Any bf teachers out there? What happened when you returned to work?

[LottyLikesWindows]

I'm going back to work at the start of September at a new school. Dd will be nearly 8 months old and still breastfed (also eating solids). I'm not sure how to proceed with breastfeeding and would like to hear your stories please. I don't know if I should express milk so she has it during the day or feed dd before and after work, and in the evenings, and leave formula milk for her to have in the day (then breastfeed as I do now during weekends and holidays). Is this sustainable or will the milk production be all over the place?

Has anyone expressed at school? Have awful visions of having to do it in between lessons in less than desirable loo locations, then running across to the other side of the building to leave milk in the shared staff fridge in the kitchen I know that the employers are meant to provide a sanitary and private room to express but just can't imagine how this would work in an over populated secondary school...

Am I making it difficult and overthinking it? I love breastfeeding not only because it's a special time for the two of us but also because I want to continue to provide the benefits that come with breast milk for as long as I can. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[LottyLikesWindows]

Thank you so much for posting clarella. Brilliant advice re vit d - new school, new germs and definitely lots of colds going around all the time.

It's great to hear about feeding to sleep and co-sleeping too. I love it, so easy to feed dd while barely waking myself and am really hoping her sleep doesn't regress once I go back to work. I'm not planning on moving her into her cot as she turns into a tortured soul each time we try to get her in there at night (that was two tries too many) and really I'd rather sleep with a happy baby than be awake with a screaming, miserable one.

Thanks for your reassurance wrt boob changes. Am hoping I don't end up being engorged and suffering with mastitis. I think you're spot on in terms of how clever the body is and how pliable boobs are to change. Mine went from fast let down, massive milky jugs of early weeks to massive milky jugs that have adapted to producing only as much milk as my baby wants and needs. Hoping this will continue as I return to work and that the boobs will catch on pretty quickly.

I've actually started to relax a bit about returning to work in terms of how feeding might pan out. Now, in terms of leaving my precious first born behind (albeit with her loving nanny), I still have a loooooong way to go

[LottyLikesWindows]

LBOCS cross post - 20 months of breastfeeding is wonderful. I'm feeling your sobs from here too - it must be so hard to stop for both you and dc. Hope it all goes smoothly for you.

[ReallyTired]

I did it support in a school and breasted my dd until 22 months. My dd refused to take bottle and increased the number of night feeds.

[AnotherStitchInTime]

With dd1 I went back to working as supply when she was 7 months. It was hard going to a new school everyday and asking for a cupboard or somewhere to express. In the end I figured her having the odd bottle of formula is just like her having food anyway. She also had cheese and yoghurt as she would bottle refuse some of the time, especially when teething. Baby cereal made with formula is another option that might be more acceptable than formulain a bottle. To make up for no feeds in the day she fed 2 hourly at night and loads on weekends. At 12 months she switched to cows milk for day time feeds, but I breastfed her for 2 years in the end.

[LottyLikesWindows]

Thank you so much everyone for sharing your experiences. I like the sound of catch up feeding in the evenings. Sure beats marking for hours on end...

[Lovelydiscusfish]

I went back to work when dd was 5 months (am an assistant head in a large secondary school). To start with, I insisted my school found me a safe space to express. Didn't need to at work after a few weeks. Successfully bf till dd was nearly 2! Good luck with your return to work -it is so hard I know!

[clarella]

Oh just remembered one more!

Leaking!

Always always always have extra breast pads. The really ASD children I teach would induce huge let downs!

[LottyLikesWindows]

Evening everyone. Just wanted to come back and say that return to work and continuing breastfeeding went smoothly. I expressed a couple of times, but the boobs adjusted pretty quickly as did dd. She loves her morning, afternoon and at the moment all nighter feeds, as she's teething.

Thank you all so much for your kind words and wisdom. It all panned out just like you said. Now can someone come and mark my Year 10 books, please?

[susannahmoodie]

I'm a full time teacher and went back at 10/11 m with each if my dcs. I just stopped to am/pm and during night feeds and it was fine.

Fed ds1 til 18m and ds2 til 13m but then I fell at school and broke my arm and had to stop .

[LottyLikesWindows]

Ouch! How on earth did you manage that?