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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

Proabably been answered a billion times

16 replies

InTheHouse · 12/04/2007 11:14

I am just introducing formula as am going back to work in 3 weeks (just two days a week) But what happens to your supply & how do oyu keep it going? Say I only end up able to feed him morning & night...what happens during the day then while I'm at work?

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fishie · 12/04/2007 11:14

how old is your baby?

InTheHouse · 12/04/2007 11:19

6 months old

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Dinosaur · 12/04/2007 11:21

I have to say that cutting back to two feeds a day had a fairly deleterious effect on my milk supply, although obviously everyone is different.

Can you express milk during the day at work - that helps to keep up supply?

And I found that breastfeeding on demand as much as possible at weekends helped too.

I stopped breastfeeding DS1 at about 5.5 months because I thought my supply was too low but I did manage to carry on breastfeeding DS2 and DS3 until they were about 15 months.

fishie · 12/04/2007 11:24

i should think that by six months your supply is well and truly established and only two days at work is no time at all. you'll probably find you feed a bit more to sort of re-connect after being away too. you might need to express a bit if it is uncomfortable during the day though.

in fact (do check archives i am not expert) i don't see why you need to to bother with formula at all.

InTheHouse · 12/04/2007 11:24

I am happy enough to be introducing some formula feeds because it gives me a break. But I don't want to wean him off bf yet at all. I suppose I just feed as often as necessary when I can. but formula feed meant that he slept through the night last night so I woke up with ridiculous breasts! Doesn't dropping nifght feeding reduce supply too?

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Dinosaur · 12/04/2007 11:25

sorry - had missed that you are only going back two days a week - in that case you should be fine as you can feed on demand all the other days! Lovely!

Dinosaur · 12/04/2007 11:26

I wouldn't bother with formula at this stage either - you could express and feed expressed milk to give you a break?

clarinsgirl · 12/04/2007 11:26

You will need to drop feeds gradually. I b/f my DS when I returned to work when he was 6MO. I b/f him first thing, he had some EBM at 11 and again at 2.30 at nursery (he soon dropped these 2 feeds), I b/f him again at 6.30 pm. I found that 7am and 6.30 pm b/feeds meant I kept a good suppy of milk. (I expressed whilst feeding).

Depending on his feeding routine / habits at the moment I think you will need to gradually replace each feed (other than the ones you intend to keep doing) with formula. I found that dropping a feed a week worked well (i.e. over the course of a week reduce the amount of breastmilk baby has at 1 feed by replacing it with formula until 1 feed is a formula feed IFSWIM).

Good luck

clarinsgirl · 12/04/2007 11:28

Or of course, you could replace b/fs by EBM.

InTheHouse · 12/04/2007 11:29

Thanks clarins! Another maybe silly question....How many feed approx will he be needing? I seem to be stuck on doing 5 per day (& till last night 1 or 2 at night) But I dont really know if its my routine or his??

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fishie · 12/04/2007 11:32

InTheHouse i've got to go, but if you are going to continue bfing the other five days i really don't see why you should change anything. he'll be having solids soon too?

clarinsgirl · 12/04/2007 11:33

I'm not sure that there is an answer to that... My DS stopped night feeding quite early and he liked the 7-7 routine of SWMNBN i.e. feed at 7, 11, 2.30, 5 and 7. He was a very good eater though and once I'd gone back to work he took pretty much all of his daily requirements at the first and last feeds. This was great for me as it meant that although I was working full time, I could still feed him myself. I also found that the time together in the morning and evening was lovely!

clarinsgirl · 12/04/2007 11:35

As fishie says though - you situation is different to mine in that you are not going back full time. You may not actually need to change anything other than expressing on the days you work and leaving EBM for baby.

InTheHouse · 12/04/2007 11:37

Thanks a lot everyone!

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BandofMothers · 12/04/2007 11:40

My dd2 is now on solids, obv at 8 mths, and when you wean you also obv cut bf's. At 6 mths, if she's a good feeder you shouldn't have trouble cutting down to 2 feeds a day. Slowly start cutting back on the feeds giving LONGER feeds at the times you want to keep them and shorter feeds where you want to drop them as your body does get used to the times of day when you feed the most and produces accordingly. Strange but app true.

Good Luck

InTheHouse · 12/04/2007 11:50

Thanks BoM

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