How often do babies nurse once on solids?

[MYA2016]

My DS is exclusively breastfed and is 4 months old.
I will be returning to work when he is 8 months and am panicking about how to feed him.
He's gaining weight really well but I've never been able to express much milk, even with an electric pump.
He'll obviously be on solids by this point but I don't know how much milk they drink at this point? Could I just breastfeed him morning and night and then would he drink water in the day? Or would he still need milk in the day? If he would still need milk I guess I'd have to move him to formula because in can't express a lot.
Sorry if these seem really stupid questions, I just have no idea

I know of people that just offer food and water in the day while at work and feed then when at home. That will work just fine. X

Super variable from baby to baby! Some do "reverse cycling" and take more milk at night to make up - which some mums find helpful - some babies can be fine with just solids and water till they are back with mum. You don't know till you've started solids with your baby and have tried a few periods away from them before your return to work to try it out. Be sure baby will take fluids (cool boiled water) with their solids, via sippy cup, open/doidy cup or spoon to be sure they will stay hydrated. Don't worry about bottles for now. You just have to see how things go and not worry too much. Maybe see if you can have a slightly phased return to work to start (shorter days etc) so can get there early to milk feed if needed???

My 6 month old has taken to solids like a pro. Here is his day yesterday

6 am BF
8 am Porridge
9 am small BF to sleep
10:30 am 6 oz FF
11:30 am: Spag bol

3 pm: 6 oz FF and 2 Organix crackers
5:30 pm: Chickrn curry and rice, fruit pot
7 pm BF and bed
10:30 pm dream feed BF

He also stinks water copiously from his cup.
I'm returning to work next week

Drinks. Not stinks

I went back to work when DS was 8 months. He was exclusively BF no formula at all. We had already started weaning at 6 months.

When I went back to work I left two bottles of about 3 oz per day and expressed when I was at work. DS hardly ever drank milk during the day and just had his meals and water.

Don't worry about not expressing enough milk. It's crazy and amazing but when I express at work sometimes I don't even get an ounce! I will be panicking and worrying all day. When I get home DS would have drank no milk at all. Also some days I I'll express loads and come home with about 12oz. On those days DS would have drank lots of milk.

I've learnt to trust my body and to relax about the whole thing. The only downside is he stopped sleeping through the night and woke up every three hours or so for milk when he didn't have much during the day. I must say for about 4 months I was exhausted!

Anyway it's been an entire year now and I'm still BF and expressing at work. Now DS sleeps through the night and I only leave him one 2oz bottle during the day which he doesn't usually drink. He has his milk in the mornings and before bed. I still express when I'm at work but I think I will stop in the next week or so because I don't think there's much point.

Bring on the self weaning!

Sorry for the long post. Hope this helps x

I have just startedback at work last week Op, and in the same situation. Ebf, won't take a bottle etc. Crap at expressing. I was worried about it. Ds is 9months today. I am working three days a week, all in a row.

I do baby led weaning and ds has been eating really well, I have started to spoon feed yogurt and some wet meals along with his finger foods.

He has managed my work days brilliantly on three meals plus water from a sippy cup. He bf on waking, as soon as I get home then at bedtime shortly after. His sleep has been brilliant! I was worried he'd want to feed all night but we have had the longest stretches ever which I think is due to him really filling up in the hour before bed.

When I am not at work he bf for two naps during the day.

9 month DC I nanny for

6.30 BF if awake
7.15 am Porridge/Oatibix and then toast to chew on
8/9 Depending on how the morning is going an 8oz bottle while toddler is being dealt with
9 am Nap without any cues milk etc
10 ish Maybe a breadstick or rice cake if toddler is having something
12 Lunch time - 1 bowl [size of a mullerrice] of main meal - spag bol, shepherds pie, fish pie, daal etc followed by 1 bowl [yoghurt pot size] of yoghurt / fruit puree
12.30 A 5oz bottle
1-3.30 Nap time
3.30 Maybe a 5 oz bottle dropping this though for a snack
5:30 Dinner time - 1 bowl [size of a mullerrice] of main meal - spag bol, shepherds pie, fish pie, daal etc followed by 1 bowl [yoghurt pot size] of yoghurt / fruit puree plus finger foods
7 pm BF and also a 5oz bottle of hungry milk and bed

At 8 months my dd would have no milk at all during the day, she was far more interested in food. I was gutted as she was mix fed with a ff at bedtime so it meant the end of bf for us, but try as I might she just did not want milk.

It does vary.

IME it tends to be that they keep up the same milk volume but slowly up the solids from 6-9 months. Then at 9 months they begin dropping feeds.

At 8 months it's a little early but it's possible that he could go the full day with milk in the form of cow's milk in food, yoghurts and cheese and liquid in the form of water, but I think I'd plan on adding one bottle of formula for when he's at nursery just in case.

At that stage you can just breastfeed when you're around him, morning, night and weekends and your supply should adjust. You don't really need to express, unless you want to give EBM instead of the nursery formula feed.

Oh, but you should be warned that some babies deal with this by waking up more at night to get their allotted milk feeds in. If that's a problem for you I'd be encouraging 1-2 formula feeds at nursery, but you can still keep up BF mornings and evenings and weekends.