What you do about returning to work and still feeding?

[Jakeyblueblue]

Hi! Am pretty new to mumsnet but was hoping some of you could offer me some much needed advice!
My DS has just turned 7 months and is ebf. I return to work on the 2nd April I am going back mon, weds and fridays and will be working 8 til 4. My mum and mother in law are sharing the childcare and both live nearby work. I am quite lucky As I am a community Macmillan nurse so out and about all day and could pop home if needed. However am starting to feel very worried about what to do about feeding when I return!!!
Luckily and by pure fluke, now DS Is on 3 meals he only tends to feed once during the hours of 8 til 4. He usually feeds about half 7, midday and then again about half 4. He has always been a little guzzler at night and picks up his feeds again in the evening and overnight as we co sleep. I will be able to still do the half 7 and half 4 feed as live very near work, it's just the midday one!!!
To be honest, his interest in the breast during the day has really dwindled with introducing his food and I think (I don't know for sure though) that if I didn't offer the midday one and just gave him his lunch a bit earlier he wouldn't protest. He is very easily distracted now as so alert so this feed I usually give him on the end of a nap when nice and quiet!!
I have been religiously giving him a cup with water and he is doing ok with it but there is no way I can see him taking a full feed from it in my absence.
He is my first and I am no expert but this was my plan. I plan to feed him at half 7 and half 4 myself and then leave my mum a bottle of expressed milk for the day. She can try him with the cup but if he isn't interested I was thinking she could add it to his cereal and lunch so he was still getting some milk. Then on my days off I will carry on as normal. I plan to express at work at lunchtime to avoid any engogement and keep a stash for my next working day. So here are my questions.....

1. Do you think my plan sounds workable or do you think it sounds plain stupid?
2. Do you think DS will be ok with dropping that feed on those days?
3. Do you think my supply will be ok as obviously I intend to entirely drop that feed in a few months?
4. Do you think I ought to try giving him expressed milk from a cup only between those hrs now on some days to prepare him and see how it goes?
5. Or should I just go home and do the feed myself? Am thinking this may cause problems though!!

Any other thoughts and advice would be greatly welcomed!!!!!! Am worried sick about it!!

Yes he will be almost 10 months so pretty similar to you. During April I have booked annual leave one day per week so it's only actually Mondays and Fridays I will be there. By the time April is through, he will be as good as 11 months. Thanks! I feel a bit better now that I am not mad thinking he will just do without when I am not there. Did you think I should drop that midday feed before I go back and give him it in a cup instead?

both my DCs at that age were quite happy to do without any milk in the day if I wasn't there -I wouldn't bother trying to cut feeds down before you go back - and I wouldn't bother expressing either - odds on by that time he wont be taking much and sure you can go 8 hours with out problem - - I would do a couple of trail days before you go back to work - and get grandparents to offer milk in a cup at midday - but don't fret if he doesnt want it. I would just offer cows milk - I know they say only for 1 year but if he is having lots of BM at other times I wouldn't worry -

Jakey, I've got 2 teenagers, went through similar to you both times when I went back to work. Both were on 3 x solid meals at 7 months, at which point they had breast feed on waking and before bed. With DC1 I did express and sent milk in to nursery, but to be honest, he didn't want it (and didn't need it, on reflection). I continued BF DC1 morning and night til he was 13 months (ie it didn't affect my milk supply); DC2 refused breast feed from 11 months. I used follow-on milk during the day, but being on 3 x meals, they really don't need too much milk during the day. Don't beat yourself up about it, you have given them the very best start, and they really, really don't need to be BF for ever. Just before anyone comes along and tells you otherwise!! (and I'm sure someone will....)

I went back to work 3 days a week when DD was 10 mo. She was BF many times a day. I started off expressing but she wasn't taking it. She was happy with her solid lunch and tea, and water to drink, at nursery. She continued to BF before and after nursery, and on my days off she BF as normal.

The nursery was in the same road as my work, so I did think about dropping in at lunch time to feed her. Then I realised it would upset her to have to be 'left' twice a day.

so in answer to your questions

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. No, you don't need to prepare
5. No, see above.

FWIW I went back FT after 6 mo but continued to BF until DD was 4 years old

Thanks for your replies guys, feeling much better about the whole thing now. I thought that my plan would be ok but when I asked my hv last week she said he would def still need a milk feed!! When I told her that I was sure he would still begetting enough as we co sleep and he feeds alot over night, she told me to get him in his own bed!!!!! I am not quite sure how that would help as he would then get even less milk!! Don't think they really know what they are on about so thought I would check with some other mums instead. I have to go on a hen do on the 3rd of march and it's a daytime one so may just leave dh with ds's usual food and see how it goes then. Thanks again guys! Most helpful!

remember they get milk with cereal/yoghurt/cheese etc. I did use follow-on milk instead of cow's milk for a while, not sure how long (it was a while back!) or what current thinking is on milk after stopping BF, so best to check. But you shouldn't be running yourself ragged returning to work and trying to express. Not saying anyone shouldn't, if that's what they want to do, but sometimes new Mums are so keen to try to be the perfect text-book Mum that it's easy to lose sight of what really matters. (been there, done that, much easier with hindsight