Continuing feeding 12mo+ and shift work?

[CeeeeHo]

Hi, I was just wondering if anyone has had experience of continuing breastfeeding their little one despite doing erratic shifts or being apart from them for over 24 hours from time to time?

I have just returned to work part time and my DD is almost 12 months old. On the days I'm working she is just having a BF in the morning (and middle of the night ) then again at bedtime. During the day she is fine with solids and water (having refused milk in any receptacle since the age of three months ).

In a month's time I will resume some on call work which will involve me doing a 28 hour shift. So obviously DD will have to manage without me on those occasions. Will I have to accept that she needs to stop BF completely by then, or do you think we can continue? Has anyone else done this and did their LO cope (especially at bedtime)? I would really like to carry on with BF for as long as she wants to (despite ruining my plans for conceiving baby #2 anytime soon)!

I will watch this with interest!!
My baby is one next week and I am still feeding her, but I do 12 hour shifts. I went back to work when she was 9 months, so we had to introduce a bottle of formula (which distressed me greatly, but the gutsy little scoffer was completely unbothered - it was/is food , so far as she's concerned ) She feeds first thing in the morning, a couple of times in the day and then at bedtime. I work predominantly nights so it works as I can put her to bed, and DH gives her a bottle if she wakes up.

When I do days however, she only has the first feed of the day and then is in bed by the time I get home :( I have 2 day shifts together coming up and I am dreading them. I am concerned that it may mean the end of bf as I really struggle to express now. Really hope that that one feed each day, both occurs (hoping she wakes early enough to feed before I go out), and that it is enough to maintain supply.....

Yes I have and posted similar a few months ago when I was stressing about returning to work! My ds2 is now almost 15 months and I have been back at work since just after he turned 1. I was still fully breast feeding him until last week where I dropped the daytime feed and now just do morning and evening and he has formula (milk allergy) after lunch. I do 12.5hr shifts twice a week and on those days there is a 24 hr gap between feeds.

At first I was expressing at work and feeling really full of I was too busy to express. I got mastitis the first week back (first time!) but after that it settled down really quickly and for the last month I have not expressed at all. I have noticed no difference in my milk supply and he gets a really full feed the next morning!

Good luck with your return to work.

Thanks moojie it's good to hear that we might not have to stop completely. I'm not so worried about the need to express as currently I don't get problems when DD goes without milk during the daytime. I can always express a little whilst oncall if really necessary. I suppose for her dad's sake I should focus on persuading DD that a little warm cows milk in a sippy cup could be an alternative to a bedtime BF when I'm not around!

Good luck with your first run of day shifts missing - I am dreading the first time that I get home after she's gone to bed .

I wouldn't worry, she'll wake up and demand a nice midnight BF or at least that's what DD2 always did the one night a week DH put her to bed.