Combining breastfeeding and working... can lovely MNers who have done this successfully come and tell me I'll be able to, too? (Very long, sorry!)

[Mossy]

By the time January comes around, I'll have to be working full time - long story won't bore you!

I've applied for lots of jobs, all at the local council, and have loads of interviews lined up; without wishing to sound arrogant I know that by January I'll have one of them.

They're all full-time, but only 37.5 hours a week, and they're flexi-time so I can get in early / leave early as long as I do the 37.5 hours. I'll be away from the house a bit longer though as I can't drive so will have to walk to work, walks of between 20 mins to an hour (but will have to either drop off or pick up ds from mil's who is doing childminding). Can't ask mil to bring him to work to feed him ... another long story, it just wouldn't work.

Ds will be almost nine months by January. He still feeds like a newborn though; I don't know how many times he feeds in the day as sometimes he snacks, sometimes he feeds to sleep, sometimes he properly munches away.

He has solids; we're doing BLW so I'm really not sure how many calories he gets from solid food. Not many, I suspect!

He feeds a lot through the night and it doesn't bother me at all.

So that's the background. Now for the questions!

1. Expressing in work. Am I allowed breaks to do it? Or do I have to do it on my lunch hour? And what is the best way to tell my employers that I will be doing this? I'm assuming at job-offer stage rather than at interview?

2. I've always been crap at expressing. Will I be able to express enough for ds? And if not... will he make up the calories in the day with extra solid food & water, and make up for the milk in the evening / at night?

3. This is the big one... If I'm expressing during the day when I'm at work and I'm only able to remove a couple of ounces from my breasts, what will happen to my supply? By this I mean will I have enough milk to feed him "full time" at weekends if my baby isn't "demanding" it during the week?

Thanks in advance, sorry this is so long!!

bump

Mossy

1. You ought to be allowed to do it at work - I think the law is that employers are supposed to facilitate a private place to express and storage facilities, but not sure aboutt extra breaks - you may be expected to do it in your coffee/lunch breaks. Yup - wait till they've offered you the job but I'd imagine as a local authority, they'll be pretty clued up about it (certainly their HR dept should be so perhaps speak to them if not the dept manager you'll be working for - HR should be able to smooth things for you and will know the law/facilities currently available etc). Could your MIL, if not bring in baby, perhaps walk with you so you can feed just before work and again just after if she comes in then? This would increase your direct feeds at first and then if your baby starts to eat more and drop feeds these could be the first ones dropped?

1. Been a long time since I did this and only fed till 9 months with mine but seem to remember by that stage, at first they fed in the evening/night a bit more and were quite happy with food/water in the day. but I bet you can up your supply by pumping a bit more now if you need to to establish a backup supply of milk and allow for more when pumping at work?

1. Almost certain you will have enough for extra feeds at the weekend. Not sure of the 'science' of this (Tiktok?) but your supply is well established by now and milk arrives pretty much when demanded and less reliant on 'storage' IYSWIM. I always fed a bit more at weekends and had no problems in the week...

Thanks monkeybird. I'm planning to wear him in the sling on the way to mil's to feed him on the move...

There aren't official tea / coffee breaks, but people do take them anyway. So I was thinking of asking for expressing breaks morning and afternoon for fifteen minutes, but clocking out during those breaks... what do you think?

Yes it's the supply thing that worries me most.... I certainly don't want ds to wean any time soon and would be concerned he might if my supply dwindles and I couldn't feed him fully at weekends iyswim...

Mossy, my DS was just turned 11 months when I went back to work so I didn't have to express(part time too, so slightly different). You may find by 9 months that your DS drops a few feeds anyway, so reducing the pressure on you to express so much. We pretty much did BLW (indroducing a spoon in a desultory fashion every so often, usually to please my mum) and DS didn't really get going on solids until 9-10 months. Then he got into them in a really big way and went down to having morning, midafternoon and bedtime feeds pretty much by 10 months.

A friend of mine went back to work when her DD was just over 6 months. This was a few years ago so she weaned on to solids at 4ish months. She used to leave EBM but her DD was happy to have food and water during the day and wait for her mum to return and tank up then.

DS is now 16 months and I'm working 2 or 3 days a week. On the days I'm working he feeds morning and night, on the days I'm off he sometimes has day feeds, sometimes not. My supply seems to keep pace. I'm glad we've kept going with bf as it seems to help him fight off colds and other bugs now he's at the childminder. Also a lovely way to reconnect.

Just don't talk to me about nightfeeds

MaeWest thanks for that...

