back to work with bf 1yr old

[nearlyreadytopop]

Im due back to work next week. Three days a week to begin with. Ds is bf. He can feed anything between 2 and 6 times a day depending on what we are doing. I want to continue to feed him morning and night. He takes water from a beaker and when we have tried some formula.
He Will be 1 ten days after i start back. Is it ok to offer cows milk to replace the mid morning and afternoon bm feeds?
What do I do on the other non work days? Can i feed him or will that be confusing for him?
Under so much pressure to wean but breast feeding was so hard for the first five months i want to enjoy it now.

I continued feeding DS1, 2 and 3 until they were 16 months and worked from 12 months. We went straight to cows milk at 12 months and I offered this in a doidy cup at meal times. None of them were keen but I persevered and they all love it now. I gave water in the day with a snack for mid morning and mid afternoon and BF morning and night until dropping the night feed then the morning feed when ready. You can go to just a morning and night feed and don't have wean completely. Once my DSs got into the routine they did not 'ask' for a BF during the day and happily fed morning and night. There is no need to wean so don't feel any pressure.

Don't worry, you don't need to wean. I went back to work when ds was 9 months. 3 days per week, 8 til 4 andHe was still having at least one feed between those hrs. I work in the community so the plan was that my mum would call me when he needed feeding and I would nip home. To cut a long story short, she never had to call once. He feeds before I go and when I get back and has juice and food during the hrs I am away. On the days I am home he feeds as usual.
I would say not to worry, they don't miss It if you aren't there! My ds is now just approaching one and still bf despite me working. it's perfectly do able!

thank you both, thats reassuring. Just one more question. DS has recently started sleeping through (yay) and Im worried that less milk during the day will mean that he will wake at night, did you find this happened ?

Well my ds has never slept through, we co sleep and he's on and off the boob all night long, it's only the last couple of weeks he hasnt been as interested overnight. I don't find he wakes more frequently on the nights I work though. If he makes up for it anywhere, I think it's as soon as I get back. He will quite happily have two boobs and take his time doing it, whereas his usual day feeds, if he has one, are now quick 3 minute one boob jobs.

Mine did wake more at night when I first went back to work. I think it's because it's a bit scary for her to be in nursery all day, when she's used to being stuck to me 24/7. It settled down eventually, and now she's now sleeping through again (from 10 till around 5-6) at 14mo.

I'm still bf her at bedtime, dream feed and on wake up FYI.

HTH.

With the going back to work I agree they don't miss it if your not there but seem to make up for it when I was there bf ds untill 13 months. I went back to work for 2 days a week and when this happened we had to train ds to sleep through as they do not need the milk at night its more for comfort. Once we did this he slept through ever since (ds is now 2) well except for if he is ill teething etc. Oh and don't forget if you are still feeding you will need to express at work at (if you are doing a full day) my work let me use the 1st aid room to do this they were very accomodating.