Bfing, mixed feeds & returning to work

[Bunnychan]

I'm returning to work in one month & my DD is 20 weeks old. She has been exclusively bfed until and will take a bottle of bm happily. I've spoke to the hv about returning to work & after deciding that I don't want to express at work ( I work full time), she suggested mixing bm & fm in the same feed. I tried this after dd refused formula out right and she happily took the mixed bottle. This has made me think that I could express around work and will mean that my bank of frozen milk will go further too. However, I have a few questions that I've thought about since seeing the hv:-
Does anyone else feed mixed bottles? Does dd still get any benefit from the bm?
I've swapped one feed this week with the intention of dropping another, how long should I wait until dropping another?
What's going to happen to my boobs?
Also, I want to bf before & after work- do you think my supply will maintain with just morning & evening feeds?
Sorry for all the questions, just looking to find out what others experiences of returning to work was x

I haven't got many answers for you I'm afraid but will watch with interest as I am going to try to continue to bf when I go back to work too. I am going to express at work though, partly because I don't want to lose the supply and partly because I think my boobs might explode if they go all day unrelieved! Will mix feed if I can't express enough though. Your DD will still get the benefit of bm if you mix, any bm is beneficial and mixing it with formula to eke it out doesn't stop this.

On the expressing at work, I checked this out before I left on mat leave. Under the equalities Act employers have a duty to provide a comfortable and private place to express, and a separate fridge (though I will keep mine in the one on my floor if no one minds). Your workplace H&S rep should be Abe to sort arrangements for you before you go back if you want to consider this.

Hi I mix fed when I went back to work dd was 7months, expressing at work would have been really difficult (I'm a nurse.) So I think I was advised to only drop one feed per week. I started off making the lunchtime feed a bottle only and after a week also the midmorning one.

I still found I got mastitis around this time though

I managed to keep the morning and evening bf going until dd was nearly a year and then she lost interest, not sure if that was because my supply was so rubbish by then. I was sad as would have liked to have kept going a bit longer but hey ho was pleased to have got so far as well!!

I have contined to bf all my Dc following return to work when they were 6 months. I had no supply issues but I did reverse cycle feeding which is fine if you co-sleep but otherwise probably very tricky I am guessing. Had no leaking problems or mastitis etc.