Long day shifts and breastfeeding?

[LumpySpaceCow]

Hi,

I will be returning to work in a couple of months on 12 hour shifts (I will be out of the house for 15 hours in total). My baby will be 9 months old.
I know it's a while off but want to be prepared, hear from others in a similar boat and to stop worrying about the feeding situation!
He is ebf and has just started solids (mix of purees and finger food but he seems to prefer to feed himself!). He will not take a bottle or a dummy. At a push he will take a bit of ebm in a cup.
At 9 months, will he manage 15 hours without a breastfeed? Do I need to try to get him uses to formula/ebm from a cup beforehand?
Has anyone else been in a similar position? What did you do?
Thanks

I returned when mine my eldest was 9 months but I was t out for as long so I don’t feel able to help. I’d call one of the Bfing Helplines in the morning. A BFC will help you to come up with a rerun to work plan

Thanks! I will do that

Let us know how you get on

I returned when baby was ten months and she was pretty much ebf until that point. I prepared by getting DH and family members to persevere with bottles while I went out for a few hours although baby would take one when really desperate. In the end I chose a child minder with experience of breast feeding who was prepared for things to be a little rocky for the first few days. However it all went fine and she went on bottle properly at that point. I didn't pump at work as v busy job so baby had formula in day and breast feed morning and evening. your supply settles down after the first day or so. I did take a hand pump to work and a bigger bra for the afternoons! but was fine after a day or two. my supply adjusted easily. Baby fed until 14 months - although increasingly sporadically

I returned to work at 9m and do 2-3 12h days per week - my little one took ready made formula in morning at this point to allow me to rehydrate with caffeine ! On the first day I expressed but never did again as too busy so I just put up with discomfort in afternoon and made sure I fed within an hour of getting home - normally up and down a few times when first goes to sleep at night - now at 18m still working for us was hoping would be bored of feeding from me by now - trying to be more structured with meals and sleep during day but come night still feed on and off - good luck with returning - forgot to mention wouldn’t take expressed milk from cup or bottle so it I pumped I dumped which seemed a massive waste !

I’m a nurse and was out the house for about 14.5 hours on the days I worked.

I returned when my son was 9 months old and I would breast feed him in the morning before work and the he’d just have some formula during the day and a bottle of it before bed.

I had to express three times at work when I first returned which my managers were really good about and then express again when I got home. After about a month or so of being back at work my supply regulated and I could cut down on how often I was needing to express until I eventually hit the point where I could 24 hours without breast feeding and still not need to express. As time went on I hit the stage where I could be away from my son for 48 hours and still not need to express.

I ended up breast feeding him until he was 2.5 years old so shift work definitely doesn’t have to cause problems.

I’m currently on maternity with my second son and due to return to work in a few months and things will be much the same this time I imagine.

Thanks for sharing your experiences - they have reassured me that he will be fine! I'm not going to try a bottle again as he point blank refuses but he will take some milk from a cup and he is eating so I know he won't starve!