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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Preparing for nursery - I'm clueless!

20 replies

Hubnut · 27/04/2015 20:29

I've got 4 months before DS goes to nursery (when he'll be 11 months). He'll be there from around 8.30 to 16.30 three days a week. He has been ebf until recently when I introduced solids. Ideally when the time comes I would like to continue to breastfeed first thing in morning and before bedtime. I'm looking for some advice on whether that is realistic and how to aim for that?

He wont take a bottle but has a sippy cup. To date he hasn't really taken to formula but in fairness I always give him the boob - so why would he bother. My current idea is that I should persevere with formula so that he can have that at nursery. I'm proposing formula cos I never had much success with expressing and cant imagine going off to express at work (or will I have to cos of engorgement??).

He's just starting on solids but I read that an 11 month old only gets 25% of his eating needs met by solids - the rest is milk. Does that sound right to those of you with experience?

Should I even be worrying about this now or just wait until later (9months?) and take it from there?

Sorry, so many questions! Any help would be appreciated...

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redcaryellowcar · 27/04/2015 20:35

Do you have a good pro breastfeeding hv? Mine was really helpful and thinks it's possible to go back to work and bf morning and evening from 9m onwards. I think by 11m your dd will have probably got the hang of food really well, supply cup for water.

Original poster

Hubnut · 27/04/2015 20:44

Thanks red, that would be great, so maybe no formula at all? He's already happy to drink water. I guess I would have to give a multi-vitamin. I should probably be doing that now actually.

Tbh my hv always seems a bit absent when she visits - almost like she's reading out WHO advice without really signing up to it.

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redcaryellowcar · 27/04/2015 20:48

I give ds2 dalivit every day, with yoghurt, neither of my boys have been particularly keen on milk (other than breastfeeding version) so they get lots of yoghurt and cheese and creme fraiche etc to make up the dairy? You might get better advice (if your hv is not v keen) on looking up local breastfeeding group, my hv runs one at our sure start centre, or la leche league might be helpful?

redcaryellowcar · 27/04/2015 20:50

Also worth remembering that they can have cows milk as a drink from 12m, not sure if the difference if a month is critical but she could have a beaker of that at snack time?

redcaryellowcar · 27/04/2015 20:51

Sorry just realised I've been replying assuming you have a dd, should be ds.

Liveinthepresent · 27/04/2015 20:54

If I had my time again I honestly wouldn't worry about this at all yet. I have two DC who both went to nursery at six months - my DC2 was a bottle refuser until he started nursery and obviously only just started on solids. I worried about the bottle as my DC1 had always been fine with one but they seem to be quite happy to do things differently at nursery - even when this little.
I managed to BF morning and night on work days - and more on non work days until past 12 months with both.
I kind of look back and wish I hadn't tried to force change on them when I was trying to get my head round going back to work as it all works out fine. They change so much during these months.
Good luck with it all.

Original poster

Hubnut · 27/04/2015 20:54

No probs thanks for the advice, you've reminded me that there is a bf cafe at my sure start - I might pop to that.

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TinyTear · 27/04/2015 20:55

My dd went to nursery at 9 months. From then on she bf morning, pick up time,bedtime and once or twice at night.

Also a bottle refused she had sometimes between 1 and 3oz formula at nursery, from a beaker, to last till pick up... She drank water and ate yoghurts and cheese so I never worried... She is 3yo now and only stopped bf when her sister was born one month ago...

CultureSucksDownWords · 27/04/2015 20:55

My DS went to nursery for 3 days a week at 11 months, having been EBF. He was a good eater and would happily have water from a sippy cup with food.

On nursery days I breastfed in the morning, then whilst at nursery he had food and water. When we got home he would have another breastfeed, and then one more before bed. On non-nursery days he would have a couple more feeds usually. This worked absolutely fine with no problems.

When he turned 12 months, I was happy for nursery to give him cow's milk in his sippy cup instead of water.

