breast feeding and nursery at 6 months? advice needed!

[delilah88]

Hi,
I am EBF my baby and really enjoying it. We've planned for her to go to nursery for half days from 6 months, and I feel sad about this, not because I am worried about leaving her but because I worry it means the end of BF. Is there any way I can continue to BF her by expressing etc? I don't know what 6-month olds typically eat and how much milk I'd expect to be feeding her at that stage. If anyone can help me with coming up with a plan I'd be v grateful. It's a really nice nursery near my home and work. Thanks!

Hi,

The nursery where I worked would happily take expressed milk and keep it in the fridge until needed by the baby. They were really good with keeping all the bottles labelled and warming them to the right temp and right time for each baby. Would your nursery be able to do this? The nursery may also be able to offer you a room where you could spend some time BF your baby at drop-off and/or pick-up times (maybe even in your lunch break?!). In my experience most good nurseries will try to be as accommodating as possible to your needs and routine, so maybe a chat with the manager before your baby starts will let you know what they are able to offer. Starting nursery definitely doesn't mean the end to BF, you and baby will appreciate it even more during this transition time.

Hi. I agree with pp, nursery doesn't have to mean the end of BFing. my DD had to go for one day a week from 12 weeks old as I got limited maternity leave. The nursery was really close to where I worked and so in my lunch break I used to take my sandwiches and go and feed her. It was very doable, which wad handy as DD refused to take a bottle. If she had taken a bottle I would have taken the EBM and they would have heated as required. I do think a trip to speak to the nursery manager would be a good idea.

Even with the unusual arrangements I fed DD until she self weaned aged 2. She is very independent and happy to go to nursery/childminders and I'm sure its because she went to nursery from a young age and the fact that she BF meant we aways reconnected when she got home. Good luck.

Thank you both! GuineaPigs it is reassuring that you think nursery did her good as I have felt a little worried that six months is young to be looked after by someone else. But I need to get back to work.

Hi
I went back to work when DS was 6 months. He was EBF and I was that I couldn't do that anymore (no way to express at work).

We introduced formula a couple of weeks before (he never did take to a bottle so ended up using sippy cups).

I BF him morning and evening and through the night until about 9 months, then naturally he dropped the morning feed (although that's because he wasn't sleeping through the night so BF a few times a night).

He is now 14.5 months and still BF in the evening. We night-weaned a couple of weeks ago.

My supply has remained fine throughout this, I was worried that dropping down to one (less than 5 minute) BF per 24 hours would mean my supply would stop but it hasn't.

Also, for ages I managed to BF during the day in the weekend if necessary, and even after I stopped doing this, I had no problems BF during the day in the summer holiday - my supply naturally built up and went back down again no problem when I went back to work.

I returned to work when DD1 was 5 1/2 months for 2 half days a week and then 4 days a week from 7 months. we kept BFing til she was 15 months. I expressed 2-3 times a day at work. On a few days when she was 10 months or so I couldn't get a full bottle from my 2 piump sessions so she occasionally had a carton of formula. When she was 1 we switched to cow's milk in the day. Kept on morning and overnight BFs til 15 months (she started refusing bedtime boob at around 13 months as my supply was not brilliant and she didn't eat any solids)

My friend went back to work full time when her ds was exactly 6 months. He was ebf. She managed to get him to take a bottle from 5 months in prep for nursery. She bf him in morning, he takes ebm from a bottle at nursery and she bf him when she gets home and through the night. At weekends he is ebf on demand. They have had no issues apart from some increased night feeding. He is now 10 months

I went back ft when ds was 7 months, carried on bfing till 18m. I expressed at work, but even if you can?t / don?t want to express your supply will be robust enough to keep feeding around the times your dd is at nursery.

Thank you ladies this is so helpful and cheering. For those who expressed at work, what kit did you have? I've only ever hand-expressed once into a tommee tippee bottle and so don't know how to do it on a larger scale. Would really appreciate advice on what pump / bottles are good. Also did you put it in the work fridge? Thanks!

DS started nursery at 5.5 months for three half days a week - he's now almost 7 months and doing two half days and one full day. We're gradually building that up for when I go back to work full-time at the beginning of February. I give him two BFs before he goes, he takes expressed milk mixed into his food at nursery and gradually increasing amounts from a sippy cup (out-and-out bottle refuser) then I feed him at the nursery as soon as I pick him up, then probably a couple more times before bed. Yeah, he feeds through the night, but that's nothing new . I express once in the morning on a half day, then once in the morning and once in the afternoon on a full day, which I plan to continue doing when I return to work.

how old is your DD - does she take a bottle at all - as that would be the first issue -some babies won't - you will need to get her use to it I am imagine - which would mean expressing before then -
for 1/2 days you would struggle I think to fit an expressing time in your work -it use to take me around 1/2 hour - and it was quite stressful - and I was doing full days
Personally for 1/2 days I would send the baby with a cup or bottle of formula - but some babies would wait until mum picks them up - but I agree with PP there is no reason why you can't BF the rest of the time - I went back to work with DS2 at 10months - and he BF for ages and ages after that
is there any way you could delay your return even a month -then you will have a least had a good start on weaning -which could mean she feeds less often - and I didn't mind so much about formula when I had started weaning

Thank you couscous I have that book I will look it up. DD is 7 weeks now and I have only ever tried her with one bottle of expressed milk but she drank it without fuss.

Wow they grow up quickly! I can't imagine her drinking from a cup. Amazing isn't it.

From the recent front line... I returned to work this week, full time, whilst DH looks after DS, who is 28 weeks. I was really worried about it but four days in, im doing ok... By last week, DS was on to two daytime milk feeds a day at 11 and 3/4ish. He is a good eater though, having had three meals a day from 23/24 weeks. until 22 weeks he was feeding every two hours during the day so has fairly recently dropped 9, 1 and an afternoon feed.

I can't be bothered with faff of expressing at work, but have been pleasantly surprised with how much milk I can express in the morning, when I get home at 5.30ish and after bedtime (which im doing as I'm still feeling full then). More than I've ever managed before (though has been a while). Now that he's drinking from a bottle (or rather not, seems he's not that bothered when I'm not around) DS is only drinking about 80-100ml at a time. So as long as I can express 160-200ml a day he's ok.

In short: yes we can do it :)