Going back to work when DS2 is 9 months - do I need to express milk ?

[sazlocks]

Will be going back to work 3 days a week when DS2 is 9 months. He is excl BF and we have been doing BLW for a little over a month. He is eating well and still having plenty of milk feeds. I have no plans to stop BF any time soon. I am not sure whether I need to express milk for him when I go back to work or just rely on solids and water during the day with BF morning and night. He will be at home with DH and DS1 when I am at work so happy and able to start stocking up expressed milk for the freezer in preparation for return to work. I have a meeting to prepare for my return to work in the next couple of weeks and I need to let them know if I need a place to express milk while I am at work.

Grateful for advice
Thanks

Why don't you just ask for a room to express anyway - if you end up not needing it, I can't see there being an issue and if you do, the room will be there?
Can't comment on the need for milk during the day as it's been too long since my dc's were that little and I can't remember what they had!

Thanks - I could do that and I am sure they would be happy to sort out a room. I guess the main issue is whether I need to start stocking up milk in the freezer now in preperation for going back.

You should be able to use the milk you express one day to feed him the next. Probably a good idea to build up smallish stash?

I'd try to do it and then see how you go. He may not take a bottle, or may not need one during the day, but that could mean reverse cycling, with him feeding more at night because he knows you're there, which isn't great for getting sleep to go work!

I agree. Organise the room anyway (you may need to express for your own comfort) and start building a wee supply in your freezer (just in case). That way you have yourself covered whatever happens.

thanks - wonder what others in my situation have done - leave some just in case or not bother and just feed morning and evening ?

I have just returned to work 2 days a week. For the first month my 8 month old had 2 milk feeds whilst away from me and I found I was fine to express just once a day. Then she has dropped the morning feed and just has about 4 oz in the pm. Now I am back at work (and she is just 9 months old) I do not have a chance (time wise rather than work not being flexible enough) to express at work, and am trying in the evening. But I am seriously struggling to get enough milk and have used up my stash in the freezer (2nd child, didn't get much chance before hand unlike with DD1). I wish I had build up more of a supply as now I am going to have to express an oz or two every night to keep going with ebm if she doesn't drop this feed soon or use formula which I would rather not (for totally irrational reasons I acknowledge).
She was puree/finger food weaned so eats a fair amount as well

I think I'm saying-build up a supply if you have time. My DD would manage with just food and water but as she doesn't sleep through, I prefer her to keep up the day milk. How does your DS sleep?

I was going to post a similar question as I'm just about to go back to work and am planning to express the mid-afternoon feed (DS is nine months old and generally feeds at approx 7am, 2.30pm and 6.30pm). However, attempts to do so over the last few days have resulted in just a couple of ounces of milk. DS has downed the lot (whilst having settling in time at nursery) but has then been fine with water at nursery. Having said that, as soon as he sees me, he starts lunging for more milk.

If anyone has any tips for boosting my supply whilst expressing, I'd really appreciate them. I haven't expressed much over the last nine months, but am really keen to continue EBF until he's a year. My mum reckons I should just give DS cows milk in the afternoon, which I would (probably irrationally) feel better about than formula. My mum weaned me entirely onto cows milk at around 8/9 months, but that was 35 years ago and I know the guidance has changed that cows milk shouldn't be offered as a drink until 12 months.

Finally, can anyone advise on when I might expect DS to drop the mid-afternoon feed altogether and just feed mornings and evenings. I don't know if the amount I express matches the amount he drinks directly (I suspect not), but he certainly seems to be getting the vast bulk of his milk morning and evening.

Apart from all the extra questions, I'd definitely recommend building up a frozen supply if possible and also finding somewhere suitable to express at work, so you keep your options open.

Thanks - really helpful. My DS sleeps variably (!) - on a good night he goes from 7 - 7 with 2 feeds in between. he has been on solids for a little over a month and his sleep has not changed - although being BLW I am not very sure how much he is eating.
I think I will take your advice and start expressing for the freezer - I have got a couple of months so easily enough time as well as whatver I can express at work.
I am also irrational about formula - I never gave any to DS1 and fed until he gave up at 13 months.

