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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Is no milk during the day better than formula when I return to work?

15 replies

chocolatekimmy · 06/03/2007 21:05

My daughter will be 9/10 months when I return to work. I will be out all day Monday and Tuesday and also Wednesday afternoon.

At the moment during those times she has a 9.15, 1pm and 4.30pm breastfeed.

When I go back, how much milk does she need in the day?

Can I just let her have water as a drink during the times I am not there?

Should I being giving her formula so she still gets enough milk?

I am reluctant to give her formuala. I haves some expressed milk in the freezer but only a couple of weeks worth as I don't express much now. I will express when I go back to work but last time I found it such an effort and my supply quickly reduced anyway and I could hang on until I got home so I stopped after a few weeks.

I will continue the normal feeding routines on the days I am not at work but will this be confusing for her?

OP posts:

hunkermunker · 07/03/2007 00:16

Not confusing for her to bfeed when you usually do on your days off. I bfeed on demand and DS2 feeds fairly regularly on my days off (I work four long days a week so he gets morning and evening and when he wakes at night).

I wouldn't bother with formula - no need, IMO. I didn't with DS2 - he had a bit of ebm but wouldn't take much of that either, so I knocked expressing for him on the head when he was one. He sometimes has cows milk now, but more often just some cheese and yoghurt and lots of bmilk when I'm with him.

Your plan to bfeed when you're with her is perfectly achievable. Good luck with your return to work - enjoy being able to read a paper and finish a cup of tea

Kelly1978 · 07/03/2007 00:20

thought you were going to bed?

bad hunker!

hunkermunker · 07/03/2007 00:21

Nah, was just leaving isketch on a high

Original poster

chocolatekimmy · 07/03/2007 11:26

any other thooughts?

OP posts:

cleaninglady · 07/03/2007 12:09

can you bf her before you go to work in a morning and then when you get home so she still gets 2 bf a day even when your working?
I would rather mine had some milk during the day than none at all but if you are very reluctant to give formula then changing the times she feeds gradually over the next few weeks/months until you go back to work might work?
I wouldnt personally mind giving formula as would still like to keep the routine going HTH - good luck with going back to work

Original poster

chocolatekimmy · 07/03/2007 20:21

I don't really want her not to have milk, i can carry on the normal feeding times and she has milk in food like cheese sauce in dinners or custard/semolina - its just the fact that I'm worried she will miss having milk as a drink.

I'm reluctant with formula as my second was given a ff once per day from early on and she has very dry skin and patches of excma. I know I can't prove if that had an impact on her but its still a concern and I wanted to carry on with exclusive bf with this one

OP posts:

Original poster

chocolatekimmy · 07/03/2007 21:49

Any experts out there?

OP posts:

lunavix · 07/03/2007 21:57

no advice but just wanted to ask when your feeds fell into a routine?

DD is 6.5 months and still very much on demand, as are her naps.

Original poster

chocolatekimmy · 07/03/2007 22:09

Started to sleep during night at 4 months so last feed was at about 10.30 then I stopped that one at about 6.5 months (just after starting her on solids).

Its been the same since then 7am, 9.15 am, 1pm, 4.30pm and 7pm. It has reduced since starting weaning and is in more of a set pattern.

Its not long ago but its hard to remember exact dates!

OP posts:

Pannacotta · 07/03/2007 22:31

Could you try and fit in your morning and afternoon feeds on the full days you work, just at different times so you just miss the lunch time feed (and give the afternoon feed later than usual on Wednesdays)? If you are keen to avoid formula then it might be worth giving expressing another go too. We have ezcema in the family so I never gave formula to my DS and his skin is fine (he was bfed until age 2) so I do know where you are coming from. I did find my DS had less milk towards the end of his first year once he really started eating well, you might find the same, that the milk feeds become less of an issue. Good luck.

hunkermunker · 08/03/2007 00:42

You saw my post, right...?!

She'll be fine. You're not leaving her for that long, she will be one a couple of months after you leave her and if you really don't want her to have formula, once the ebm's run out, let her have cows milk - she'll be nearly one then anyway.

AitchTwoOh · 08/03/2007 00:55

my friends all did what hunker said and it worked out fine.

Original poster

chocolatekimmy · 08/03/2007 14:27

Thanks everyone.

Hunker, I hope you didn't think I was being rude, I was just hoping for a few more views/reassurances. I appreciate your post.

OP posts:

yellowrose · 08/03/2007 15:16

I don't think a semi-bf baby 9 - 10 months needs formula. If you are concerned about calcium (bone growth), which is the only thing that concerns me for a baby that age, give yoghurts.

There are lots of good fruit yoghurts that babies love, Organix do a very nice range (organic and not sickly sweet) that my ds still eats at 2.8 yo.

My ds still hates cows milk (he is still bf) but he will eat yoghurts.

bumbleweed · 08/03/2007 18:58

chocolate, I returned to work 2.5 days pw when my dd was 12 months.

She was bf on demand and I too was very worried about how she would get through the day without it. Initially I left expressed milk for her but she didnt used to drink very much of it.

The I stopped expressing and left cows milk, and she was not interested in that. Within 2 weeks she was just drinking water during the 7 hours she was away from me.

On the days I am at home with her she bfs on demand like she always did - sometimes every 2 hours, other days less.

I find she is desperate for a bf the minute I walk through the door of the childminders.

Only difference here is I knew she was getting enough milk because she was still feeding 2-3 times during the night.

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