Will my supply survive this?

[Noodlebugs]

I've just returned to work this week, and DD is 11 months old. I work 8 hour shifts with 1/2 hour traveling time each way. So far my supply seems to be adjusting. I feed twice in the night (including waking her to feed at 10pm ish when I get home from work) and frequently in the day.

Work have announced today that they're changing our shifts to 13 hour days (so over 14 including traveling). Although I have massive concerns for lots of other reasons, a big concern is how my supply will work (or not).

I'll only be working 3 days a week instead of 5, but those 3 days I'll be leaving at 6:45am and not back until 9:15ish. I can feed her just before I leave, and as soon as I get back, but will this work? I'd really like to keep feeding her for as long as possible, but I just can't see that this is going to work.

Is it possible? Will my supply adjust or am I going to find that my body will get confused feeding frequently some day and barely at all on others.

Any advice/thoughts?

Expressing?

It's a possibility but in reality quite unlikely. I think I'll be lucky to get a break, never mind time and facilities to express. I work in a very busy service and despite what the law says about breaks I'll be very lucky to be assured one.

It somewhat depends. Is your DD your first child? How has your supply been? Have you breastfed exclusively, and if so, for how long?

For many mums, after the first few months, breast milk is, to a certain extent, made on demand, rather than made constantly and stockpiled. So you might well be ok. Eleven months in, particularly if you've not been mixed-feeding much, your supply should be much more solid than it would have been ten months ago.

Hi Noodlebugs,

I would recommend involving your union if this change to your contract is not preferable, particularly if you feel the expressing not viable due to the needs of the business.

If however you are happy with the new arrangement, I think your milk supply will be ok, you will notice a reduction but keep feeding, particularly at night and you will produce milk and concentrate on offering your breastmilk on the days at home and it should be fine :-)

Good luck

Thank you. This is my second baby. I ebf DS for 14 months but had to stop due to medical issues he had. DD is ebf too. Supply doesn't seem to be an issue so far - It's adjusting to me being at work so far and DD still seems happy. She isn't the best eater and still prefers to bf though we're working on that. She's also tiny and doesn't drink milk from a bottle though does have yoghurt, cheese etc I'm not there.

Thank you KD73. (X-post). We are involving unions - We strongly oppose the changes and have concerns both about the impact they will have on the service and on us as individuals. Will have a chat with the unions about the impact on breastfeeding, but am reassured to hear that my supply could be OK.

I worked full time and was away from Ds for about 11 hours a day at around te same age. I really struggled to express.

I fed Ds just before I dropped him off at nursery, as soon as I got home from work and then once in the night.

My supply was not affected and we happily continued until he was over 2 yrs.

Nursery gave cow's milk from before 12 mths and Ds was fine.

That's really great to hear Theincidental. I really hope I can do the same. I felt both sad and angry that it wasn't my choice to stop feeding DS (even though it was in his best interests) and really want to carry on feeding DD for as long as we both want.

It's really emotional, so I sympathise.

Best of luck x

Your supply should be fine then, that's a lot of EBF, and having done it before, means your supply will be even more solid.

Thank you for more reassurance. I feel much better. I'm hoping my 3 days won't all be together (if they are I'll be too bloody tired to bf, or anything else!) so I should have a 'rest' day in between to bf plenty (and catch up on some sleep). Glad this is doable. Feeling much less worried now.