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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

any working mums who pumped and bf till one year or more, encouragement please!

19 replies

Gemmitygem · 13/05/2007 08:06

I'm wondering how long to carry on for,, been bf DS (7 months) since birth, been working full time since he was 3 months, and pumping during the day, so he's had my milk only, plus three meals a day of solids, he very much enjoys both solids and milk.

Has anyone else carried on bf till one year or more? I don't want to give him formula, but wondering when I can stop or at least cut down bf? (love feeding him but the pumping is a pain).. can you get to the stage where you just bf morning and evening and baby has food during the day, and does your body produce enough milk if you do that? Any experiences much appreciated.

OP posts:

popsycal · 13/05/2007 08:15

I did it until he was 18 months - but by that point i was only working a few days,
From 6 months to a year i worked full time though.

popsycal · 13/05/2007 08:18

The reason why i stopped pumping (but conntinued feeding) at 18 months is it conicided with the summer hols (am a teacher) and he was happy to feed in the day if I was around but equally happy to go without if i wasnt there. Was only working 2 days by that point though.

Just to add, by that summer holiday (ds2 woul dhave been 16 months) I was only expressing about 3 oz during the day and a few more in the evening so he could have aroubd a 5 oz bottle. Must admit though, by that point I occasionally topped it up with water......

mandymac · 13/05/2007 08:36

I breastfed dd morning and evening and expressed approx 8-10oz per day, so she had ebm twice a day at nursery from 6 months to 1 year. At weekends and during holidays I just fed her myself the whole time which I think helped keep the supply up. I did gradually reduce the amount of expressed milk as her solids intake increased.
At a year old, I felt the time was right to drop the expressing (I didn't want to give her formula until then due to family allergy history). I chose to put her onto follow on milk rather than cows milk for her daytime milk at nursery (as I understood it had been altered to be less allergenic, but I am sure cows milk would have been fine).
I have continued to breastfeed her morning and evening and more at weekends etc and she is going to be 2 in 6 weeks time . She now has cows milk once a day at nursery and at home too if I am not around.
To be honest it was a massive relief to give up the pumping, i found the sterilising of the pump every day such a pain.
I have had to go a way a few times for work, 2 days being the longest so far and have just taken the pump with me.
Good luck, as you can see it is entirely possible to feed twice a day once your supply is established. I am really glad to still be feeding DD and it really helped when she had Chicken Pox and wasn't really wanting any solids. She has also only had one real cold since Christmas which I am sure is partly down to the breast feeding.

Snarf02 · 13/05/2007 20:11

when i went back to work pt at 11 mths my lo just had an am and feed before bed and we did that til she was 19 mths when i stopped because of pg.

She just had lots of healthy snacks in the day when she would have used to have had bf. This was at 11 mths though and i dont think she would have been okay with just 2 feeds at 7 mths as she was very bf obsessed

katyjo · 14/05/2007 08:46

Just finished bf ds, at 13 months. I went back to work when he was 7 months and cut down bf to morning and night with one ebm feed during the day. He stopped taking ebm at abot 8/9 months and I kept on feeding morning and night until One month ago, i was always worried he wasn't getting enough milk in 2 feeds but my boobs were so sore when I cut out the morning feed and I was in agony when I stopped th evening feed so I guess he was making sure he got enough.
xxx

percypig · 14/05/2007 08:57

I went back to work 2 days a week when DS was just over 5 months. Wasn't always easy to pump, am a teacher, and when I was on break duty etc found it hard to grab even ten mins to pump during day.

It definitely got easier though, I'd say at around 9 months. As DS gradually cut back on his feeds pumping became much more manageable. As he began to eat more, and had water with his meals, he needed less milk. By the end he was only having milk morning and evening, so no pumping, then just in the morning. He eventually self weaned about a week after his first birthday.

Well done for perservering this far. 7 months is maybe a wee bit early to cut back too much, he's still getting used to food. Keep your eye on how long he feeds for at weekends when you're feeding him yourself - I found that DS really cut back on the afternoon feed, so I started leaving less milk, topping him up when I came home if he wanted it. Be guided by him - it really will get easier.

kookaburra · 14/05/2007 09:17

I did similar to mac wih both DS till a year old. They were in nursery, so I dropped off express milk with them in the morning, at the office I was given the first aid room and fridge to expres and store in the day, and then dropped off that day's' pumping' at the nursery when I collected them after work. They were both a at nursery full time from 5months.

Marina · 14/05/2007 09:32

Gemmity, I did this with dd - pumped during the day and b/fed morning and night until dd was one even though working f/t. Was v. pleased to stop pumping I have to say and just put dd straight on to cows milk for other drinks. She had a morning feed until 18 months and a bedtime feed until she was 2.5 and self-weaned though and I never had any problems with supply.
Good luck!

