Worried sick about return to work

[CurryandSnuggle]

My baby will be 8 months old, I have to return to work because I gave up 4 months leave as part of shared parental leave scheme. So my mat leave officially ends mid-Feb.

She is breastfed but also taking breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I tried to get her to drink some formula to see if she would drink it at childminders, she screwed her nose up and cried. Won’t take from bottle or sippee cup. She’s had breast milk in bottle in past (same bottle, NUK), but she hasn’t had a bottle for a while. However I think it’s the formula she doesn’t like rather than the bottle. She loves a sippee cup of water but refused the milk out of sippee cup as well.

I’m worried sick about it. I don’t have enough time to express the amount required when I’m not there. I just can’t get enough out with a pump. I have an ardo calypso. It takes over an hour to get 150ml. Sometimes 2 sessions. And I think she’d need 400-420ml now (2 bottles) while I’m away from her working. I just can’t see it being realistic that I can get that much out given I struggle to pump 150ml.

When we switched to formula we mixed the two starting with 10% formula and 90% breast milk and then gradually upped the % of formula until it was 100%.

Oh brilliant idea @eurochick i’ll give it a go!

My guess would be that it's about temperature or bottle rather than the formula. To be sure could you test with express breast milk to see. If it's bottle refusal, you have time, don't worry. I feel like babies sometimes feel the stress of a parent. Mine were easy to put down to bed except when we were going out. They knew....

If it's the formula that's the problem, you could try mixing a few feeds with breast milk. I would be tempted to taste both out of interest.

I returned to work whilst still bf-ing, 1st one at 9 months, 2nd at 8 months. I fed them before I left and in the day, it was fine, no expressing needed. I was very full by the afternoon, but the babies just ate solids until I came home, and then milk from me all evening. I think I was out of the house 7.30am-5pm X3 days. They really will be ok, and as soon as you see them, big monster feed! If at nursery, be prepared to feed in car park or something before you go home. My babies went on to bf till they were 2 years (despite my efforts to encourage stopping) and they only stopped because I had absolutely had enough.

My DS went to nursery at 9 months and had one tommee tippee cup of ready made formula a day but never really drank the whole thing, he fed before work, once I got home and a couple times in between to keep him going. It was exhausting but very short term. I didn't have much more milk than he needed that time so didn't need to pump at work or anything (12h shifts).

With my second I pumped from birth and had a massive oversupply. To be honest sitting for an hour on a pump with minimal output sounds pretty miserable. 150ml is pretty good considering you are doing it on top of feeding, but I would think the stress of having that on for a full hour probably isn't helping build supply. Are you getting milk out the whole hour? You want to go on rapid sequence and light vacuum until you feel a let down then switch to slow and as high a vacuum setting as you can handle. Then I personally had 2 further let downs but that doesn't happen for every one. Should be around 20 minutes. It's much more effective to pump shorter more frequently than longer sessions. Also if you can handle it a quick pump session at 2am is the best for milk production. To make pumping less miserable, make sure you get a pumping bra so your hands are free, both boobs at the same time and nice and relaxed watching TV and its handy to have your baby in sight. Some people get really good results from vibration or heat. Also...you must be hydrated and well fed.

Thanks everyone. I think I’m going to pump at night and twice during the working day. Thinking I will get a hands free bra so I can crack on with work while I’m pumping but I’ll have a photo of DD on the desk and a warm flannel on my boob to help get the milk flowing.

I will ensure that I am hydrated and eating well too.