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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Breastfeeding DS 10 months, returning to work HELP

21 replies

icklelulu · 29/08/2005 11:09

Actually Im not going back to work I am starting nursing at uni! DS is 10 months and still has his morning and bedtime feed from me but also a couple of feeds when he has his naps in the day. These feeds are only about 5 mins in the day. When I start back at uni I dont want to start giving him formula in the day (I will still breastfeed morning and night) but I am worried that I wont have time to express and I might not get enough. I know cows milk shouldnt be given as a drink before a year but has anyone done it earlier? I have worked very hard to keep breastfeeding with no formula so dont want to stop now!!On my days off I expect I will still feed him myself in the day so its just for when Im not around. I feel very confused and hormonal at the mo which isnt helping any decisions! MIL just thinks I should stop feeding but there is NO WAY Im doing that, she has never shown any support so I will just ignore her comments. Anyway any help will be much appreciated

OP posts:

Fennel · 29/08/2005 11:14

mine had cows milk from 10 months. there's no real reason why not if they are eating generally well. I didn't want to make the formula companies any richer than they already are - formula has supplements in it but if your child is already getting these from their diet they won't need them in formula.

ignore MIL! no reason to stop bf when you are with ds. i fed all mine for many months after going back to work and so did loads of mumsnetters.

Original poster

icklelulu · 29/08/2005 11:34

Thanks fennel thats wot I thought!Definately dont wanna make the formula companies any richer!!I strongly intend to breastfeed for many months yet I hope DS likes cows milk, he has had it on cereal so shouldnt be a problem.
I am glad all you MNers are here to help!

OP posts:

Fennel · 29/08/2005 11:46

hi again

my dd3 never really liked cows milk, she was fully bf til 12m. so now at 16 months she hardly drinks milk, just water. but she eats lots of dairy stuff.

it doesn't really matter at 10 months if your ds doesn't drink milk during the day but just bfs when he can and has water at other times - there are mumsnet threads on this sort of thing from people who know much more about it.

fqueenzebra · 29/08/2005 21:29

Icklelulu: could you go feed your DS at noon -- on your lunchbreak during Uni days?

Original poster

icklelulu · 30/08/2005 16:06

Uni 40mins away so unfortunatly wont be able to do that

OP posts:

hunkermunker · 30/08/2005 16:07

I gave DS cows' milk earlier than a year. Only a couple of feeds a week and breastfed the rest of the time. He'll be fine. It's not like you're giving it to him from birth!

hunkermunker · 30/08/2005 16:07

Oh, and obviously ignore your MIL

Roobie · 30/08/2005 16:36

dd self-weaned at 7 months as she was on 3 balanced meals a day - I didn't switch to formula and she drank cows milk as wellas having it in sauces etc - never really understood what was meant by no cows milk as "main drink" until after 12 mths - she didn't reaaly have a main drink as such as she drank all sorts..milk, water, juice etc

Roobie · 30/08/2005 16:37

sorry about typing btw...left handed job due to bf'ing ds!

Original poster

icklelulu · 30/08/2005 19:09

Thank u for everyones help!! Definately not EVER gonna listen to MIL she has not shown one ounce of support for breastfeeding and it really makes me mad Both DS and myself are happy with the way things r! I am pleased that I have found other mums (apart from my own) that gave cows milk earlier than a year cos most ppl seem to think it is forbidden! I cant really understand why when they can have it on cereal etc. I may try to express enough but if that fails Ive got the cows as back up!Its only gonna be 1-2 times a day on weekdays so hopefully he wont be bothered!
Ooops Im babbling on again!!

OP posts:

moondog · 30/08/2005 19:21

icklelulu
I've said many times on MN that after 8 months,dd did just fine on b/feed in the morings and evenings and water and food in the day. She has never drunk cows' milk (she's now 4)and neither has her brother (now 14 months.)

MrsMiggins · 30/08/2005 19:36

dont bother expressing - your body soon adapts so you could even feed more at weekends or on days off...rest of time just give cows milk or dont worry

i went back to work with DS at 6 mths and he was breastfeed completely at weekends & mon/friday (plus solids obviously) and he did have 1 bottle of formula Tue/wed/thurs
my body just adapted....meant I didnt have to give up BF completely.

of course MIL and my own Mother thought I was mad

moondog · 30/08/2005 19:42

Quite right MM. On w/ends and days off,I easily managed to revert to f/t b/feeding and we continued happily until she was 30 months.