It is tricky because really you don't know how much baby takes ounce wise when they have a feed. We are conditioned to think about volume due to formula guidelines.

I went back to work when my DS1 was 9 months old and when my DS2 was 10 months old. However I did give them a bottle of formula for their daytime afternoon feed and b/f them morning and evening right up until they were 18 months.

Anyway I digress, there were times when I was required to go away for a night or two for work or pleasure and I expressed , sometimes as little as an ounce but I was always able to pick up b/feeding again once I returned home. So don't get disheartened if only a small volume is produced.

If you do one express, at the same time each day, you'll have plenty in reserve (prob too much, so maybe 2-3times a week). Then if you don't want to express much at work, you've got something to fall back on.

Maybe just check you milk freezes well before building up a stash. My LO is only 6 months, so my expressing amounts, will not be relevant for you.

By 9 months your supply will be fine, so if your LO is feeding more than once in the day and you only express once/none during your work day 3 days a week, it shouldn't matter. If its not enough, you could either run down your stock or carry on expressing in the evenings over the week to build enough for those 3 days.

While a lot of 9 months do only have morning and evening, I think it's a borderline age and you can't assume this.

Anyway I'm rambling, I think its hard to second guess now what your LO will be doing 2 months down the line.

As for the room, get it and then just use it to rest for 20mins . It also helps to set a precedent and hopefully help other mothers to be down the road

That's great. I had a room when I went back with DS1 and I think I was the first person to ever ask for one - surprising given that I work in the NHS. I stopped expressing at work when he was 9 months and fed anytime when I was with him and just mornings and evenings when I was at work. He was fine but I think that's because he was well established on solids by then.
I agree that its really hard to know what DS2 will be like in 2 months - every week sees a huge change at this stage. My main hope is that I have more than the occasional night when he doesn't wake up every 2 hours by then !
Thanks - your advice is much appreciated.

I went back to work last week and DD is breast fed. She now stocks up on breastfeeds when i'm there and when i'm at work for the 3 days she will happily drink water and take solids and has no breastmilk. I don't really have the time to sit expressing milk as well as work, and feed her when i'm with her. She has adapted well and nursery say she takes the water fine and is loving it. My supply seems to have adapted fine too.

hi lovingmy2 how old is your DD ?

I'm with you there on the two hourly waking. I keep thinking about all the work I'll get done when (i) I don't have to express twice a day and (ii) I get more than 90mins sleep at a time.

In reality that will just be more time to procrastinate MN.

The other side ... with the benefit of hindsight, I wish I hadn't stressed so much about it in advance and had enjoyed my last weeks off work without the hassle of expressing and trying to introduce a teat.

I tried all sorts of things and stockpiled about 4 pints of frozen breast milk ... all to no avail, as DD didn't take a bottle and appeared to be quite upset by the appearance of breast milk when I wasn't there.

We did exclusive BF and BLW as well and, tbh, I found that it made the transition to nursery more difficult (although I wouldn't change a thing). I am comparing this with my DS, who was accepting bottles by 9 months and ate mush with gusto. He was happy to be fed and bottled at nursery ... DD ate/drank very little there for a month or so.

On the plus side, we have managed to continue breastfeeding, whereas the other approach did lead to the end of breastfeeding for DS. My attempts to make him a bit more independent were too successful (still has not really got over it).

I really hope it goes well for you. It was shit short term for us, but then got a lot better pretty quickly.

thanks for your messages. I found going back to work with DS1 very stressful and spent weeks beforehand trying to get him sorted with solids and some sort of routine re bfeeding so that I could leave enough milk etc. He was only 7.5 months though and DS2 being 9 months feels a bit better as in further down the line BLW wise. I am trying to be a bit more relaxed about it this time and not let it spoil my last bit of time on mat leave.

Good luck x