I am going back to work in two months when DD will be a year old. She currently has four feeds a day (first and last thing, and mid-morning and afternoon) and I'd like to drop the middle two. Just not sure how to go about it!
She can drink out of a beaker (has water with meals) so not worried about her getting thirsty when I'm not around. But should I be preparing her (and my boobs!) from now by dropping the daytime feeds gradually? Or carry on as I am until the day I go back to work, and just go cold turkey then?
I missed her morning feed this morning (I was out - at a meeting at work, as it happens) and she didn't bat an eye - just had a drink and a snack with her dad. She didn't ask for a breastfeed when I got in, just happily had her lunch about 20 minutes later. So I think I could drop the morning one quite easily, and possibly the afternoon one too. But I have read that babies should still be getting 'most' of their nutritional requirements from breast milk up until a year - how is that possible if she's only having two feeds a day? (She's very happy on solids by the way - has three good meals a day.) And if I DO drop feeds should I replace with cow's milk on the grounds it has more nutrition in it that just water?
On the other hand, if I just waited and went cold turkey, what would happen to my boobs? It's been a long time since I felt engorged but I had major issues with that at the start of feeding and I don't want to go back there!
Any experience or thoughts very gratefully received. Thanks!