Back to work, DS2 is 12 months ... how to manage breastfeeding now ...

[sheeplikessleep]

DS2 is 13 months old next week and eats (solids) very well, has done for months. He also BFs (roughly!) 6am, 9am, 1pm and 6pm + sometimes he also has extra feeds. He doesn't drink much water or indeed, milk from a beaker.

I have just started back at work, 2 days a week. I'm wondering how long I can go, before my milk supply starts to get affected. So far, this is our longest day, fed at 6.30am this morning and I feel full now (but not uncomfy). If I do go all day without feeds, other than morning and night (when he normally feeds 3-4 times a day when I'm with him), will my supply be affected?

I work 2 days a week, not consecutive.

Also, I sometimes work evenings - about 2 or 3 a months. Wondering if I will need to express mid-afternoon on those days? Would love to NOT express, but keen to continue breastfeeding, alongside working too.

Any information or experiences very much appreciated.

Cheers

I went back to work in January 3 days a week and posted an almost identical message to yours. I droppped two feeds a day on work days and I was pretty sore to start with but it's fine now and has had no effect on my supply. DD has cows milk at nursery and we've carried on breastfeeding at home. She has quickly learnt that that is the way it works. You might find that DS2 ups his water/ milk intake from a cup on work days as that's all that is on offer. Alternatively, he may want a mega feed when you get home from work.

With regard to evenings, I don't work in the evenings but have had two nights away last month, I expressed for my own comfort to relieve engorgement but dd was fine with DH putting her to bed after a bottle of cows milk. Again, you might find he takes it if you aren't around.

Thanks Blackteaplease. That's reassuring that your supply isn't affected. I will express if I needed to, but I can't be faffed tbh.

We haven't yet done an evening without me around to feed - hoping it will go better than I'm anticipating!

Thanks for posting.

I got very nervous about the evening feed when I wasn't there and we had a few trial runs that weren't a success as dd knew I was there and wouldn't take the bottle. In the end, once I was out of the house there wasn't any fuss at all and I needn't have worried. Hopefully, your experience will be the same.

Your milk will adjust itself just fine but it's worth taking your expresser with you to relieve any pain to avoid the risk of blocked ducts/mastitis if you do get engorged. If you start to feel too full, just take enough off to relieve it - unless you are able and happy to get a full feed off to give at nursery.

At this age your milk supply is really solid so don't worry about that. Just make sure that you are comfortable and watch out for engorgement as your breast care is more important than your milk supply as the latter will look after itself.

I went back to work full time at 9 months and kept breastfeeding until 18 months. My boobs simply adapted, no problems at all

not sure this is quite your issue - but in case it helps the bigger picture - I didn't have any success getting my son to drink any water - until, at 10mths HV told me he only needed 2 feeds a day which we did and now he drinks water with his lunch & tea.

Now I'm not saying its better to give water but I think it shows if they drink less because of less feeds and as a consequence may be thirsty they will take what they need by way of water.

nb my milk supply has always adapted to whatever he has - without any problems at all. Indeed a few weeks ago he went through about 4 days of taking 50mins each morning instead of his normal 15 - it came from somewhere!

Good luck

blackteaplease - i hope so! we haven't gone down the bottle route , so i'm really hoping he'll take some milk from a beaker soon. i am thinking that if he doesn't take any milk at all on those two days (apart from mornings), that he will be fine at his age and will make up for it on the days i'm at home.

organiccarrotcake - that's reassuring thank you. i keep dreaming about booking a night away with dh in a couple of months, so really hoping we can go without worrying about ds2/supply/engorgement etc.

widowwadman - thank you also, that is also reassuring! it's clever really - that today i'll feed twice, but tomorrow, i'll feed like 4 times (or more) and there's always enough.

thanks all for posting.