Expressing/going back to work - the lowdown please!

[Hamwidgeandcheps]

Dd2 is 7.5 months and I'm going back in 5 weeks, 3 days a week. She has been ebf and we started blw at 6 months. She has started taking more solids this week but she's not eating much yet. She probably has dropped feeds though there's more of a pattern now.

I am getting v v anxious about leaving her and her having ebm and whether it will be enough. There are facilities to express at work but the nature is my job will make it quite hard to use them.

Please tell me your success stories/advice Tia

My friend expressed at work from when she went back when her son was 6m til he self weaned at about 11m I think. She said she just had to give doing it priority to make sure she did it often enough to maintain her supply. A lot can change in your DDs eating habits before you go back too, by 9m she will be eating 3 meals a day I'd have thought. Have you got her used to a bottle or cup yet? Maybe that would be a good place to start. Also, although its maybe a touch controversial round here, if it all goes "tits up" (ha!) then the odd bottle of formula to supplement her solid food will not be the end of the world. Obviously ebm is better, but if it doesn't work out for whatever reason mixed milk feeding or even switching over for 3 months wouldn't make a huge amount of difference at her age really would it?

I went back full time when DD was 10months and I could feed her in the morning and evening. I did a month before that gradually increasing my days.
I expressed at work and she was having 3 bottles a day, can't remember how much, but the bigger ones? DH would know - he quit to be a SAHD.
I pumped 3 times a day at work and at least once a day at weekends.
I used a double medela pump and could get lots.
I built up a massive freezer stash before going back, it's reassuring to have for those days you can't get to pump and at one stage had 7 litres in freezer.
Pumping at the same time each days means you get more and some people say looking at a picture of your LO or having a worn baby grow to smell helps but I found I never needed it - used to write emails on phone.
I used a first aid room at work and kept milk in vaccine fridge til home time.
I can't remember how long I pumped for, a good few months anyway and hen we dropped DD down to just morning an evening feed which I could do around work.
Fed her for 19 months ( would probably hav been longer but I had to cut her down even from 2 a day to get pregnant again).