Going back to work and bfing

[choceyes]

I'm planning to go back when DD is about a year old and hoping to still bf then.

Does anyone have any idea if she will still need daytime feeds? Would I need to get her used to a bottle?

My DS used to have a afternoon feed till he was about 15 months, but was on cows milk at the time, although he wouldn't take a bottle from me and waited till I got back from work for me to give him his bottle.

Would DD wait for a bf or will she needs milk during the day? Any experience of this anyone?

DS wouldn't take a bottle from nursery staff I meant.

My 6 month old has a sippy cup while he's at nursery, so I'd say a bottle is unnecessary at a year - I'd have thought you could just breastfeed at home and your dd can have water/juice/cow's milk in a cup while you're at work.

Hi, I am going to be in a similar situation shortly. I think you should try and get your dd used to using a sippy cup in the meantime.
My dd is ten months old at the moment and usually only has one feed in the daytime, but some days she has two so its a bit unpredictable. My plan, at the moment, is to try to express enough for two small feeds in the day. Mainly as a precaution Tbh.
Is your dd well established on solids? Does she drink water or juice from a sippy cup?

You can get by without one. There might be a slight unhappy adjustment, but that's life. From 10 months, we got DD through without daytime milk, but she has relatively unlimited access when I'm at home.

I have been back at work for just over 2 months and feed DD first thing in the morning and last thing at night. During the day she has water and nothing else (mainly because she broke the generally held idea that EBF babies never get consipation, and has continually had it since a few months old).

I always thought I would have to give up BFing when I went back to work, but then a friend told me she fed her daughter for 6 months after returning (in the morning with cows milk at night)- I'll be forever grateful to her for that because it spurred me on to continue.

So yes, she can go through the day without it (though I am assuming she's a good eater in other ways - mine would eat a horse if given the opportunity).

We only started weaning and doing BLW so no she hardly eats anything yet, so that's why I'm more concerned as she will be more reliant on BM than a baby of traditional weaning.

Shall try her with a sippy cup, good idea!

If worst comes to worse I only work next door so can nip in for a feed, but it would be unsettling for her, if my DS is anything to go by. It's bad enough leaving them once a day!

I went back part time when DS was 11 months old, and used to demand bf. He would drink water from a sippy cup but not much.

He was fine with his childminder without any milk on the days that I worked, and he definitely took more from a cup then - I suppose because he was actually thirsty.

I intended to carry on demand feeding on the days I didn't work but he lost interest in daytime feeds and went to mostly first thing/bedtime. The early morning feed was the last one to go, just before he turned 2.

How old is your DD now? At 7mo my bf/blw baby was having lots of bf. By 10mo she was eating me out of house and home :) and the daytime bf reduced. At 12mo she was down to morning and bedtime with the odd nightime feed when she was ill, etc. At 17mo we are still on morning and bedtime feeds. I was amazed how things could change in just a couple of weeks once blw "clicked". The best advice I got from here which worked for me was to not spend the rest of your mat leave stressing about how it will work. Your DD will not starve herself and it has a way of just working out.

If you are working next door I would just wait and see what happens...I wouldnt be able to leave work and go and feed so that why, as a precaution, I am going to leave some milk initially, but at least you know that if your DD was really upset you could go an feed her. You might actually find that because you are not there she may not demand it?

We started out BLW but switched a combo of BLW and spoon feeding, so my DD is getting quite alot of food, but she is almost 11 months old, so your DD has plenty of time to get established on solids.