Number of feeds to sustain breastfeeding after 6 months?

[MoonUnitAlpha]

I assume that by 6 months supply is pretty robust, but I was wondering how many feeds a day you can "get away with" and still continue to breastfeed?

Going back to work so would only be able to feed morning/late afternoon/bedtime Monday-Friday. Would it be better to stick to the same schedule on the weekend or increase feeds then?

I work full time and bf. supply has not suffered at all, dd feeds mornings, evenings and all night.

I 'think' you have to keep the same routine on weekends as your supply will adjust, for examples I'm thinking that DS 11am feed is gonna have to be formula as I'll be at work, but it will be formula on weekends too...

Plus, I don't what to have gaint boobies by the time I leave work.

I'm sure someone who knows for definite will be along soon...

lol at giant boobies.
yes, they were very engorged the first few weeks, but not any more.
on weekends I just feed on demand, when I am around dd will not take formula.

I went back to work at 10.5mo and we fed 2-3 times a day - before work, after work and before bed. It was the same at weekends too and my supply was fine. On occasion he had more then 3 feeds at the weekends but he always seemed to have enough and my boobs didn't explode with too much milk during the week!

Although by that time he was well and truly eating solids too so wasn't exclusively BF and 3 feeds wasn't cutting down too much. Not sure how much difference it would make - I suggest you just try it and see! If you are going to be expressing for baby during the day then I would imagine your supply will remain pretty much the same.

I found my supply was pretty flexible. I went back to work when dd1 was 6 months (and gave up 6 months later but that's another story) I bf morning and evening on work days and on demand the other days.

I won't be expressing at work. Currently he's eating two meals a day and having 5 bfs, but is losing interest in the midday one so I can see us getting to 4 a day pretty soon - so one of those (mid-morning) will become a formula feed.

He's stopped feeding in the night at the moment too and I'm relishing the sleep so keen to avoid going back to night feeds too!

Think I'll be doing similar to you Helen - bf 6.30am, 4ish and 6.30pm, and he can have a cup of formula at 10.30ish. Not sure what the best thing to do on the weekends is

If its easier for you could you express one feed for 10.30am, so you can still feed him on the weekend? Then just express on your lunch break in work, ready for the next day???

I had no problem maintaining a supply on 3 feeds a day and then 2 but I know some women do find it difficult, you probably won't know til you get there.

Re. the weekends, why not just give it a try if that's what you want to do and you can always switch back to bottles if you think DS is hungry or it's not working out.

Can't really express unfortunately! It would take several days work to produce enough for one feed but I'm happy for him to have formula.

Guess I can only have a go and hope for the best!

It didn't work for me on 3 feeds (7am, 6pm and 10pm) and formula in day (and formula top-up after 10pm BF) - after EBF for almost 6 months. He prefered a bottle. Continued for 6 weeks but supply completely dwindled.

But some people can maintain it, prob for me was that he found the bottle easier so wasn't keen to BF for more than a few minutes at a time.

How many bottle feeds was he having in the day?

Hi - I struggled to maintain 2 feeds a day when I went back at 6 months with DD1 - I was only feeding first and last feeds but it was all such a rush in the morning that pretty soon I was having to skip the am one especially as she decied she didn't really want to feed as soon as she woke up, so supply (like foreverondiet) dwindled after about 6 weeks. I tried to keep the bedtime feed going for a while but it was clear that she preferred bottles and I was just not producing enough milk by just feeding once.

Hope it works out for you - I am currently bf DD2 (nearly 4 months) and facing the same dilemma - although as she won't entertain a bottle, might have to keep bf!

I started to mix feed DD1 at around 5 months as I went back to work when she was 6 months. I continued to bf in the mornings, would pop over to the nursery and feed her at lunch (it was only over the road) and then again in the evening. It really wasn't long though before she started to refuse the breast as she was having food and formula at nursery.

Hi. I'm going back to work next week. DD is 7 months and I'll be following the same schedule as you MUA, but fully expecting night feeds to continue as well. I am not planning for her having formula in the day and won't be expressing. She won't take milk from bottle or cup so it seems rather pointless.

I'd be interested in comments on my plan, particularly whether she'll get enough milk:

7am breastfeed
9.30-10am ish hubby gives porridge or Weetabix with cow's milk
12.30 pm lunch including some dairy, water to drink
4 pm picked up from work, feed DD immediately
6 pm ish tea
evening and night feeds on demand

Sound OK??

gaelic - I think the advice is not to give cow's milk before 12 months? So you might be better making up the porridge/Weetabix with formula.

You use cows milk for cooking, just not as a drink, after 6 months but before 12.

can*

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - I think I'm actually going to hold off returning to work til ds is nearer 9 months, and by then hopefully 3 breastfeeds a day will be fine.

gaelic, this sounds fine to me.
cows milk in little quantities on cereal and yoghurt or fromage frais is fine at that age.

The cow's milk thing wasn't really what's bothering me . My HV also said cow's milk should only be used in cooking, but IFAIK the advice is simply that it isn't suitable as a main drink until a year old because it doesn't contain enough iron. Don't want to give formula really. My concern is whether DD will get enough breastmilk on that regime. She fed all night last night so I guess she'll make sure she gets enough.

So many people think you can't use cow's milk before a year old but happily give formula.

gaelic sheep - I haven't gone back to work after any of my DC, but my DC have all dropped to only 3 daytime breastfeeds after 6 months (morning, teatime, and bedtime) as they're so interested in everything going on around them that they don't want more daytime breastfeeds. To compensate, 2 of them had massively long bedtime feeds (more of a cluster feed that lasted all evening) and 2 woke in the night for a feed or two (I actually prefer the latter as co-sleep anyway).

So I wouldn't worry about whether your DD will get enough bmilk with your plan, as long as you're not bothered by nightfeeds.

Thanks Checkmate. I thought I wasn't bothered by night feeds - until last night. If I condition myself to expect them I think we'll be OK. What age should she be OK without the night feeds do you reckon? I don't know how I'll tell - at the moment I assume she's hungry but everyone keeps going on about bad habits...

Bad habit argument = a load of bollocks. Responding to an infant's needs quickly helps them to feel secure and loved and to grow up into confident children who can sleep well in their own beds, ime.

All my children have co-slept, demand fed during the night, and are all wonderful sleepers now (age 8, 6 & 4). Even the 19 month old only wakes up in the night if he's ill - I stopped bfing him a month ago.

Sorry, rant over!

What age she'll drop the night feeds is individual for each baby; it depends partly on how long she'll feed for in the evening and how quickly she starts enjoying solid food.
Have you got to grips with feeding lying down, so that you can at least still rest, even if not sleep, during night feeds? have you considered co-sleeping? (works well for some, but others of course find it doesn't suit them or their DC)

Gaelicsheep - I think cow's milk has too much protein as well, and isn't easily digestible. Formula is processed to be more digestible and has the right nutrient mix.