Returning to work . . .

[libb]

Some of you might be aware that I have been whining about returning to work next week. I thought DS had a problem with the bottle but I realise now that he isn't keen on formula and doesn't mind the bottle as such. Therefore I want to express -

what is the best way of going about it?
how do I do it at work?
can I express into the same bottle periodically throughout the day and put the bottle and pump back into the fridge?
what on earth should I be doing?

I have titted about enough (pardon the pun) and really need to get a grip - my DS doesn't deserve such a crummy mum. I have expressed today and the Childminder is going to give it to him and see how he gets on tomorrow but an idea of your daily routines would be lovely.

Thanks in advance.

Anyone?

my dd is 8 mths old and i work 2 days a week. i feed in the morning before going to work, dd has water mid morn, ebm after lunch and then water in the pm. i get home, give food and then a breast feed. i then carry on as normal in the evening.
i personally express at lunchtime and get 120-160 ml which is used the next day for dd. if i express and i'm not working the next day then i just freeze the milk in the bottle.
i finish work and am home for 4pm however so maybe you would need to express again.
if so a friend of mine did and she used to top the same bottle up- with an avent hand pump you can put a cap on both ends to keep it clean.
i don't know about using the pump again- personally i wouldn't but is there somewhere you can wash it- i don't sterilise mine any more.
I keep the milk in a cool bag with ice packs.
HTH

Libb, have you tried different types of formula to see if there is one he likes? I know they should be much of a muchness in content, but my two definitely liked Aptamil and definitely didn't like SMA. You could buy some ready made cartons so you don't spend a fortune on huge great powdery things and experiment (sorry if I'm repeating myself, I did post this on "our" thread )

8 months, what would think to do, what rules I think apply ...

Build up a freezer stock by expressing one ounce for a few days, then 2 ounces per day, then 3, then 4 ounces per day.

Once you have sterilised the pump, you can keep using it for the next 24 hours without resterilsing, as long as it's back in the fridge/cool bag between uses. Same goes for adding freshly pumped milk to previously pumped milk. As long as you keep it cool inbetween, and use it within 24 hours, no real risks. But I would freeze any unused milk at the end of that 24 hours.

In theory, you don't really need to sterilise at all if the pump is well washed inbetween uses, but I preferred to play it safe & almost always sterilised.

For work I either had a cool bag (so, put bag & pump & cool bag in fridge the night before, add ice pack next morning, & try to then keep them zipped up all day at work) or found a fridge at work that I could put the entire cool bag into during the day. The small portable soft cool bags are small enough for that.

Your employer is obliged to provide you with both time & place (somewhere private and clean -- not the toilet!) to express... but personally I didn't want to discuss it with my employer so chose to express in the disabled loos, after all.

AT 8 months my babies only took 2x 4 oz bottles (plus solids) a day while I was at work a full day. HTH.

zebra and judd - i love you both . . .

libb - would love to hear how you get on. ds started nursery this week and i'm determined not o give him formula. had enough milk in the freezer to last a while and have been trying to express at uni but so far not having much luck. only get a tiny bit and it takes AGES. i express 6oz in the morning and another 4-5oz before i go to bed but it's not enough.

I have managed 7ozs today - clearly not related to size of boobies for me . . .

libb I would second everything zebra says, but also suggest that rather than expressing at work (I found I could never get a lot and it was such a faff) just express after each feed you give - you will gradually build up enough of a supply. I was able to produce enough from after the morning and evening feeds to keep dd going through the day at nursery (2 x 7oz bottles IIRC) until she was 6 or 7 months. (When it was my reluctance rather than ability to spend so long feeding/expressing that made us switch to 1 bottle of formula.
When we did do formula we went through a few before settling on cow and gate, so do try other brands.
And you are not a crummy mummy - he's been bf for over 4 months ffs, and ven if you hadn't bf at all you would not be crummy - feeding is not the be all and end all of parenting!

Expressing during the day isn't enough for me even with the small amount DD eats -- today she had 8 oz of milk and I pumped 5 in the same time frame. But I can get more if I pump one side while she eats off the other. I've only been doing the expressing during the day thing for 3 days though, and it is getting better, so I have some hope that if I manage to be consistent it will work out. She's only in nursery 2 days a week, so I have plenty of chances to pump when she's with me, I just get lazy.

how do you manage to pump from one side while feeding from the other? i tried this morning and i need an extra arm or two. but i've worked out that if i cary on expressing 4-5oz morning and evening and in the afternoon on the days ds is at nursery i should have enough, just. he's only there 3.5days though and i feed him myself at lunchtime.

i've been leaving one pump in the fridge at home to express morning and night and taking another one to uni, saves sterilizing the pump so many times.

ok back to work in 3 weeks and heres my plan.

Feed DD in morning
Express at work at the times I normally feed dd ie every 3 hrs. Work have provided me with a fridge and a private room to express in.
I am going to carry the pump and empty bottles to work in a cool bag(polarbear one from mothercare) and only sterilise the pump once back at home.
Give bottles to mil for the next day.
Im hoping this works if not I am going to give formula during work time but bf morning and night.

Ive worked out that mil needs 3 bottles to last the day.

another suggestion.
If you find it difficult to express enough, could you start mixing 90%breast milk with 10% formula and see if he will except that, if so gradually try to reduce the breastmilk and up the formula. You might find that as it is being introduced slowly without him realising he will get used to the taste.

I have heard people say they can do the pump and feed routine with a normal electric pump, but I don't own one and doubt I could manage it. I have a WhisperWear pump pair, which is genuinely hands-free and the two sides can be used separately. This isn't much help to you, I'm afraid -- maybe somebody with a regular pump who can do it can explain how?

i have an electric pump for uni and a hand pump for home and can't do it hands free with either of them! maybe i'm just really uncoordinated but it doesn't seem possible. if i'm feeding ds at the same time he's lying where i want to hold the pump.

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