Going back to work and mix feeding. Anyone done it?

[Trinpy]

I'm going back to work in a month and would like to start mix feeding now so I can carry on with my day without being uncomfortable or needing to express. Currently on day 3 of trying to introduce formula and it's not going well .

Day 1 He wouldn't take a bottle so I gave him milk in a cup - we got through 100ml altogether (repeated attempts throughout the day) but I think most of it ended up going down his chin.

Day 2 Had about 20-30ml from the cup, mostly down chin/front of top. Accidentally bought one of those newborn starter kits if readymade milk with the teats. Ds drank a whole 70ml bottle. I thought I'd finally cracked it so had long Google search to find a similar (reusable) teat I could buy.

Day 3 Drinks 5ml from readymade bottle, refuses to drink from his cup at all. Both times he was hungry because he then went on to bf happily!

I'm losing patience. Do I persevere with the cup? Keep trying different cups and formula until I find something he will reliably drink from? Really don't want to have to express at work. I've also just managed to night wean him and I don't want him reverse cycling when I return to work.

He's 9.5 mo, will be 10.5mo when I go back. Currently bf 5-6 times a day. I will be away from him for 14.5 hours a day when I'm at work so I assume I will need him to take at least 200ml from a cup or bottle?

Don't stress! He (and your boobs) will adapt. He will have solids, can be given water with meals and between. He can be offered milk and if he accepts great, if he doesn't then he has other foods available and you when you get home. You may find he reverse cycles a bit so wakes to feed more at night for a while but you will both slip into your new routine in time.

Don't stress about it too much - my 6mo was a bottle-refuser when I went back to work and made do with baby rice mixed with formula and fromage frais during the day, then took huge feeds from me every evening.

Can you talk to whoever will be providing his childcare for advice/guidance. If the bottle works, go with that.

Or stick with food during the day, and do all of the milk feeds at breakfast and dinner times.

But please don't stress - I spent many hours crying and stressing out about my baby's refusal to take a bottle or adhere to a routine, but her nursery was completely relaxed about it all, and it all sorted itself out in the end!

X-post. But glad we said the same! I used more words.

Thanks to both of you.

He will be looked after by my Dh (and occasionally by my mum) when I'm at work.

If I was in a normal 9-5 job then I would probably just let him get by with water and milky foods but I will be leaving home before he wakes up and arriving back home just as he's going to bed, so I will only be there for 2 of his feeds. It's going to be a long day for me with an early start and my job is physically very tiring so I really don't want to bf during the night. Ideally I want to have a full nights sleep and for my Dh to deal with any night wakings on the days I'm working.

It would make things a million times easier if he could just take some formula in a cup or bottle.

and he probably will, but maybe not until he is actually faced with you not being there and it becomes part of normal routine for him. However it goes, it will work out. You are presumably not going to be at work every day so there will be days you feed him more.

Yes but if my body is used to feeding him every 3 hours or so (maybe less often in a month's time?) then I imagine I would get engorged or at least pretty uncomfortable missing 4 feeds? Other people I know who have gone back to work when their dc was a similar age have said that they needed to express for the first 3 weeks or so until supply settled. And these were people working 7.5 hour days so less time away from the baby.

It is likely you will need to express yes. Although it depends on you. i have wildly varying hours as a student midwife so sometimes in uni, or at home or shorter community days or long shifts and i did always manage long shifts without expressing even if i was still feeding lots on other days. i got very full and by the end of the shift it was rather uncomfortable but it was ok and i found it the best way for me of coping. i just expressed as soon as i got home. Not that ds2 would ever drink it, ds1 ended up having it all! It settled after a few weeks of placement.

If you do need to express at work could you manage to? You have the right to do so though i do completely understand that sometimes it seems impossible in some lines of work (eg nursing and midwifery when you don't get the chance to have a wee or eat let alone anything else! )

Nursing so yeah, difficult to find the time to express.

And I really, really don't want to go back to feeding during the night! It's so lovely having a proper nights sleep I feel better than I've done in months and ds has got into such a nice routine with his sleep.

I know that feeling!

There are no guarantees, he may wake more, he may not. Even without the feeding the change in routine, wanting to see you etc may cause more waking anyway. Ds1 used to wake soon after I got home and would just want to be with me for a while even if he didn't want to feed (though I was usually grateful to feed him!) But whatever happens it will settle again as you both adapt.

Stupid job. Still 1 month left to win the lottery/befriend a generous millionaire then I won't have to bother with it .

Thanks for your help.

Fingers crossed!

I've heard it can go better if it's someone who isn't you introducing the bottle/cup and if you're not around smelling of lovely milk. Could your dh try with him?

By 'not you' I obvs mean 'not mum with her lovely milk smell' not 'you' personally!!

Thanks yeah we'll have to try that at the weekend. Dh said he gave him some formula at breakfast time the other day (I was having a lie in) and that he took it ok, so will have to see.