how many bf/ebm at 9 monhs

[feekerry]

I'll be going back to work in 4 weeks time when dd is exactly 9 months. She is totally ebf, never had a bottle but have recently introduced cup which she is good with.both water and some ebm.
I'm going back 4 full days a week but will be able to meet her at 1pm every day i am at work for an hour and feed her then too. Luckily my mum is doing the child care and i work locally so can easily meet me at lunch time.
We are doing blw but she eats very little. Refuses a spoon
So what kind of feeding pattern should i aim for and how much ebm should i leave??
Totally clueless as i feed totally on demand and don't even give it a second thought. would like to try get in a loose routine just to make it a bit easier on all when i go back
She is a big 91st entire baby if that makes a difference and i plan to feed on demand when I'm not working or home

I totally messed up when I returned to work and ended up giving myself mastitis so my best advice would be, ring the National Breastfeeding helpline and talk to a BFC

If you're feeding first thing in the morning, then lunch time and evenings (perhaps even nights?) I don't think you really need to worry to leave ebm for her. At nine months that number of breastfeeds is fine. I know you're worried that she doesn't eat much solids but perhaps she doesn't because she drinks a lot of bm and once you're not there to fees on demand on day she'll just take to solids more. This is what happened to DS when I night weaned him, he just increased his solids intake dramatically.
Thing is, change is scary but no doubt she'll change her habits and adapt. Sorry just my thoughts and perhaps not very helpful!

jilted really want to avoid any.boob related nasty things so will give them a ring. Luckily can express quite easily at work.
Anna dd will have free access to milk bar in mornings and evenings but sleeps for 12 hours straight at the moment. Really hoping this doesn't change too much when back at work so was going to leave some ebm. Just hard as we have never had any restrictions on bf so will be a big change!! Hopefully dd will adapt as she has to everything else so far!!

DS is 9 months and ebf but is taking solids well. He's on the 75th centile.
I'm back at work 3 days a week and on those days he goes to a childminder. He feeds from me in the morning before he goes, when I pick him up and then before bed. At first I sent expressed milk to the cm but he never touched it and just goes without while he's not with me.
He has water from a sippy cup throughout the day.

Out of interest what do you class as taking solids well??
Are we talking whole pouches/jars of food 3 times a day or whole sandwiches etc?

Think you are right to wonder what eating solids well means as its so subjective. There was a poster on the weaning board recently who was complaining that her 1 year old didn't eat much but seemed to be eating more than my 5 year old when she wrote it all down!

Ye its a difficult one. Dd poo is now almost solid so maybe she eats more than i think she does.

She could well do. You may find that like shoe, she may not want anymore than morning, lunchtime, when you pick up and before bed. Both of mine refused any milk at child care and both started at around the same age. They just waited for me!

He has a small bowl of porridge and some fruit for breakfast, finger foods for lunch and then a pouch (or home cooked of the same volume) and a yoghurt for dinner.
I admit its subjective but guess what I mean by taking them well is that he feeds less often than he did and has it after he has had solids (previously offered before).
I'm not trying to tell you what to do, just sharing how it works for us.

Your DD sounds like mine was - she was nine months when I went back to work and hardly ate anything when with me. She wouldn't take a bottle, and I hated expressing/didn't want her to have formula.

She ate brilliantly att eh CMinders and just fed from me morning, evening, bedtime and all day when I was off work.

Good luck, am sure she'll be fine.

Thank you all. Put my mind at rest.
Shoe that's interesting re volume of solids. My dd is mega interested in solids and def feeds less, in fact thinking about it apart from morning and evening its prob just snacky feeds in the day. Its just everyone else's babes seem to be eating 3 full solid meals plus pudding! That's why i think she doesn't eat much!!

sounds exactly like my situation. i have been back for 2 weeks now. dd has a bf from me at 7ish. dh takes her to my mom and she has breakfasts about 8.15 ( i send 4 oz of milk for this 2 gets used in porridge and the rest is drank out of a doidy cup) she then has a mid morning drink of 2-3 oz depending on my supply. lunch no later than 12 so when i arrive on my break dd is ready to feed. midafternoon snack of lots of dairy. dinner at 5 followed by bf at bedtime. i express for 20 mins in morning straight after her feed and again at work around her normal feeding time. there have been some gliches along the way but all in all its working. dh dropping her off is the best thing for us as dd is very clingy. good luck x

I went back to work when DD was 5.5 months and expressed twice a day for her - it took about 15-20 minutes each. When she was just over a year I cut it down to once a day. She could have managed without milk during the day by that stage, but I wanted to ensure I had enough milk to feed her to sleep for our two-hour nap on my days off.

I so miss that nap.

I went back to work at 10 months and ebf dd fed when she woke up, when I got home at 4.45 ish and then before bed and she was absolutely fine. She just had water and solids while at childcare as she wouldn't take any milk from a cup/bottle. She did have more solids when she was away from me and didnt have the option to fill up on milk.
She is also 91st centile for weight and was absolutely fine, didn't drop any weight at all and is now a strapping 2.5 year old!