thread16076

[mooshy]

Hi-I am going back to work in a fortnight for just 2 days a week.My baby is 28 weeks old and I fully breastfed until about 2 weeks ago.I am slowly getting him used to tastes by mixing EBM (expressed breast milk ) with baby rice and a pureed vegetable or fruit.I am however getting into a right state about what sort of regime I should be aiming for.I am someone who has to have a plan in mind and the harder i try the more confused Im getting.I am so worried about doing the wrong thing and really want to breastfeed as long as pos-we have a horrible history of allergy in the family.Should I be dropping a lunchtime feed now or just when Im at work. If so do I ask the childminder to offer him water or breast milk as an after dinner feed ? How many milk feeds should I expect him to have when I1m not there ?Has anyone got some sort of back to work plan or a good book they could recommend please.Believe it or not I am a health professional, but as such all my collegues expect me to know all these things.I have asked them for advice but my health visitor just assumes everything is fine because all she knows of me is the very organised and professional person i become at work !Really I am down in the dumps and fed of of them all assuming I am a role model in motherhood !!Sorry to moan-any advice would be most welcome.

Hi Mooshy, I really sympathise! I seemed to confuse myself about what was best throughout the whole time I breastfed! I do LLL peer counselling now, so I've looked up a couple of things for you......
Some reading matter (reccomended by LLL):

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. Shaumburg, IL: LLLI, 1997.

Pryor, G. 'Nursing Mother, Working Mother'. Boston, MA: Harvard common Press, 1997.

Corporate Lactation Support. LLI, September, 2000. (LLLI) Publication No. 957-20

The Balancing Act. LLLI, March 2002. Publication No. 1165-17.

Manual Espression of Breast Milk-Marmet Technique. LLI, July 2000. Publication No. 571-27.

#Storing Human Milk. LLLI, December 1998. Publication No. 555-27.
(You can order the publications on the web site.)

It would probably be best to feed your baby as much as you/he wants when you aren't at work, it will help to keep your supply high. Bearing this in mind, if I were you, I'd not drop the lunchtime feeds at all, and if possible, express at lunchtime when you are at work for the following days lunchtime feed. There's no reason why your baby couldn't have sips of water at other times throughout the day, to assure his fluid intake now that he's being weaned.
(Human breastmilk can safely be kept at room temp (19-22deg.c) for up to ten hours, in a fridge for eight days, and in a freezer at a constant 0degF for at least 6 months! - According to LLLI, and a mother I know who has used these time limits.)

Hope this helps.
Good luck! You'll both be fine .

Forgot to add, maybe caling a breastfeeding counsellor would help? There are so many breastfeeding groups out there, and one of the counsellors might be able to work through a more personal plan with you. (The plus side being, they need never know your proffesion )