Return to work

[mummynumnum]

I return to work next wk as a teacher and my mil is looking after ds, 30wks. He is bf and eating three times a day. Mil is v pro bf and wants to bring him up in my lunch for feed. I am not keen as have 30mins and think will be v stressful. Ds never took to expressing, bottles or formula. He drinks water from a cup. Should I leave ds and mil with some formula in a cup or some cows milk (gc mentioned this)? And then of course feed in the morn, after work and eve. Hv said may want to consider vitamins for baby as well. What do people think?

Will you be working a full week?

I'm afraid I don't have any advice re the return to work issue but will be watching for other peoples experiences as I need to start thinking about this too...argh!

However with regard to vitamins, I haven't bothered as apparently you are only really likely to need them if you are dark skinned and/or don't have much exposure to sunlight, neither of which apply to us. I don't have the facts to hand (but this being MN someone will no doubt be along with them shortly ) but I read that if you are white skinned, even in the northern hemisphere in winter, exposing your hands and face for twenty mins per day will do the trick...apologies if this is not quite right, as I say, someone better informed will be along shortly. Then you can decide based on your individual risk factors.

Great. I read up some stuff and don't feel there is any need for then. I bf, have a varied diet and he is eating three good meals a day. Still undecided what to do re daytime drink.

I went back to work (also teacher) when dd2 was 8mths old and bf at lunchtime would probably have knocked me over the edge! There is barely enough time to feed myself let alone fit in a bf!

I left formula for dd2 and she sometimes drinks it sometimes not. If your ds is used to a cup I would leave that, if he wants milk he will drink it! I found that my dd2 would always take a bf but could often leave a ff!

Be warned though- In the early days she would 'make up' the feeds in the evening/night-I think out of comfort rather than hunger as when I stopped offering bf when she woke, she stopped waking(around 10 months - i needed my sleep to work and function!).

As for cows milk, I think you should offer formula or bm until 12 months so this it what I did. HTH and good luck when you go back to school.

can you not leave ebm for him to have from a cup?

You are so so lucky to have a mil who is pro-breastfeeding!

I know. She bf three out of her 4 and till they were q old. I have had no joy expressing but maybe I will have another go tomorrow. Mil not keen on ff so she may feel like visiting me at sch less if I can express. If we do start with meeting up at lunch for a bf, should I inform new head that I am doing it?

I was planning to leave cup with milk but if he gets stressed would be plausible for mil to bring him to school and feed in car. This would make me v stressed but obv ds comes first. Should I let my (new) head (who does not know me at all) know I am doing this.

Any more thoughts on my last post?

well I'd say if you want to give formula that's your choice! If your MIL is dictating how your baby will be fed (sounds like she is insisting on the 'feed at lunchtime' arrangement) before you even start then that's not a good sign.

You should inform the head anyway as you will need a risk assessment as you are breastfeeding. You are entitled to express at work so there may be grounds there for arguing that your lunch break be extended (assuming that's possible) to incorporate a feed, or a break at a different time.

I agree that you should let the head know. They should provide you with somewhere private to express, not the loo, and somewhere to store the milk safely.

I was going to nip out of the grounds to do feed-hence the stress. Had not thought about asking him if can do it on grounds. Being a new head, it is not the foot I wanted to get off on. My argue that we try and do without this feed weds, thurs and fri and if a no go then will have to see head to discuss.

Even if go off site (just over road) to bf will I still need a risk assessment.

If its only 3 days I think you need a serious chat with your DH then your MIL. I work 2 days. I only expressed for my comfort at first, after a bit my body realised that I didn't need to make milk during the day for those 2 days but still made it for the others.

DC1 adopted the policy of I'll just wait and didn't take formula or cow's milk, just food and water.

DC2 took some formula and food.

If he has formula during the day for 3 days and is bf the rest of the time, he is still being bf the majority of the time.

I work ft and beginning to see will need that chat. Dd wbt to nursery at 5 months and never touched milk there and waited. Ds is 7mths and feel he can do same. He feeds most in early hours of morn and think will adapt and can feed morn, eve and night and whenever at wkds so still getting good bf.

Saying that he has fed loads from me today-is that cos I am here though! Still don't know whether to have that lunchtime feed in mil car or not!!!

IMO you need to do what will make you happy - happy Mum = happy baby.

I would have found feeding at lunchtime stressful, but you will have to do what's best for you, it may be right for you. Baby's tend to adapt to whatever happens, you just need to be comfortable with your decision. My DDs always fed more when I was around but often didn't ask if I wasn't!

Good luck with whatever you decide, and don't put too much pressure on yourself. School in Sept is busy enough!

Quite and thanks for support. I have talked to mil and she will only bring him if desperate.

I went back to work full time when DS was 8mo. I found that if I BF him in the morning, straight after work and before bed, he was quite happy. I think babies adapt really well and as long as he's drinking plenty of water and eating some food during the day he'll be fine. He might feed a little bit more at weekends/when you are around at first.

You could try giving him some formula in a cup during the day if you're worried that he's not getting enough milk. I tried this with DS (16mo) but he wouldn't drink much of it and preferred water until I got home from work!!

I think it's more important to spend your lunchtime having something to eat and drink to fuel your milk supply .

Good luck with going back to work!! BF is a nice way to reconnect wen you get home

I'm pretty sure your work have to give you time and a place to breastfeed or express. Expecting you to use your lunch half-hour isn't reasonable as you need the food/drink/rest even more if breastfeeding.

if your happy to give him formula then I don't see why he would be desperate. The last thing you need with the stress of work is wondering all day whether your going to lose your lunch or not.

I've been back at work since LO was 4 months (now 6 months), so I need to express twice a day so can't offer too much help. I did find that until I was actually expressing the meal (i.e. not trying to fit it in extra) that I didn't get a lot out. Also the week before hand I snuck in expres sessions at the same time everyday. At first the amount was pretty shocking but by the fourth day I was getting double the amount (and sometimes more). My point is at 30weeks your body knows exactly how much you need, so you've got some work to do to teach it to produce more.

Though as I started, if time is a commodity and you don't mind formula, then don't do it. Also if it's only 3 days a week and you can find a evening pumping time, you should be able to get enough during the week to cover emergencies (just tell MIL there's only one a week)