Need some advice on moving from demand to routine, bottles, food, return to work...

[fledermaus]

I have a breastfed 19 week old, and over the next 8 weeks will be building up to returning to work full time. She is currently fed on demand, about every 2-2.5 hours through the day, but by the time I am fully back at work I will need to have cut down to 7am, 5pm, 7.30pm, and 10.30pm.

At the moment our routine is loosely - bf at 7am, sleep 8.30-9.30, bf about 9.30am, formula bottle (4oz) 11.30-12ish, sleep between 12-2 (sometimes 45 minutes, sometimes an hour or 1.5 hours), bf around 2/2.30, nap around 4, a couple more bfs before bed.

So I need to get rid of the 9am and 2pm breastfeeds, I guess probably ad another bottle, and I would also like to start introducing solids before I am full time at work.

Any suggestions on how to tackle all this? Where to add a bottle/what feed to drop next - and also formula amounts? And what about food?

Thanks for any help!

Why will you need to cut down/move to a routine? Who will be doing the childcare?

When mine went into childcare it was a matter of me writing down their loose routine (also demand bf, although a little older - 7/8m, so taking solids well). Childcare provider followed this, although gradually they did fall into the general routine in the nursery.

Are you thinking of switching to bottles + formula? I'd start with one bottle a day, probably morning when he's hungry. Then gradually add extra bottles. More so you don't get engorged and to ease the transition. I had formula refusers though, so I just stopped bf totally and they had to take formula.

Solids I'd just carry on as normal, and let your childcare provider carry on what you start.

Childminder, so DD will have to fit into her routine to an extent. I will keep some breastfeeds but need to swap to bottles during the day - I have introduced one bottle so far around 12ish, but need to get rid of breastfeeds at 9am and 2pm too so don't know if it would be best to try to make this one morning bottle and one afternoon bottle? It would then fit in with CM's snack times.