Going back to work in Jan when dd2 will be 11 months - will it be enough to just bf first and last thing or should I get expressing to provide ebm for the Nursery?

[hotmama]

I go back to work in Jan - I will be working 3 days a week until Easter and then am supposed to be going back full-time - but think I am probably going to drop 1-2 days a week.

Dd2 is bf and very occasionally will take ebm from a Tommy Tippee back to nature bottle - but usually refuses them.

She happily drinks water from a sippy cup. I have given ebm in a sippy cup and a doidy cup but she wasn't bothered.

Dd1 has about 5ozs cows milk on her brekkie and I try to ensure that she has an adult size yogurt and cheesey sauce things regularly.

I will be bf first thing in the morning and last thing at night - will this be enough?

On the other days I will be feed her when she wants - but tbh she often isn't bothered about being fed in the day - at the moment anyway!

Any advice gratefully received.

If you've bf dd till 11 months then you have done brilliantly and certainly shouldn't feel guilty about dropping to twice a day.
The only thing to bear in mind is that she may give up completely, so don't let yourself feel too disappointed if she does.
There are lots of healthy children out there who have never been bf - yours are very lucky

Should be enough if shes getting cheese, yoghurt etc. I know at this age my ds just wasn't interested in milk in the day only first and last thing. If shes drinking water/juice happily then she'll be getting enough fluids so should be ok.

When I went back to work I started off by bf dd first and last thing, after a lengthy battle she did eventually take formula from a cup during the day.

We carried on with this mixed feeding for 7 months, she finally gave up bf at 13mo. tbh I think she would have continued longer if I hadn't switched to mixed feeding but I was more than happy with what we'd achieved.

Initially (ds 6mo)I used to send ds with EBM to nursery but the amount he drank wasn't a lot, so by 11 months he only bf at home and had other drnks/food in the nursery

I went back to work PT (3 days a week for a year now I'm on 4 days a week) when ds was 10 months old. I left formula as refused to express - it was such a pain for me. He didnt take much of the formula and was happy to wait for me and make up the feeds. In retrospect I shouldn't have bothered with the formula but it made me feel better that he had some milk if he wanted it. He is still bfeeding now at 23 months and I work 4 days a week now so don't assume your dd will give up.

For three days a week, for a month, I'd just let them give her cow's milk in a cup. It really isn't a big deal, particularly if the rest of her milk will be breastmilk.

with both of mine I switched the 3pm-ish feed to formula about a month before they started nursery so I was only doing 2 feeds anyway. They were absolutely fine with it. I did it early partly so if there was a row it didn't impact on them settling in to nursery and partly because I didn't want to risk boobs leaking while I was at work. Never had a problem.

HTH

I went back to 3 days a week at 11 months. I fed ds first and last thing on those days and three times a day (extra one was after lunch) on my days off. This worked fine. Didn't send any milk in as mine didn't keep but didn't feel I needed to anyway. He had goats milk on his cereal and I felt that was enough.

Thanks for all your messages - and there's me thinking that Mnet would be dead in the afternoon!

Fortyplus - I am really proud of myself getting to where I am and still bf dd2 esp as I 'only' bf dd1 for 10 weeks.

So it seems that you think that I don't need to bother with ebm (phew - I wasn't relishing having to build up a supply and/or express when back at work).

I'm O.K. with her having cows milk during the day - but if she doesn't want it at least you have put my mind at rest that feeding twice a day will be enough.

hotmama - we're all anxious to do the best for our children so I'm glad that the comments on your thread have reassured you.
I had one friend whose ds still had night time bf when he was nearly 2 even though he hadn't had any other daytime feeds from her since he was about 9 or 10 months.
So maybe yours won't give up. I felt sad when mine did, but it certainly hasn't harmed them!

Just thought of another question - do you think I should try giving dd2 a drink of cows milk in her sippy cup - so she gets used to it? Or should I just not bother and just let her drink water?

(If I give her cows milk in a sippy cup this will additional to bf NOT instead of).

TIA

I should think either will be fine as long as she's getting enough milk overall. Cow's milk contains less Iron than formula, which is why general advice is stick to follow on formula till 12 months. But I should think 11 months is close enough if she's getting enough Iron from other sources.