when back at work?

[missknows]

Just wondering if anyone could help me out. A long way off yet but it's on my mind and won't go away until I have answers. Baby is currently 10 weeks, I will be going back to work 2 days a week from September when she is 7.5 months. Luckily my mum will have her the 2 days I'm working but how will she feed her? I will be away from baby from 7.30 am (so could feed at 7) and will be back with her at 5-5.30 pm. Expressing is out of the question. Will baby need formula during the day or will she be eating enough solid food and drinking water by then just to have milk before I leave and when I'm back? If she will need formula during the day, does that mean I will need to give it when I'm not working too as my body will stop producing during the day?

Thanks

[WhatsTheWordHummingbird]

She will probably not need the milk in the day - you could feed 7, 5.30 and then bedtime, and she may still be wakig once for milk so she should get what she needs from that.

[WhatsTheWordHummingbird]

Oh and you could still express at lunchtime on work days if you can, which will enable you to keep feeding andn your days off too

[WhatsTheWordHummingbird]

Oh and you could still express at lunchtime on work days if you can, which will enable you to keep feeding andn your days off too

[worldgonecrazy]

You will be fine at that stage. You daughter can have water during the day and will be eating solids too. There is something called "reverse cycling" though you will be away from your baby such a short time it probably won't even happen. Just feed normally on the days when you are with your baby and it will be fine. You may find that you need to feed a bit more in the evening/night for a few weeks.

I worked fulltime from 13 weeks onwards, away from my baby from 6.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. and we bf to 15 months, so it can be done. I did need to express whilst at work, but your situation is very different.

[ArtFine]

Your baby may want/need formula during the day but that would be fine. You can express at work once and feed baby when you get home.

[minipie]

It really varies from baby to baby. Your baby may take to solids really fast and not need/want milk in the day. Or she might still want milk. Or she might be a bottle refuser and prefer to wait till you get home and feed in the night to make up for it. Hard to tell until you get there.

Assuming she still wants a middle of the day milk feed: I think that if you are only going to be working 2 days a week, and you keep feeding her in the day on the other 5 days, your supply should stay maintained even if she has formula on the 2 days.

You might find you get a bit engorged by the end of your working days, if you can't express. So you may need to feed her as soon as you get home. However IME engorgement is less likely once they're on solids as your body's producing less milk.

[missknows]

Thank you all so much. That's very reassuring