What do you do on KIT days? Should I try formula

[Loislane78]

Will try to keep it short:

7mo BF. Taking some solids. Is ok taking a bottle of EBM from me (practising from others atm). Done some KIT days at work before, but a shorter day and come home for lunch so only needs 1 bottle, if any.

Over the next month, I have 3 KIT days I need to do (not in a row) but they will be long days, she'll need 3-4 bottles I think. My question is

• do you think I should see if she'll take some formula beforehand so she can have it those days as that's more realistic? I can pump at work. If not god knows how much milk I'll need for 4 bottles and not sure she likes it frozen.

How do other people manage? These are the times when BF hasn't been that convenient, normally works for us but i feel like I'm really having to plan around now.

I went for frozen- I expressed one little storage bottle every day and popped it in the freezer. That was there was always enough for emergencies or if I had to be away. You can keep it for months in the deep freeze. Does she really not like it frozen, or has she not really had much opportunity to try it?

To be fair she's not had frozen much, it's just she rejected some on my last KIT day (couple of wks ago) and waited an hour or two for me. I normally express and give the same day just to practice so maybe I should freeze and see what happens. I've heard the lipase (?) thing is rare; just can't bear to waste it!

How much per feed do you reckon you need at 7 mo; about 4 oz if fed every 3 hrs in the day?

Sorry, just to add she'll have little sips of water now from a doidy or sippy cup and likes food so maybe it won't be so bad for one day. Think I'm just freaking out a bit. My FF friends are all going away for weekends and telling me how easy it is and I'm just feeling a bit about the logistics and difficulties in leaving her.

It will keep for a few days in the fridge, would you be able to express enough over the 3 or 4 days before you go to work to not have to freeze any?

According to Kellymom you shouldn't give more than 3 or 4oz per bottle to bf babies and they need about 1oz per separation hour...
Hope this helps

Eek. Looks like I rather underfed DS last KIT day then - left about 5 oz total, & he only took about 3oz, in two feeds.

He did have a short feed lunchtime, but was too distracted to eat much. No wonder he fell on me for 1.5 hours when I got home.

well, that is the theory and I think it's more targeted at the US where people have to go back to work at 12 weeks or less when babies need more milk.
On my KIT days (i only had 2 in the end) my daughter didn't drink that much either... she likes it from the source...

I've got a 7 month old and going back to work in a couple of weeks. I went to my local bf support group today to ask about this as my expressing has produced pitiful amounts so far.

The counselor said that as he was eating 3 meals a day, he'd be fine on water and whatever else I can express in addition to his food as he will wait for milk until I come home and will make up for it in the evening. I hope it works out ok!

I've been away from him once for 6 hours while ebf when he was 3 months. I'd only managed to express 3oz total over 2 weeks, so left a carton of formula as an emergency back up. He drained the expressed milk an hour after I left, then wanted more 2 hours after, but refused the formula and just waited until I was back then drank for England!

7mo DS has been in nursery full-time for 3wks now (back to work Monday and was also doing KIT days last few weeks) was ebf and had just started trying a few fruit purees before he started there. He won't take a bottle, so I wondered how it would go, but he just ate everything they put in front of him - fish pie, veg soup, fruit purees - and seems content with bf morning and evening. I'm still bf as much as I can at the weekends though.

Try some formula and try some defrosted bm, but maybe try and find some solids that she likes that would keep her going if she refuses a bottle on the day.

Good luck!