back to work

[sleepyhippo]

Looking for a bit of advice please!

I will be doing back to work when baby is 8 months old (he is 3 months at the mo but just trying to think ahead a little) at the moment he is breastfed with a bottle of formula before bed (when he has this bottle I express to build a stock in the freezer so I can leave him occasionally) this is so far working really well and I am loving breastfeeding after the crazy newborn feeding round the clock!

I would really like to carry on until he is a year old ideally, but when I return to work I'm not sure if it will be possible? I hope to go back 3 days a week. How many feeds would an 8 month old need by then roughly? He would have to have formula which isn't a problem as he takes a bottle because I wouldn't be able to express to keep my supply up for my days off as I travel for work every day and am in different locations so nowhere to store it which is a bit gutting. Unless I pump it and dump it? Will my supply last if he is only feeding morning and evening and anything during the night? Can anyone think of any other ways I could keep it up?

Thanks in advance!

[CityDweller]

By 8mo both of mine were down to 4 or 5 feeds during the day - one at wake up, one at bedtime and then another 2 or 3 during day. I think your supply will be fine. DS is 8mo now and I now and then have days away from him for work when I can't express and it doesn't seem to affect anything adversely. The only issue you might have is getting uncomfortably full - so you might need to take a hand pump with you to relieve the pressure.

But, if you do want to pump you can always take a cool bag with you with cool packs in it, etc. Pump and keep milk in there to keep it cool until you get home.

[CMOTDibbler]

When I was travelling and expressing, I used a wine cooler sleeve to bring the bottle of milk down in temp as soon as possible, then would take it off so the milk was just in the cool bag with the freezer blocks. If I'd been doing it routinely, I'd have got a cool box to keep in the boot.

But at 8 months, if you feed direct all the rest of the time, its likely you'd have no problems at all just doing morning/evening on your working days

[Shanster]

I know that you can buy a car adaptor for the medela pump in style. I had one for my first two DCs and used it if I was stuck in traffic and had to pump. Its not ideal pumping in the car, as I found it harder to relax but can be good as a last resort.

[Newmumma84]

Since my baby girl was a week old she was happy taking a bottle of my expressed milk when we went out or when her Dad wanted to feed her.

She is now 10 weeks and refuses her bottle. I am using tommee tippee closer to nature. She will scream and scream.

I bought the Mam bottles and she will hold them in her mouth but not really feed from them and still screams. I have the faster flow teat on order.

Any ideas? I am going back to work in a few months so really need it sorting out!! Panicking

[sleepyhippo]

Hi newmumma I'm sorry I don't really have much advice! Just keep persevering! We use the tommee tippee bottles as well. Do you feed baby girl? Maybe she doesn't like that it's you as she's wondering why it's not your boob?

Not for everyone and not telling you what to do at all but maybe she might take formula better from bottle initially? We started off with formula and now babe takes ebm from bottle fine.

Not sure what else to suggest really! Hope this helps

[Newmumma84]

Thank you sleepyhippo and sorry I posted on your post! I was meant to start a new one but it's my first time in here so got it wrong!!

Yeah she feeds from me fine! She will only put bottle in her mouth if I start breast feeding first. It's so weird bcos she was so happy with a bottle every now and then until a few days ago. Hopefully just a phase!

Yes I think when I go back to work I will have to use formula too!

[MindfulBear]

I returned to work 3 days a week when DS was 10mo. He went to a childminder and refused all milk all day!!!! She tried a bottle, a cup, a spoon, expressed bm & ff.
He just point blank refused. He did drink water from a sippy cup & ate some solids - we did BLW so would not have been lots at that stage.
(Lookup reverse cycling on kellymom or LLL - seems this is normal!!).

So I didn't express at work. It took a week for my boobs to calm down but after that it was plain sailing.

I had no milk supply issues (& we had issues at the very start of our BF relationship so I was always a bit paranoid!) and our son retained his rugby player look :)

I continued to BF on demand when I was at home with him. He eventually fully weaned at 4yo!!!! Although he had reduced to 1 nursing session of about 2 minutes in the morning only from around 3yo.