Back to work, want to continue bf - success stories?

[Sunflower1985]

Ds is 8mo and I have a month left of maternity leave. Then he'll be in nursery 4 days a week with the 5th covered first by me then DH and PIL.
I'd like to continue bf until he self weans.
It seems a shame not too now we're over all the initial difficulties. He now feeds little and often all day (and night!)

Anyone have success stories of how to fit bf in a full working day (730-5 at nursery with an hour commute with ds in the car either side).

Did going back to work lead to early self weaning for anyone?

How did your dcs adjust to not having boob on tap?

Thanks

Going back to work doesn't have to mean the end of bf. You might need to pump to keep supply up if he's still feeding that frequently but I found that at around 1 year things stabilised and I could stop pumping.

My DCs were younger when I went back to work but I bf DC1 until he self weaned and intend to do the same for DC2. It might take a while to find your new rhythm but children are adaptable and I'm sure he'll cope just fine

I went back to work when dd was 11 months old. I breastfed her until she was 2.3.

Until she was 1 I expressed and she had some in a cup (bottle hater!) in the afternoon with nursery / dh but changed to cows milk once she was 1 as expressing was such a pain.

I did feeds first thing in the morning and her bedtime. They were lovely - I got us in the habit of doing both in my bed - so we'd lie down and cuddle. At the weekends we'd then have stories in bed too. Lovely lovely lovely.

It took a while for her to settle at nursery but I don't think that was due to lack of milk on tap as she was fine when at home with dh. (He did some of the care in the early days.)

I went back to work at 9 months and just fed twice a day - morning and night (and occasionally during the night!) She's a total bottle refuser and wasn't interested in formula. I couldn't get any milk out by pumping, but she has been fine with water from a sippy cup and cow's milk. It's her first birthday tomorrow and I have switched to cows milk only this week so I'm almost at the end of my BFing journey. It's tough but definitely doable. Good luck!

I went back to work when dd2 was 6 months. I worked 5 days and she was with the cm from 8-5. We managed to fit in a bf before breakfast, then she ate solids and drank minimal amounts of water with the cm. Then she would have a HUGE bf as soon as we got home and again at bedtime and all night as well.

She was fine, she was a complete bottle refuser so all my carefully expressed milk was wasted when she would take a couple of mouthfuls and leave the rest. She finally stopped bf at 2y4m, but had been down to just morning and night for quite a while before that.

I managed when DS was 9mo. He refused to drink expressed milk or water from a bottle or cup so drank NOTHING all day. Then made up for it when he saw me. I was only working 3 days a week though. The other days he carried on with daytime feeds. Night time feeds carried on as normal, unfortunately.
I did express at work, pointlessly, so he had milk at nursery if he wanted. Until he was about a year old. He did start to drink from cups at some point, can't remember when.
I weaned him just before he was 2.
You'll be fine!

Went back to work with DS1 when he was 10 months, fed him til he was 2.5 (self-weaned in mid-pregnancy with DS2, had been down to morning and night for aaaaages), went back with DS2 when he was 1 and we're still going at 17 months. Both had fairly minimal EBM when I was away (maybe one 4oz bottle/cup) while feeding as normal, DS1 lost interest in that at around 16 months, DS2 may need a nudge in a month or two.

Went back when DD was 8.5 months. Expressed at work (in fact, I'm expressing right now) for her to have with cm/ DH. She takes ebm fine from a cup with them (another bottle refuser). The amount of ebm she wants during day has gradually decreased, and now at nearly 1yo, she just has one afternoon cup of ebm when we're apart, so I've been pumping less and am stopping pumping next week (yay!). She also has a morning and bedtime feed with me.

I was worried about all this when I went back to work, primarily about fitting in pumping into a busy day and keeping up with DD's requirements. I bought a double pump and a pumping 'bustier' so I can pump hands-free. That made a massive difference. I also pumped in the evenings for the first month or so I was back at work so that I always had some extra milk on reserve. I read a post from a woman in the US about how she'd pump in the car on way to/from work (she'd hide all the pumping apparatus under a big baggy shirt). I thought that was particularly enterprising - something to consider if you have a long commute?

Like some of the others I have a total bottle refuser, so splashing out on a better breast pump this time round was pointless in retrospect!

DD was 7 months when I went back to work. I work Wed-Sat. She generally has her last early morning feed at about 6, then a huge feed when I pick her up from the cm at 3.

She has taken to solids brilliantly, and just this week (4 weeks in to our new routine) she has started takng water from a free flow sippy cup. But up until then they'd just been keeping her hydrated with lots of fruit to suck (mamgo sticks, pieces of clementine etc).

I'm cosleeping so it's difficult to judge, but I think.her night feeds increased initially although they seem to have settled down again now.

Prepare to have baby attached to you for the whole evening for the first few weeks

I went back (ft) when ds was 7m and expressed while at work, twice a day. I think i stopped doing that when he was 11 m, but I carried on feeding till he was 18m. When at home we just fed on demand as normal but the cm gave him a mid morning feed and a mid afternoon feed alongside his normal food. Fairly soon he fell into that pattern of feeding at home too, along with bedtime, morning and night time feeds.

I have also just gone back to work after ds2 who is 10.5m and up till 8.5m was a complete bottle/ cup refuser. I'm not expressing for him though, I CBA. I'm only working 3 days so a bit different to last time.

I went back to work 3 full days a week when DD was almost 10 mo. She refused the expressed bm so I gave that up and she had water at nursery from a spouted cup.

I went back FT when she was 15 months.

I BF her until she was 4 years old.

Went back to work when DD was 8.5 months

She fed before and after work plus a dream feed

She fed until she was 3 years old
When I was off work she fed a lot and when i wasn't around she managed just fine

DD never took a bottle so all the milk I expressed was in a cup or cereal

I really never expressed but my supply was just fine

I worked FT too

Thank you all so much for the replies. Ds has just had a cold and it's been so useful to be able to bf.

Frusso, your plan seems like it could suit us well.

I like the idea of pumping during the commute. Ingenious.

All very encouraging.

BF until DD self weaned at 18mo. Went back to work at 8mo. DD and breasts just very quickly got used to new routine and I fed her when I got in, before bed and in the morning. Gradually dropped everything but the morning feed as she was crawling around/drinking on the run more often.

I went back to work when dd was 9 months. I pumped at lunch time. Dd soon dropped down to just feeding morning and night, but she still enjoyed those feeds. At 11 months so got a really nasty gastro bug and she had a couple of days of bm only. She went on to self wean at 14 months. I was so glad that I was still feeding her when she picked up her bug.

Hope it works out for you- there's no reason why it shouldn't.

I've just gone back to work. DS is 12 months old. Before I went back he was having first thing, mid morning, mid afternoon, bed time and dream feed. I was very easily able to cut the mid morning and afternoon feed, replacing these with a bottle. I also dropped the dream feed and am now doing just first thing and bed time. Supply sorted itself out very quickly and there seems to be plenty for him at those times.

Of course my DS is a bit older than yours and eating plenty solids.

I couldn't face pumping so this has proved a good solution for us.

I went back when dd was 11 months, I still managed 3 feeds a day, one before work, one on getting home and one at bedtime. Slowly reduced feeds until she self weaned at 26 months.

Good luck!