Moving on from breastfeeding

[25MUM09]

We're in the process of weaning and I will be going back to work soon so I need to start thinking about stopping breastfeeding.

I have a bit of a stash of expressed milk in the freezer that I can use when dropping feeds but what I'm stuck on is what formula to use...

Do I go for a follow on milk or just a stage 1 milk and how did you choose a brand? Is it just trial and error?

How old is the baby? If a year old you can go straight to cow's milk. If younger you don't actually have to give up bf. Mine drank water and ate food during the day then bf at home.

Agree with PP- I continued to breastfeed morning and evening for months after I returned to work. DD took water and yogurt with her lunch to childminder and was happy to wait. Worked really well and was a good way to wean slowly.

Mine never had formula, BF morning and night and had food and water in the day.

If nearly 1 I'd go straight to cows milk.

Thanks for all the advice.

DD will be 8 months when I return to work.

Was your milk supply not effected going all day without feeding or did you pump during the day?

Also is water and proper food enough during the day, I was under the impression from the HV that 'food is for fun for under 1's' and milk is still their main source of nutrition until then too.

It's up to you if you want to introduce formula as well but by 8 months you'll be fine to BF when you're around and not when you're not, especially if you've got a bit of EBM stored. You shouldn't need to pump at this stage as your supply will adjust. Be aware that some babies on this feeding pattern can start to wake more at night in order to take more milk then. But it's definitely not a given.

If you do want to use formula pick one which is the most convenient - they are so tightly regulated that there is very little real difference between them. At her age it doesn't matter if you use follow on or stage 1 :)

Ah ok- I would just go for normal stage one milk

I went back at a similar age with a stash of BM to get through the first 6 weeks, he took less and less milk during the day though as he worked out he could feed when I was around. He also started to eat more food as he worked out food filled him up too.

I'm still feeding morning and night and he's 1 now. My supply was fine, the worst bit was the first week of only feeding before and after work, my boobs were FULL!

Thanks again, I'll try and drop feeds in the day once she's eating more proper meals and try her just on water and maybe get some formula as a back up plan.

I'm finding weaning so confusing. We've got a weaning group nearby but every health visitor gives me conflicting advice

Good luck OP- baby won't go hungry so whatever you do will be fine

Greek yoghurt always seems to go down well for filling those little tums.

I went back at 7.5 months with my first. I pumped in my lunch break but I needn't have bothered; ds never drank a drop at nursery, so I stopped that pretty sharpish. He's allergic to dairy and wouldn't drink any of the prescription formulas so we didn't really have a choice, but it was fine. He did wake a fair bit at night but always had. He mostly just ate food, which he took to immediately!

This is what I did.
went back to work ft from around 8 months.
BF morning and evening.
Regular formula x2 at nursery think it was cow and gate.
BF the same at weekends and formula during the day so milk did not get confused. had a few weeks of very full breasts come a Monday eve after feeding all weekend so just stopped and supply has been fine.
Cows milk gradually introduced at 1 year. Still bf morning and night. Milk and water during the day.
Hope that helps

@Dermymc @TheMasterNotMargarita did you pump when you were so engorged or just plough through that week.
Any tips to avoid mastitis?

Thank you, you've all been really helpful!

I expressed for a bit in case my lo needed more milk but turned out he didn't so I stopped.

I gently hand expressed if it got too painful.

I also tried to be strict before I went back and didn't feed from 9-3 when I could.

I don't think there's much you can get wrong with weaning :) Just give them food and see how they go! Lots of different approaches hence different advice - pick one which sounds good to you or mix and match.

Important thing is not to give too much salt or sugar. Don't give honey until 1 year old. Don't start before 17 weeks. Everything else is fine. Keep an eye out for choking risks (anything round) and chop in half if giving as finger food.

No I didn't.
I hand expressed a little at work to relieve it a bit but I didn't pump as I didn't want to get into that cycle iyswim. After 3 weeks or so we got into our stride and it was fine.

You don't need to add formula if you don't want to. Feed when you can - morning, night, maybe squeeze an afternoon feed or later on in the evening if you can but not totally necessary. You and your baby will adjust to it. You can feed whenever you want at the weekends, your body soon realises milk needs made when body is around and baby isn't it doesn't need to make anything.