Going back to work next month...how do I drop daytime feeds?

[missbumpy]

DD will be 11mo and she's going to nursery (which I'm totally dreading). At the moment she feeds once first thing in the morning, once mid morning, once in the afternoon, and once at bedtime. I'm assuming I'll have to drop the mid morning and afternoon feeds but no idea about how to go about it. Also worried it will mean my milk supply will dry up and it'll spell the end of BFing.

She's never really taken bottles so no idea how to get her to take formula. She drinks water from a doidy cup and will drink formula from a cup as well but not sure how the nursery will feel about that (I think they're expecting her to have a bottle).

Help!

[RubySlippers]

most nurseries will offer milk (either EBM or milk) in a cup or bottle

i would give them a call to discuss it

it won't be the most outlandish request they have ever had!

am not a BFing expert so can't really answer about supply

[catweazle]

My DD has been at nursery since 10 mo. I started off sending EBM in a bottle but she was only drinking max 1 oz so it wasn't worth the effort.

Now she has water and normal food at nursery and BF at home. She's 17 mo and it hasn't affected her BF. I feed her at nursery when I drop her off. IME nursery will try to fit in with what you normally do and if you send her with a cup that's what they will give her. HTH.

[moondog]

She doesn;t neen any milk at all at this stage in the day, whether EBM or formula unless oyu want to give it.

I was able to b/feed for nearly 2 years after I wnet back to work f/t. Feeding amand pm and freely at w/ends kept supply up no problem.

[missbumpy]

I hadn't thought of not giving her milk at all during the day. It's worth a go. I'm amazed that milk supply doesn't dry up though. I'm only going back to work 3 days per week. So could I feed her normally during the day for the 4 days I'm with her and then she doesn't have breast milk during the day on the 3 days she's at nursery? Or would that be too confusing for her/my milk supply?

[catweazle]

I originally went back for 3 days as well (8- 4.30). She fed as normal the other 4 days and didn't seem to cause either of us any problems.

[cwtchy]

I've just gone back to work 3 days a week, DD is 11 months. Before I went back I dropped a feed a week, around the time of that feed we would go out for a walk or a drive, something to take her mind off it. She was a voracious feeder and I was really suprised at how quickly she adapted! I found it harder than her I think.

On the days I'm in work she doesn't have milk in the day, she has the odd sip of water from a beaker. She has a feed before and after work and about two during the night. When I'm home I let her feed when she likes, but she now only bothers once in the day when I'm home. My supply seems fine.

[missbumpy]

That's good to know. I actually dropped a feed today! It went ok. She wasn't very interested at first but she eventually drank a cup of formula. She seemed a bit cranky this afternoon and my breasts felt very full and a bit sore but apart from that it went surprisingly well!
I might try to drop the morning feed next week (assuming we get through this week all right) and then just carry on BFing first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

[MissLiss]

I'm feeding DS2 (11 months) four or five times a day on my days off work, and he's managing fine with only a morning feed and massive home-coming feed on the two days a week that I do go to work. I haven't needed to express but he has started waking more often at night to feed - to be expected I suppose. Still seem to have plenty of milk so it seems to be ok.

Good luck with it!

[BouncingTurtle]

I'm starting back at work next week, ds has had three nursery settling sessions. As he is a bottle refusnik, the nursery have agreed to give him EBM in a cup. So far he has only taken very small sips from the cup, and he seems ok with this! However, the longest session has been 4.5 hours and he will be in nursery for nearly 10 every day. However, looking at their schedule they will be offering him a meal or snack every couple of hours, and water & EBM if he wants it so I'm sure he'll be ok! He'll just make up for it when he sees it!
Your milk supply will be very robust and even if you stopped altogether I imagined it would take several days for your milk to dry up!

[misspollysdolly]

I have a similar scenario to everyone here and it's v much on my mind as I can't seem to encourage DS to drink from a cup at all. Not too worried about my milk supply, just v concerned that if he won't take anything/hardly anything from a cup that he will get very dehydrated.

At the risk of hijacking, has anyone any tips for how much the minal amount of fluid babies should get during the day.

Has anyone had any success with a doidy cup? Or simply a spoon? DS going to a newly working childminder who has not yet had her own kids, so I feel I need to guide her completely.

[cwtchy]

Hi MissPolly, I have looked for some info about how much fluids babies need...the Kellymom website says that if they get 3-4 good breastfeeds a day, then they don't actually need any other fluids.

It also said that a lot of babies regularly go 12-13 hours without fluids if they sleep through the night, and nobody worries about that. Obv though if your DS doesn't feed in the night, he would have to drink something in the day.

I can't remember if that was for babies about the 12 month mark or for any age though, so I shall go and check.

By the way, my DD wouldn't touch any form of cup until I dropped a few feeds, then one day she suddenly started having a few sips from a cup with her meals. I needed to take the Bfeeds away before she would consider it!

[MelissaM]

Hi - haven't had time to read all posts, but wanted to let you know that I was in same position as you when dd was 11 mo and starting nursery, except she wouldn't drink ebm or formula. At 11 mo she is probably ready to drop daytime feeds, at least for the days at nursery. DD had started getting harder and harder to feed in afternoon (had already dropped mid-morning) but I didn't realise this was a sign she didn't really need it any more. Just after she started nursery I replaced it with a snack and drink of water and she's been fine.

First full day at nursery I did send in bottle of ebm (and some formula just in case) but she refused it. Still doesn't drink much of anything while at nursery but make sure dh takes a cup with him and gives her a drink when he puts her in the car, then when she gets home. Usually has a mamouth bf before bed too.

Next challenge - dropping bf all together...