Niks2 · 14/05/2007 09:39

I breast feed dd1 until she was 2 1/2 and used to expess at work. It was hard at first but once everybody at work got used to the idea it was fine. Once she was about 12 months I gradually just stopped expressing and used to feed her in the morning and evening worked really well and there was more than enough milk you just have to get past the painful boob stage whilst your body adjusts. I was feeding dd2 as well for a short time there is 23 months between them. Did not feed her for quite as long (8 month)as she was a very unsettled baby and seemed to do better on formula I was heart broken.I think you have to do what is best for you and the child there are always ways round and the hard work pain is worth it in the end.

Lazycow · 14/05/2007 10:08

I only went back to work 3 days a week when ds was 10 months old but I NEVER expressed at work. He just took milk from me (2-4 times a day) when I was home and 2 a day when at work.

I did give a bottle of formula/milk to his CM for the days when I was at work but he never drank more than 1-2oz so I stopped this at 12 months old.

When ds was 18 months I went up to 4 days a week at work and continued to bfeed morning and evening on work days. By that point ds would only feed 1-3 times on my home days anyway.

We stopped bfeeding when ds was just over 2 years old. It just sort of tailed off and I found it more difficult to get him to bfeed at night before bedtime so over a month or so we just did less and less and as that happened my supply went down and he was less enthusiastic so it just stoppped really.

I have to say that ds did bfeed at night though - usually juut once. I can't remember exactly when he stopped but it was at about 14/15 months old when I decided that was enough. He still did feed at night after that if ill etc though.

Original poster

Gemmitygem · 14/05/2007 14:13

thanks everyone! great answers!

well, guess I will carry on for now, having a 2 week hol from next week so will just feed him and not have to pump...

Actually he has cut down himself, I religiously express 7-8 oz for his mid morning feed and 5 for the afternoon one, but he doesn't drink it all, so this is a sign that he's needing a bit less (but don't want to cut down too much).. he's always offered as much milk as he wants first, usually drinks quite a bit but eats a reasonable meal afterwards as well! \

the next stage will be cutting his tiny 10 pm feed, but too scared to do that yet (he has a few minutes on the boob and always sleeps till at least 6 or 7),..

each stage is such a marathon! Think it must be easier with second (I am THE worst Precious First born mum)..

OP posts:

Tinker · 14/05/2007 14:17

Am still bf my nearly 2-year old and work full-time when I do work. Stopped expressing when she was about 11 months - she never took it anyway. No supply problems, just getting-her-to-stop-at-all problems.

Tinker · 14/05/2007 14:18

Never expressed at work, just in morning before I went to work

SmileyMylee · 14/05/2007 14:23

I tried expressing at work but it took ages. I ended up feeding morning and night for about another few months until he was 18 months. I also managed to do some day time feeds at weekends and when we were on holiday.

However with my other two, once I stopped bf during the day I sort of dried up. I don't know what was different with my third.

SmileyMylee · 14/05/2007 14:23

However with my other two, once I stopped bf during the day I sort of dried up. I don't know what was different with my third.

ThursdayNext · 14/05/2007 14:26

You've been working full time since he was three months and he's only had breast milk? I'm impressed. The next bit should be easy, especially if he likes his solids. From around 9 months he'll probably be fine with just a morning and evening feed, and you can stop expressing. DS just had morning and evening feeds from 9 months onwards, no problems with milk supply. He just drank water from a cup in the day. You could maybe stop his 10pm feed now, and then see if you can drop one of the day feeds in a month or so?
You've done all the hard work with breasfeeding, enjoy those relaxing bedtime feeds.

OrmIrian · 14/05/2007 14:27

No. I'm a working mum who bf at night and in the morning and did give ff or EBM during the day. I was never very good at expressing so ff tended to take over. DS#1 had quite a bit of ff, DD had less (went back to work a month later) and she had started weaning then (current advice said it was OK), DS#2 had even less as I worked at home 2 days a week. And I fed DS#1 till 18m, DD until she was 3 and DS#2 is now 4 and still bfing a little at night.

"can you get to the stage where you just bf morning and evening and baby has food during the day, and does your body produce enough milk if you do that?" So the answer to that question is yes... you can give as little or as much as you like. By the time bfing is esablished there is a lot of flexiblity.

Original poster

Gemmitygem · 14/05/2007 18:28

thanks again!

Yeah, will wait a few more months before dropping daytime feeds, and then if my supply drops try and get it back up again.. so far it's been ok but express twice at work every day, plus the morning, bedtime and tiny 10 pm feed. we're in central Asia and it's very dry, so reluctant to give up the 10 pm as I personally couldn't go 12 hours without a drink so don't think he should (he sleeps 7 to 7 with just that little feed), so might carry on a bit longer with that..

good comments, ladies, thanks!

OP posts:

fondant4000 · 14/05/2007 18:36

I stopped pumping at 1 year. Carried on bf until 2 yrs old. Dd wd latch on the minute I got thru' the door from work.

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