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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Talk to me about returning to work when BFing please

13 replies

cakesonatrain · 24/01/2014 22:44

DD is nearly 11mo. I'm going back to work 3 days a week when she's 1 (sob). I guess when I'm at work she'll miss 3 feeds.

She happily drinks water from a cup, but not milk (breast or formula), and has never taken a bottle. Eats pretty well.
I think I've read that some mums/babies cope with this sort of arrangement ok, and baby just feeds when mum is around, but goes without when she's not.
Could anyone with experience tell me how it went for them?
Am I likely to need to express for comfort while I'm at work? I wasn't planning on expressing & storing any milk for DD as she doesn't drink it from a cup.

OP posts:
TeaandHobnobs · 24/01/2014 22:52

I went back to work when DS was one year. I think we had cut down to morning, sort of teatime and bedtime at that point, but sometimes one or two more feeds during the day. He wouldn't drink milk from a bottle or cup either, but was reasonably ok with water.
On nursery days (3 days/week) I fed first thing, on getting home from nursery and before bed. I wore breast pads for the first few days but I didn't feel I needed to express. I later
soon restricted feeds to those times on my non-work days too, but until that point I didn't feel my supply had any issues adjusting between work and non-work days.
He fed more overnight for a while, but that was a combination of balancing daily milk intake with also a need for comfort/reassurance while he was adjusting to nursery.
I finished fb when he was 17m, mostly because I'd just had enough by that point. I have to say his adjustment to nursery improved massively afterwards Sad

Original poster
cakesonatrain · 24/01/2014 23:00

Yeah, when I went back to work after DS's mat leave he was only feeding first and last thing so it was not an issue!
I guess I've got time to maybe cut out one of the daytime feeds before I go back.

I can't cope with more night feeds though! I've got to drive to and from work!

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gwenniebee · 24/01/2014 23:01

Very similar story to tea - I returned to work when dd was 1 year old and by that stage we had cut down to a morning feed, afternoon "tea" feed and a pre-bed feed and then as and when overnight. I did wear pads when I first returned to work, but didn't have any problem. Bizarrely, I also found that dd took cows' milk perfectly happily from my mum or the cm Hmm.

I soon cut out the afternoon feed as I was never home in time on weekdays, and, actually, if they are still bfing they will get enough of the nutirents in their other feeds. I am still bfing, but only last thing at night. I haven't felt sore at all while cutting down, or needed to express.

Liveinthepresent · 24/01/2014 23:02

cakes am sure you will get some better advice - I can't answer all your questions - but I can say you will I am sure find a way to cope.
I have returned to work twice with DCs at 6 months - and thanks to advice on here I have missed feeds but never expressed at work.
My DCs have had expressed milk at nursery and continued to feed from me morning, evening and non work days.
I struggled to get my DS to take a bottle but as soon as it became a regular thing he got the hang of it. Your Dd already is older and eats well so this is all to your advantage.

Original poster
cakesonatrain · 24/01/2014 23:02

Good to hear your supply adjusted well. Boobs are clever things!
But will stock up on breastpads. Haven't used them for aaaages.

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Original poster
cakesonatrain · 24/01/2014 23:07

They do seem to spend half the day having meals and snacks at nursery so I'm sure she'll get enough calories and water, but it seems so mean to pack her off to nursery and also remove the boobies. If only I could leave them with her!

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Ilanthe · 24/01/2014 23:13

My 9mo DS went to nursery at the beginning of the month. We were down to morning, afternoon, before bed and one in the middle of the night. He wouldn't contemplate a bottle and didn't drink water either.

I sent him to nursery with some formula and a sippy cup. He wouldn't take it. So he just has morning and evening feeds now and rather than feeding though the night has actually started to sleep through a couple of times a week. Nursery give him baby porridge for breakfast with cows milk and water to drink. He has started drinking water at home too.

We only feed twice a day at home now too and sometimes once at night and it has been remarkably painless. My boobs adjusted within a week too and I only needed pads the first couple of days.

Shootingstar100 · 24/01/2014 23:14

I went back when DD was 9 months. I teach and did 4 wks before summer hols. It was fine. DD didn't have a bottle, just water from sippy cup at childminder's, and I was advised she'd be fine during day with no milk as long as I sent cheese, yogurt etc.

I stretched her day feeds out in prep for going back to work. The week before she was feeding 9ish & 2.30ish, but she coped with 7am and 4pm once I was in school.

I wore breast pads for a few days just in case, but had no problems. Never expressed. DD fed more at night but I think that was more of an attachment thing!!!

By the time I went back after summer hols she was 1 and down to morning & night feed.

I'm sure you'll be fine. Good luck!

RubyrooUK · 24/01/2014 23:26

I've done it too.

DS1 started nursery at 9mo. Never took milk (expressed or formula) from milk or cup. Got by on solids and water in a cup. I fed for about another 9mo....a lot!y boobs were fine. I cut down during the day very slowly though.

DS2 started nursery at 6mo. He wasn't really very into solids at the start so I did express a bit. Within a couple of weeks, he was uninterested in the milk so I stopped expressing and carried on BF outside nursery as normal but ate solids there. He's now 10mo and I'm much sloppier than with DS1 and feed him on demand all weekend or on any holiday. As a result, boobs are fine all day but if I have to attend an evening event, they get very hard and resemble bowling balls by the end. That didn't happen with DS1 so I guess DS2 is still drinking a lot.

Anyway, at a year, it should be fine to avoid expressing but carry on otherwise. It is indeed a shame you can't leave the boobs with the baby though. Grin

Original poster
cakesonatrain · 24/01/2014 23:33

Lots of positive stories, thank you :)

DD's days at nursery will be long, due to horrid long commute, so she'll be going about 11 hours without the boob :( She managed 5 hours one day in December though and was fine until the second she saw me! Might have to give her a quick gulp at nursery when I pick her up.

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HoratiaDrelincourt · 25/01/2014 07:56

I went back to work three days when pfb was 11mo. I expressed for comfort for a few weeks as my body adjusted to having some days with no feeds and others feeding nearly all bloody day. Baby made up for my absence at night (Hmm - Google "reverse cycling") and on non-work days.

He had a bottle at nursery for a few months, mainly because the others did. I used formula cartons.

Good luck! Reconnecting to home by giving a bf really helps to draw a line between work time and home time.

Parliamo · 25/01/2014 08:03

Cows milk in a cup at nursery? Tastes so much nicer than formula. Babies aren't stupid Smile. Also if there are any problems about feeding and naps, I've always found nursery staff much better at fixing them me!

I stressed about this loads with dd1, it worked out fine.

Original poster
cakesonatrain · 25/01/2014 08:15

Oh I expect she will take regular moo juice at nursery but due to her age we haven't tried that here yet.

Please no reverse cycling! She's up half the bloody night sometimes anyway!

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