Returning to work can a 7.5 month go without milk all day??

[Addictedtohotbaths]

Some advice would be greatly appreciated. I am returning to work next month and dd who is currently 6.5 months and exclusively bf will need to have some kind of milk while I'm at work, I will be gone 7.30am - 6pm. She refuses formula still trying with various bottles and cups (will take water from a cup) so when I'm at work can she just have food and water? So only milk would be breastfeeds 7am/7pm/10pm and possibly in the night. I've been told by hv they only need 2 feeds a day aged 7 months but doesn't sound like enough to me?? It means I would be dropping the mid morning and afternoon feeds. Does this mean she will be starving at night? She is BLW, eats lots and does big poops so I know it's going down. Thanks for any advice.

You may find that she will take a bottle while you are away at work. Will she be going to nursery or staying at home? The new environment of nursery or just having somebody that isn't you around may make her more likely to take to the bottle.

My DS was a bottle refuser - we found that he liked the Playtex bottles with the rubber nipples and those plastic bag inserts. Once we used those he was fine taking bottles.

Try not to stress too much and good luck on your return to work

bets are they will take a bottle when you're not there.

I have a 7month old. He's still having 4 70z feeds a day plus food.

Your HV sounds like she's talking rubbish to me

Thanks Widdle. Yes she will be at nursery 3 days and 1 day with DH. In the next month I was planning to switch the 2 day feeds to formula but if she won't take it should I carry on BF until I'm back to work or cut the feeds out?? I will end up back to work with mega boobs if I haven't adjusted before and it's a very male environment with no privacy to pump (which I want to avoid). It's so confusing.

Can you express? Could be the taste of the milk that is stopping her wanting it.

Would you not need to express anyhow - leakage and pain would have got to me if not feeding in the day for 12 hours!

sorry xposted..

Legally aren't you supposed to have a private space where you can pump and store milk? I know it's the law in Ireland.

I could express now I'm still at home but definitely not a work. Maybe i will have to keep feeding her until back to work and cross fingers she takes bottle when I'm not there.

Yes I think it's the law here too but in practice it's not that simple. Unless I want to sit in the toilet doing it with an office full of middle aged men 1 meter away. I know for some people that wouldn't bother them but I just can't face it.

It could possibly just stress you out trying to get her on a bottle. I would just continue BF as usual.
Is there absolutely nowhere private where you could express at work? I didn't get mega boobs when I went back to work but I know that's not the norm!

Whoops cross post. That's a bit pants re the no privacy thing - I definitely wouldn't express in the toilet!

You may find that your DD resists the bottle at first at nursery but the staff are very very experienced at this sort of thing. I know that I felt bad that I was handing over a baby that wouldn't take a bottle (and thought never would) but he got it eventually.

She may reverse cycle.

It's a hazy memory but it was about 8 months of age that I was able to stop expressing as DD had one drink of cow's milk in the day when I was at work and then fed on demand as normal when I was at home. I worked 5 days a week and we managed fine, feeding normally at weekends.

I had this problem. Returned to work when DS was 6 months. From 5 months I tried to introduce a bottle with very little success.

I tried lots of different bottles and sippy cups as well as 3 brands of formula! Also tried adding a little bit of apple juice to sweeten the formula (found the advice on MN)

Eventually found 1 formula he could just about stand in very small quantities.

I did drop one feed per week in the month leading up to going back to work I did not want to end up with mastitis!

He is now 7 months and is drinking more and more - basically a total of 210ml over 11 hours (so really not a huge amount but acceptable). He also eats a yoghurt a day. And drinks water.

Be prepared for lots of night feeding though!

And for the first 3 weeks or so I tried not to feed too much at the weekend. Now though I do feed him a couple of times in the day Saturday and Sunday, but I don't then leak too much in the week.

Thanks everyone. Yes I'm also worried it's going to cause her to reverse cycle although she still wakes all night so won't be much different.
It's good to hear others have managed it even if it does cause more night feeds. I guess the ideal solution is don't go back to work!
LaPetite did the night feeds reduce as he started to take more in the day?

I think it is possible she will be ok with 2 or 3 feeds a.day by then. Ds had 3 feeds until 1 (bottle refuser) but would take very little of the 3pm feed. We went skiing when he was 11 months and the nursery just cut the afternoon feed. I think giving yoghurt is an excellent idea, I think that's what they did.

Has someone tried her with a bottle when you are out?

Will she take a bottle if expressed milk? If so , mix in a bit of formula and start to up the formula percentage over a few bottles.

Yes I think it's the law here too but in practice it's not that simple. Unless I want to sit in the toilet doing it with an office full of middle aged men 1 meter away.

I think you need to contact your HR and ask where you can express.
I found this:
www.hse.gov.uk/mothers/law.htm

^Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 (the Workplace Regulations)&
The Workplace Regulations require employers to provide suitable rest facilities for workers who are pregnant or breastfeeding. The facilities should be suitably located (e.g. near to toilets) and where necessary should provide appropriate facilities for the new or expectant mother to lie down.

you can use those facilities for expressing milk

www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=4703

Regarding night feeds - we coslept and it was about this age that DD was big enough to latch herself on, so other than a quick snuggle and rearrangement of limbs, I didn't have to actually fully wake up to feed her. She stopped night feeds sometime between 10-12 months.

Erm hard to say as hes been ill and teething so waking loads!

He feeds a lot in the evening and has a huge feed at 3am. And several other small feeds to get back to sleep.

Hi, I have the same problem lo has had some taster days at nursery and has taken a little formula, I go back k full time in Jan lo will be 8 months, can u ask nursery for some taster\settling in days? X