feed many times in a day, and then the next day I'd be at work and she wouldn't - we were both fine. Similarly when I was at home she'd have a feed or two at night, and when I was doing night shifts she'd have a dad-cuddle instead.

Since we night weaned (14 months) bf has been a complete breeze. Utterly different to feeding a baby.

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GreenSunrise · 25/03/2014 20:29

That's reassuring, thanks everyone Thanks looks like I can just carry on as we are for now Smile

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Lorelei353 · 25/03/2014 20:39

DS wax a bottle refuser but now, suddenly, at 9 months is taking a bottle of formula that I have introduced for this very reason. So I wouldn't waste my time if I were you.

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