Is it possible to sustain just 2 feeds a day?

[abigboydidit]

Sorry - have been googling/speaking to other Mums and need reassurance. DS is 9.5 months old now and I've been back at work (3 days) for a few weeks. He has a CMP allergy so hasn't had formula and I'd hoped to express for the days he's at nursery. The problem is that expressing is a total nightmare! For one thing, I can pump for ages and only get a few measly drops but also, the time I would be due to feed tends to clash with meetings at work. I have a long commute home so am finding on my work days I often don't have opportunity to pump before DS goes to bed and pumping in the evening has never worked for me. So, am faced with full/leaky boobs in work meetings and near mastitis (hoping have staved it off) after my last days at work.

He has just been prescribed CMP free soy based formula which he seems happy to take during the day & I had hoped to still give him his morning and bedtime feed but every Mum I have spoken to says my milk will dry up, despite the 'net saying I could manage. Has anyone managed to sustain just 2 feeds per day? I've always had a good supply but am getting anxious. Thanks!

I managed to feed just morning and evening and the rest of the time was formula at a round the same age. Ur supply will just match what the demand is so if the demand is two feeds a day then that's what you will keep producing.

I feed my DS twice a day from 10 months when I went back to work. I feed him morning and bedtime. I then managed to continue feeding him till 18 months, the last few months only one feed (night) per day. It can be done .

Another yes from me. Kept up morning and bedtime feeds only for about 6 months until we stopped altogether at 15 months. Supply wasn't a problem, no leakines either.

I know lots of people who have sustained breastfeeding whilst only feeding when they weren't at work. I did one feed a day for ages and it was fine. But yes, there are people who find they can't sustain a supply if they're not feeding more often than that. I hope it works for you!

Oh - thanks for the reassurance. Unfortunately noone I spoke to fed past 6 months so I really appreciate first hand experience!

I dropped down to 2 feeds a day at the end of May last year and am still on 2 feeds now. (dd is 23 months now.)

She dropped down to one breast In about November as I think the other one (which had always been her least favourite) was drying up. But we are still going strong. (And I don't seem to be lopsided!)

dd stopped feeding in the day at about 8/9mo and just drank water or cows milk during the day with a bf morning and evening. It worked fine until she was 16mo when we were away, she ended up co-sleeping and snacked all bloody night. I was also pregnant by then with ds.

Is there any chance of expressing before work?

Thanks everyone. I have to leave the house at 7am to get to work (loong commute!) so barely have time to feed him and get ourselves out the door without pumping too am afraid.

I went back to work full time (10 hour days including commute) both times at 9 months. I breast fed No 1 for 18 months - just evening/night time during the week and also day time at weekends/ days off, and it looks like it's going to be the same for No2.

With No1 I did express for about a month, but she wasn't interested in expressed milk, so I gave up, No 2 has about 5 oz of formula at lunch time when she's in nursery, other than that it's solids.

Haven't done morning breastfeeds with either of them, no time for that, we need to leave the house by 7:30

My DS is 6 1/2 months and has
7 - am breastfeed
9 am - breakfast (weeatabix and formula)
12 - Lunch of vegetable puree & finger foods
3 - Breastfeed
6 - Dinner
9 - Bottle of formula
Nightime feeds (up to 2 or 3) - breastfeed

He's been doing this routine since 5 months and I seem to have adapted to what he needs!

My dd fed morning and night only from 13 months when I went back to work. She is allergic to cmp too. Because I didn't go back to work till she was over 1, we never had to use the formula. At 13 months my dd had soya milk or water to drink from a cup during the day, and a breadtfeed at 6am and 7.30pm.

Should've said, my dd is now 23 months and still feeds only 1 or 2 times a day...or not at all depending on her mood! (Except when unwell, then she feeds constantly!)

My milk dropped right off at 2 feeds but I was knackered and anaemic and my body seemed to suddenly want to look after me!

Thanks everyone. Am hoping it works for us as don't think either of us are ready to give up yet!

My DD had CMP allergy too and she hated all the hypoallergenic formulas and completely refused them.
I went back to work part time when she was 9mo and to start off with I tried to express but like you found it unworkable (could never produce any milk despite sore, leaky boobs, too busy/ embarrassed at work to do it, too knackered in the evenings!)
She wound up having bf am and pm but also a couple at night as she was always a poor sleeper too. In the day she just drank water.
I never had any supply problem. I fed her in the daytime on my days off and after the first few weeks I stopped having leakage problems at work. Somehow my breasts seemed to be able to figure out if it was a home or a work day!
I bfed her til 18mo at about the same time she grew out of the CMP allergy.I found it really nice to be able to bf her and therefore know she was getting all the calcium and the calories even with quite a restricted diet.

DS is 8mo and I'm returning to work soon and plan to do similarly with him. He is much less bothered about bf than she was and much keener on solids plus has no allergies but I just can't be arsed to start faffing around with formula at this point. I'm planning on am and pm bf and just water in between plus obviously he can have yoghurts and stuff as well.