WWYD bf & return to work..

[Babybeesmama]

Dc3 is 7 Months & ebf.. my other 2 I fed for a much shorter time. I work in the nhs & go back to work when he will be ten months. I'll work 2 days 9-5 & then on call on top of this (resident on call) so I'll be doing roughly 2-3 nights per month & some weekend days 9-6.

He has taken a bottle previously but not consistently.. although there's really only once I've been away from him when he was hungry & he did take the bottle.

I worry because he co sleeps & feeds a fair bit overnight.

I don't really want to stop BF but I don't want it to be hard for DS or my DH...

Any ideas? Xx

You don't need to stop BFing if you don't want to. I went back to work (police officer, shifts, some v long days plus commute) when bottle refusing DD was 8 months old. She sipped a bit of formula from a cup and filled up on solids and water, then drank her fill of milk when I got home. No problem. Same with DS now I'm back at work.

Imo it's easier for them not getting a bf when you're not there than trying to get them to accept a bottle or whatever when you and your boobs are right there.

I went back to an office job 4 days a week when my first was 7 months and still a boob monster.

She took a bottle sometimes but not consistently. I expressed and froze a bit in the run up so we had some spare.

Then when i went back i fed her before i left, expressed in the middled of the day (think maybe at first twice a day but got that down to once pretty quick) at the times she usually BF'd. Took that home and left in the fridge for the following day. on my last working day of hte week i froze it for the start of the folloiwng week.

Worked fine.

Then fed her when i got in, at bedtime etc as usual.

Did this until she was 1yr, then dropped the daytime feeds and expressing, but fed her morning, when i got home and evening, then morning and evening, then evenings only until she was 2.5 years.

Was a brilliant way to keep the strong bond going while i was back at work, honestly i loved feeding her and was sad to stop.

Chose a nanny that had BF'd her own kids to well past 2yrs so she understood why it mattered to me and made it work. Some nannys would dislike the effort required (you ahve to look after the breast milk and there's not an unlimited supply) and not supported it.

Yeah you are both right.. I prob need to leave him for an afternoon to reassure myself he will be ok.. it's more overnight I'm worried about.

I absolutely love the bond we have, & I never expected to feed this long but I'm enjoying it so much 💕

I am still feeding my 15 month old. I went back when he was 13 months and was worried how he'd fair but he has been great. He now doesn't feed at all during the day, even if I am with him. He will just feed overnight. I didn't need to express in work but if I'd gone back earlier I think I may have had to. Babies adapt so well. Going back to work doesn't mean it's the end of your BF journey

I went back onto night shifts. DD was fine. Arguably slept better than the nights when I was there

OP i didn't have regular night shifts but did occasionally have to travel for work, usually one night away, sometimes two.

I built up the frozen milk supplies before i went to make sure there was enough and we got through it fine.

I'd express and dump while away to stay comfortable. Boobs would get a bit lumpy and sore by day 2 so was always as pleased to see her for a proper feed adn she was me.

Did once leave my pump on while on a conference call - have never confessed to my boss what the 'strange noise coming down the line' he commented on was!

I was hospitalised for 5 days / nights when DD was four months. Hospital wouldn't let me have her overnight despite her being EBF and it being the hospital i gave birth in! we expressed then and DH fed her. Tough but we got through it.

So i know it was doable.

at 10 months your DC has a choice to have breast milk in the bottle or wait for you to get home. Either is fine.

My nanny used to describe to me how DD would go into the 'breast feed' trance drinking my milk from a bottle, it was nice to hear that, a way of staying connected even while i was away from her.