Can I combine any breastfeeding with my shiftwork?

[stegasaurus]

I go back to work in Feb when DD will be 9 months old. I assumed that it would be impossible to carry on breastfeeding at all with the shifts and I will need to reluctantly wean her, but someone on my postnatal thread suggested that might not be the case and to ask here.
I will be doing 2 or 3 shifts a week, either 7.30am- 8.30pm or 8pm- 8am with up to a hour travelling time either side, which could be any day except Fridays. At the moment she doesn't feed overnight and I hope that will still be the case next year, so there probably won't be any breastfeeds on work days. I won't have time to breastfeed before work as I will have to leave at about 6.30am and she still sometimes feeds for 30mins+. Expressing during the working day will not be possible, as I have never really got to grips with my electric pump and only ever managed 1-2oz in a hour and I am lucky to get 30mins lunch break in a shift. If I work 2 days in a row, 2 days could go by without any breastfeeding, and that is why I assumed it wouldn't work. Is that true or will there still be milk if she wants it on days when I am not at work? Tuesdays and Wednesdays she will still go to nursery whether I am at work or not, because it will be a routine and we are paying for it and it will give me chance to do housework etc, but on other days she will be looked after by family if I am at work and be at home with me if I am off work so she can feed if that makes any difference.

No experience but I'd imagine that you could give her formula on the days your at work and feed her on your off days. I would try getting her used to a bottle before this time so its not too much of a shock. Some babies refuse bottles from mum as they want the breast so find someone else to do it. The best you can do is give it a go and if your milk dries up it dries up and just move on to formula I don't see a need to stop before hand if you don't want to.

On a different note you may find she wants to feed in the night when shes teething or shes missing you/ it during the day. My DD is 2 and stills feeds everynight although we co-sleep and I've not done any sleep training.

Thanks for your reply. Other people (with more normal jobs) say that their babies manage without breastfeeding during the day while they are at work but make up for it by feeding a lot at night or just comfort feed at night because they missed their mummy. That won't work either though, because I will have to do some nightshifts every month, and DH won't get any sleep if DD gets used to breastfeeding at night again and cries all night because I am not there to feed her. I won't get any sleep in between my day shifts either if I am up feeding her during the night, but nevermind.
But, your answer makes perfect sense really. I am sure she will get used to bottles/ cups/ formula/ less breastmilk over the next couple of months, as we both get used to not being together all day everyday.

Hello fellow shift worker!

So actually, you'll be feeding twice a day, won't you? Morning and evening, with formula in between. And possibly 3 feeds on days off (I'd go for 3 at first to ensure you don't get engorged at work. If you later discover you can have 4 feeds on off days and go down to 2 on work days, that's good too). And formula while you're at work. That sounds totally doable to me...

I'm also a shift worker!
I returned to work when my baby was almost 11 months, usually on days when I work I manage to fit in 1 breastfeed but some days I won't feed at all. Personally I haven't had problems with engorgement so far (have been back at work just over a month). If I'm going to go more than about 36 hours without a feed I try and sneak in an extra feed to make sure I don't get a blocked duct.
I don't express at work, it would be a faff and like you I don't get great breaks, also get pathetic amounts of milk out. He has formula when not with me.
Good luck! Being back at work is fine by the way, and I'm enjoying BF more now than before I went back!