Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Infant feeding

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

Original poster

I'm back at work . . . and confused

12 replies

libb · 12/10/2004 08:02

I returned to work this week and have a couple of questions. DS is 5 months old and has been exclusivly breastfed, it would be nice to carry on for another couple of weeks or so if possible. How much milk should I be providing for him each day? He has a feed from me about 6am and then he is with the childminder until 5.30-6.00pm. I have been providing about 7-9 ozs of breastmilk and 4-6 ozs of formula, then a bottle of juice. He is very fussy about his formula and has only taken it once, and kept on being sick afterwards so obviously breast milk would be better. Should I be expressing at work or letting myself fill up?

Sorry this is so long winded - I just want to make sure he is getting enough food as we have had a few unsettled nights and he appears to be hungry - but I could be confusing this with wanting snuggles after a day with the childminder. He was sleeping through until last week. Last night he went down after a normal feed from me and then slept very lightly all evening. I am so confused and just want to establish an ideal routine! what worked for others here?

Many thanks for trawling through this and I appreciate any tips and advice about feeding (and time management!)

OP posts:
Amfs · 12/10/2004 08:05

you should be expressing at work libb ... and I think that your company has to provide you with somewhere private to do it

if you leave it till end of day your production will start to adapt

hello sweetie

prufrock · 12/10/2004 09:59

But expressing at work can be such a pain.
I went back with dd when she was 4 months - this is what worked for us (bear in mind I had a HUGE supply of milk in the freezer, and she'd started solids at 4 months.)

I fed at 7am, then expressed. I could usually get 6 or 7oz, which went with dd. She would use this at 11 to drink. Later she would havesoem of it with her cereal at breakfast at 9, then the rest at 11. Lunch was at 12.30, then she ould have another bottle about 3 - I would get 6oz from the freezer in the am and it would defrost by the time she needed it. When she started having tea as well she cut back on this feed (which co-incided nicely with me getting low on frozen milk ) I think nursery ofered water with meals as well.
I would feed her again just before bed at 7.30 and express afterwards, getting maybe 4oz to replenish the freezer. If he is not on solids yet (well done btw) then you might want to give an interim feed when you pick him up.

As amfs said, your supply will adapt - but I found that a good thing - no leaky boobs in the daytime! It did mean that I had to carry on the same routine at weekends (though I often bf for the afternoon feed as well)

And we've had unsettled nights too, as have others on our thread - so DON'T think that it has anything to do with you going back to work.

Pidge · 12/10/2004 10:09

I went back 3 days a week when dd was 5.5 months and she was exclusively breastfed, no solids till 6 months. I was lucky that things were very quiet at work so expressing twice a day was no problem for me. Otherwise I would have just done it once in my lunchhour.

So I fed dd at 7am and then again when I got home at 6.30pm.

I would express mid morning and mid afternoon and get anywhere between 8oz and 20oz total!! I also had a good freezer supply built up very gradually by expressing 2-3oz every evening at about 9pm, i.e. a couple of hours after dd went to bed.

I provided 2 7oz bottles of EBM, which she drank. Also, under pressure from the nursery, who were convinced she was going to starve - this was in the days before the 6 month weaning recommendation - we ramped up her solids pretty fast, letting them give her breakfast and lunch.

I found expressing worked really well for me once I got into the swing of it. It was stressful at first worrying about whether I would get enough milk, but after a few weeks I got into a good routine.

Good luck.

aloha · 12/10/2004 10:28

I found it quite easy to express at work too. I did it in the loos! I only worked three days and not for that long as it turned out, but with my cool bag and my avent I was fine.

Original poster
libb · 12/10/2004 10:50

What about if I only breast fed once in morning and once in evening? and used formula/juice during the day? Expressing at work isn't a major problem but I am starting to hanker for underwire bras now that I am surrounded by all these trendy younger office girlies!! The thought of having my body back is starting to appeal but I am so close to that golden 6 month mark aren't I?

OP posts:
prufrock · 12/10/2004 10:55

If you want to only bf morning and evening your body can certainly adapt to that and tehre is no reason why you shouldn't do just 2 feeds a day indefinately. But you will probably have to give formula at weekends as well.

Pidge · 12/10/2004 10:56

libb - you can definitely just feed morning and evening, and at this age I guess some formula would be the recommendation during the day (rather than juice). It's your choice really.

On the bra front - you can always wear a nice underwired bra and just hitch the whole thing up or unstrap it to express. I only used nursing bras for as long as I was actually feeding dd out and about. When I was doing morning and evening feeds I just took my normal bra off.

aloha · 12/10/2004 11:25

You can wear underwired bras and express if you want. I agree they are much nicer! Your baby doesn't actually need juice IMO and might be better off with water if he has a sensitive tummy and milk is more nutritious.

mears · 12/10/2004 11:34

Libb - if I were you I would cotinue expressing at work when you can because you are so close to weaning and in a few months time you will be able to drop feeds anyway. I would try and avoid formula if you can. You can breastfeed as ofetn as you want on your days off. Your babe may well look for extra breastfeeds at night because of 'missing' the boob during the day. That will probably settle off the longer you are at work. Good luck and well done

bundle · 12/10/2004 11:42

well done libb! there's some helpful advice on here. when i returned to work both times (dd's were 7 months) i left expressed milk with them at the nursery, plus an extra formula one in case they wanted more. i found 2nd time i didn't express as much as i had with dd1. never gave formula at weekends, i just adapted

Original poster
libb · 12/10/2004 18:07

Another successful day of taking the bottle and a mixture of formula and milk so now I need to do is tackle quantities - he had 9oz of milk and 6 of formula and some juice - which I won't bother with tomorrow. Obviously more would be better but how much?

Thanks for all tips so far, you have all been great!

OP posts:
Original poster
libb · 12/10/2004 18:42

Anyone? I am going to get serious with my pump!

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page