This worked fine with no problems. It avoided the need to introduce a bottle only to have to remove it at 12 months.

captainproton · 27/04/2015 20:57

I'm training to be a breastfeeding peer supporter, but I also bf my 2 and I went back to work at 6 months and 7 months. You can express breast milk and put it in your freezer now, and then take it to nursery when the time comes. I used to do this with mine. I bought Lansinoh bags from the supermarket and expressed milk into them. I used to use a manual pump on one boob whilst baby fed on the other. Nothing stopping you from giving express milk from a sippy cup.

My lad would never drink any milk during the day at nursery once he got to about 8 months when he could wait until I got home. I used to provide it but he never had it, more often than not they feed for comfort not just milk. You may find that even by 11 months, he might just want one feed at nursery (if that).

I would urge you to seek out a local breastfeeding support group at your local children's centre where they can give you some more information. If you introduce formula you may affect your milk supply.

TittyBojangles · 27/04/2015 20:57

My ds never took a bottle so I never tried formula. He was at nursery 8-5 3 days a week from about 10 months. He was blw so probably didn't eat as much as some other babies but he managed fine. It bothered the nursery I think but honestly he managed with no problem. I fed him before work and a couple if times when I got home and through the night. Try not to worry about it too much, I did and it spoiled the last few weeks of my mat leave when really he just took what he needed when it was available.

Original poster

Hubnut · 27/04/2015 20:58

Thanks live, personal question...how did your boobs cope at work?!

I feel a bit like I'm being neurotic cos it's a while away yet, I think it's me trying to get mentally prepared for leaving him at nursery when really I want to cuddle him all day.

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Original poster

Hubnut · 27/04/2015 21:00

Ooh thanks for all these responses, very reassuring!

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TinyTear · 27/04/2015 21:02

Boobs were fine, didn't even have to express... I think the first week or two I might have hand expressed in the toilets just for comfort but soon settled

icklekid · 27/04/2015 21:06

Not breastfeeding but 9 month old ds only having 2 feeds morning and evening and friends breastfeeding some of them are the same. Not sure where the 25% figure comes from. Try not to worry a lot can change in that time...

Liveinthepresent · 27/04/2015 21:24

Hubnut when I read your post it totally took me back to both times and it is almost like its part of doing your best for your DC that you try to plan ahead and make sure these things will be ok - but actually at the time it just all sorts itself out. They are adaptable little things.
Without MN I would have never believed this could work and the boobs would get the hang of it too!
I do remember being very keen to leave work and feed my babies - but it was manageable! And I really loved the fact going back to work didn't mean the end of BF - special times.
As a PP said you can express and freeze if you like - I did this with DC1 but much less second time as I had less time to play with but DC2 didn't mind.

Kittymum03 · 27/04/2015 21:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

knittingbee · 29/04/2015 21:04

DD was an EBF bottle-refuser. I went back to work at 9mo and at that point she was eating three meals a day and still BF on demand.

Once at the CM she started accepting cow's milk in a bottle during the day, formula at night plus a morning and evening BF from me. She absolutely refused EBM in any form, maybe she just wanted it direct from source! I rarely had time to pump and was always so upset when she rejected my hard work...

My boobs were pretty firm the first few days, but they've settled and I often feed her more often on my days off (I'm working PT now) without the boobs having any problems - no leaking or blocked ducts.

I did worry about how she'd manage since she's such a boob monster, but necessity sorted it out for her/me really!

milkyway1304 · 29/04/2015 21:13

I went back at 10months (now 12months). I was panicking as my DD refused both bottles and solids. When she started nursery she declined all EBM but she did start eating. She eats well now at nursery, drinks lots of water and breastfeeds morning and evening. She probably has one extra day feed at weekends, and if she is ill is permanently latched when I'm about. I've never expressed at work, hand expressed during long days or night shifts. She has adapted really well. It helped that one of the senior baby room staff is a breastfeeding counsellor so we discussed lots of options and I felt really comfortable that they wouldn't panic if she refused milk.

Original poster

Hubnut · 01/05/2015 19:08

I feel so much better about it now, thanks everyone!

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