Roobie · 30/08/2005 19:53

That's interesting - I'm going back to work 3 days/week (Mon-Weds) when ds is 8 months and was hoping to breastfeed him mornings and evenings .... so I should still be able to bf him during the day on my days off then despite not doing so for 3 days in a row?

moondog · 30/08/2005 19:53

No probs!
Your body will adjust.

Original poster

icklelulu · 30/08/2005 19:58

Moondog 30 months thats brilliant! I plan to feed until 2 then if things r still going well Ill carry on.
MM I am prob worrying too much but I have had many many problems! Had breast abscess when DS was three weeks ( have done thread on this a while ago) and my supply doesnt adjust very well on that side. Just dont want anything going wrong again I suppose!

OP posts:

Pob71 · 03/09/2005 01:01

I just started back at work (doing four days a weel initially) this week. I work in a hospital and have taken up my rights to have a room for pumping milk in and extra breaks to do this in. Could Uni do this?, it is your legal right. Ds2 is nearly eight months now and only has a small amount of solids so far. My first week went ok, managed to pump enough for two 5-6oz bottles for the next day and he did not go hungry, have resumed feeding on demand now I'm on days off (and a bit extra pumping) to prime my supply for the start of next week. Many people have told me that babies adjust to Mum being away and drink more when you return to make up for it.
So my working day has been: 5.30 get up and shower, 6am bf then leave for work, 9am he has ebm and some cereal, 12.30ish he has more ebm (meanwhile I am pumping at these times) and I return at about 3.30/4ishand bf him then, more bf at teatime and some veggies or whatever then bf again at 7.30pm and whenever he wakes for it overnight.
BTW my Mum weaned me straight to cows milk at 9 months, I certainly wouldnt advise giving up bf this early but the cows milk didnt seem to do me any harm. Heating it up to boiling point then cooling it is meant to help it be more digestible according to Gillian McKeith ("the You are what you eat" lady)

Frances

Pob71 · 03/09/2005 01:06

Btw I feel really lucky as my mother is quite pro bf and is proud of me! Step mil probably thinks I'm mad but so what?

Original poster

icklelulu · 04/09/2005 20:15

Pob I will find out about expressing from the uni. TBH they arent very helpful with most things I have asked about! My mum is also very pro bf but MIL is another story!!! Dont get me started I was told by my HV that DS will prob just have a longer feed when I get home to make up for it so Ill have to c how things go but I think I will ask bout expressing.

OP posts:

Pidge · 05/09/2005 10:41

icklelulu - I'm going back to work 3 days a week when dd will be 10 months (in January, so some way off for me). My plan is to express a bit at work (probably 10 minutes in the morning and 10 in the afternoon). I'm not going to worry too much about the quantities, as dd will hopefully be on 3 good meals by then. And as your HV says I think the baby just makes up for it by extra big feeds morning and evening and on the other days you're together.

I never gave formula to my older daughter, who is now 3. I went back to work that time at the 6 month mark, and it was a lot more work, as I did need to express diligently twice a day for her, but it was still fine. And in fact I didn't completely stop feeding her till she self-weaned at 2 years.

Good luck whatever you decide!

likklemum · 05/09/2005 11:11

Hi icklelulu.

I'm in a similar position to you. I will be returning to work when DS is 6months. The problem is, that I will be staying away from him for 2days and nights in a row.

I went to a local b/feeding drop-in clinic and they were really helpful. They advised me to express in the morning and evening only (this will then be used the following week when I'm away), so if you express at Uni that would be ideal. Maybe talk to them about returning from break times 10mins after everyone (might be embarressing tho) or leaving 10mins early for each break.

The b/feeding clinic had a leaflet on storing b/milk from the Breastfeeding Network. It says EBM can stay at room temp for 6 hrs, or in the fridge for 3 days (5-10 oc)/8 days (0-4 oc) or frozen (-18 oc or lower) for 6 months.
When you defrost, if defrosted at rm temp use immediatly or in the fridge within 12 hrs.

I'm going to transport mine home again in a cool bag with ice packs. The leaflet gives the support line for the BFN 0870 900 87 87.

Good luck and keep us all updated on how it goes.

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