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Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Infant feeding

Does anyone else feel guilty about stopping breastfeeding to go back to work?

15 replies

JazmineJaveed1 · 09/02/2015 13:05

I have to go back to work and I breastfeed my baby, but she just won't take breast milk from a bottle, but she will take formula milk from a bottle, which I'm not too keen on. Do I just stop breastfeeding and go with it? Or can anyone help?

OP posts:

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worldgonecrazy · 09/02/2015 13:10

Are your employers supportive of breastfeeding? Will they allow you 3 or 4 10 minute breaks during the day so that you can pump? It might be that your baby will take breastmilk from a bottle when you are not there.

I went back to work full time when my daughter was 12/13 weeks old and I pumped three times during the day for 10 minutes a time, and reduced my lunch hour to 30 minutes to compensate. I also pumped during the night feed and in the morning.

We didn't give any formula - I only had to do the above for a few months before DD didn't need breastmilk during the day anyway, it's not for ever and the time passes very quickly.

SoMuchForSubtlety · 09/02/2015 13:16

I found it really difficult going back to work when DD was 5.5 months. I wanted to keep breastfeeding and she wanted nothing to do with a bottle. There was a lot of screaming the first day I went back

I also found expressing really difficult and impractical at work because it took me so long, so never really managed to make it work - we mixed formula and bm together for a few months but then switched totally to formula. And my boobs were engorged a lot of the time, it was quite uncomfortable.

Still, it's not all bad news. Finally giving up when DD was about 11 months was quite easy - my supply dropped off a lot on its own and DD started getting annoyed with it so she more or less self-weaned.

JazmineJaveed1 · 09/02/2015 17:31

Thank you Ladies! Much appreciated x

OP posts:

PuppyMummy · 09/02/2015 20:11

how old is your baby?
I have recently gone back to work full time and am still BF. mine was 7 months and a bottle refuser (even if I went out).

it took him 3 days at nursery to decide he would take the bottle!!

I express twice a day and he has 6oz split in two feeds plus food and water and seems fine with that.

I would say definitely try with expressed in a bottle if you want to stick with BF because it can work. I was really worried about him starving but he suprised me!

flipchart · 09/02/2015 20:13

I did at the time but in the grand scheme of things it didn't really matter!

HearMyRoar · 09/02/2015 20:16

Even if you do go to formula for bottles you can still bf when your are there. Really there is no reason to give up bf completly unless you actually want to.

I went back to work when dd was 5.5 months and continued to bf until she was 18 months.

museumum · 09/02/2015 20:17

How old? My ds didn't take bottles at all but he was six months so we got him eating lots of dairy including porridge made with formula. We still bf morning and evening till 13mo.

Dangermouse1 · 09/02/2015 20:17

You shouldn't feel guilty whatever happens but if above suggestions don't work why not bf before work and in the evening and leave formula for when you're not there. Like others said though, generally they start to accept expressed milk after a couple of days and if also on solids too she will be fine.

ThereisnoFinWay · 09/02/2015 20:19

There's no reason to stop, the nursery or cm can ff the baby when you're at work and you can bf when you're home.

JazmineJaveed1 · 10/02/2015 13:25

Thank you all, I will take your suggestions on board!!!! x

OP posts:

SASASI · 12/02/2015 00:08

I feel the same, really want to BF for a year & going back when DS is 8.5 months.

Going to broach them with idea of expressing when back at work once or twice a day - hopefully this will be well received without too much shock !!

Good luck :)

MindfulBear · 12/02/2015 23:43

I posted this on another thread but I think you may find it helpful too..... you dont need to stop bf just because you are going back to work. I did not and DS would not take ANY milk at all in my absence. That was when he was 9mo. He is now 32 mo and bf at bedtime & wake time when I am around. I do go on business trips and still it all works. I have never pumped at work or whilst away on a trip.

Our bodies and our babies are amazing, so adaptable!!

Here is the extract from another thread that I posted earlier:
We never really had much of a routine and I went back to work when he was 9mo and did a 3 day week until he was 1. Then i went up to a 4 day week. (I now do a full week) I was away from him from about 730/8 in the morning until 630 ish in the evening. He never drank milk whilst he was with either of the Childminders we had between 9months and 22mo.

Luckily I had read a US book from the local LLL library about returning to work, as well as the kellymom site. Both had mentioned reverse cycling so when DS did not take milk I was not taken by surprise. We had also been on a ski holiday the month before so had a trial run with DS in the creche and me skiing. It was then we realised he would not accept any type of milk in a bottle or a cup and would wait for me to bring the milk bar to him!!!

I was always a terrible pumper and it seemed a real hassle so although I took the double pump (in its back pack!) to the office for the first week I never used it. There seemed little point if I did not need to for comfort & if DS was not going to drink it!!!

I warn you that from about 4pm in the first week or 2 back my boobs would feel heavy. Woe betide any commuter who came too close to me on my way home!!!!!! However this calmed down pretty quickly.

When I arrived at the CM (& in the early days I arrived as close to 540/6 as I could manage) I would bf DS. He would fall upon them like a starved man - despite me knowing he had eaten well that day and drunk plenty of water smile I guess he had just missed me.

I really fretted about bf & my return to work. I should not have done. It was the least troublesome aspect of my return!!!

Over the last 2 years I have been on week long work trips and short trips too. I have never pumped. My supply has been fine. Our bodies are amazing things! DS now only nurses bedt & wake time, & not even every day now, so it is clear to me the weaning process is under way.

However in the early days I bf on demand on my days off and over night. Again there seemed no problem with supply at all.

I am glad I continued bf on my return to work. It really helped me stay connected to him and when things got tough at work it would help remind me what was really important.

Best of luck with your return and enjoy the last of your mat leave.

MindfulBear · 12/02/2015 23:46

btw how old is your baby? returning to work with a 4mo is going to be different to returning to work with a 9mo!

PacificDogwood · 12/02/2015 23:49

Nope, I have not felt guilty as I felt I always did what I was able to do at the time.

Don't stop if you don't want to.
Babies/boobs are v adaptable and will settle in to a new routine if you wish to continue BFing when you are with your baby.

Canyouforgiveher · 12/02/2015 23:51

I know loads of women who didn't express but still did morning, evening and night feeds for up to a year plus after returning to work with a small baby (in USA). baby was on formula in between. I think your supply adjusts to peak at the times your baby is available.

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