I think maybe I am worrying too much, but I just want to be prepared in advance. As I say, the thing that worries me most is if my supply drops through expressing (or not, as the case may be - never have been great at it) and then I don't have enough for him at weekends...

Hi, sorry haven't had time to read all of the thread. Just wanted to let you know my experience. I went back to work 8am-6pm, 6 days a week, when dd1 was 6 weeks old. I expressed at work, bf overnight and bf on SUndays. It was fine, worked really well, and I was able to go back to full bfing during the school holidays each time.

It is possible.

I reckon at that age he will be ready to take more solids and water during the day and feed from you in the evenings and night. If you are unavailable during the day he'll munch on other stuff and be fine.
I don't think it will take long for you both to adjust and he will be having great fun and also napping during the day while you are busy elsewhere.

I started off expressing in the showers at work. I didn't ask anyone, but I had the type of job where I could sneak off for a few minutes and noone noticed. I stored the milk in the fridge at work. After a while, got fed up, and bf morning and evening (and for many months throughout the night too, but that I guess was partly by choice). Eventhough I didn't bf during the day in the week, I had milk for daytime feeds at weekends and also if he was sick and I was at home and wanted to bf lots.

Btw, found that whenever I mentioned I was still bf, most of my colleagues were so disturbed by this they just let me get on with it I think. And why should you not have time off to express milk? If they say no, they should not allow smokers to have their breaks either.

Ah thanks everyone, I feel a bit better about it now.

I went back to work when dd was 12m but I only worked 3 days. She was also still feeding every 2 hours at that stage.

I also work for a council and not only should they implement the letter of the law but should also implement good practice so they really should give breaks to breastfeed during the working day, as well as a private room and some fridge space.

I intended to express twice a day, but only ended up expressing once a day, and dd would feed immediately before I left for work and immediately I got back to her. I did find I didnt get much milk out when expressing but thought the let-down stimulation would be enough to keep supply up. This worked fine in terms of supply.
BUT I was also feeding 2-3 times a night which I believe keeps supply going well.

One thing to be careful of is mastitis, I got it the day I didnt go and express at lunch time and was also stressed from a row with my boss.

Good luck and good for you still feeding!

i went back to work when ds 13m but had established an feeding/eating pattern by about 10m.

1. yes as others have said.
2. have never expressed so cannot advise on that, but he should be ok with the general feeds.
3. your supply should be established enough to cope.

looking at this another way, you will only not be feeding him for the max of 9 hours, which is pretty much what would be happening if you weren't feeding at night at all which is reasonably common by this age.

Mossy - I started a thread similar to this before i returned to work and got some very handy tips -

www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=1364&threadid=369247#7529416

If I were you I would not mention it until I am just about to start. You need to putit in writing as they have to give nursing mothers rest breaks under H&S legislation and you need o state in writing taht you are BFing and require these breaks - somewhere private to BF (they'll probably have a sick room) and a fridge to store the milk.

I have been expressing 3 days a week fr about 2 months and its fine - your boobs get used to it and it tends to increase your supply slightly if anything as you can ensure you empty both sides each time. I have 2 breaks of aout 25 minutes each. I actually enjoy them and use them to either read reports/trade mags, or if I am tired, read trashy magazines . I was dreading it at first and fet very apprehensive but am proud that I am doing it and as I say, enjoy my quiet little breaks. I do find I cn't aways take a lunc btreak though as well - just due to pressure of work.

Excuse typos, I was expressing (I used to fin it hard but its a doddle now) as Monti keeps biting me tonight!

BTW I would advise storing up some servings of B milk and keeping them in the freezer beforwe you go back - so you have some spare in case you have to work late ro anything - it also give you some practice so ou can get into the swing of expressing a home before you sart your new job.

That magazine you sent me has some fab tips for expressing.Have you a good machine? I used Avent Isis IQ - expensive but vey comfy and gets the milk out well. They do a Duo one but its a bout £250k for the double one, though you could probbly pick one up 2nd hand on MN or Ebay or something.

Most people at work know I express now and I tell them "just going for a break, I'll be back in 30 minutes"

went back full time at 6mo. expressed mornings and evenings.
ds carried on till just over 2y old

Hi Mossy- I had similar worries about supply etc when I went back to work 4 days a week a month ago (DS was 7 months). Had lots of reassurance on here that your boobs will adapt and it's amazing- they do! I haven't bothered expressing as I'm happy for him to have a bit of formula in the day but he does make up for it at night... it's nice and bonding so I'm not too worried at the moment. When I am around to feed him in the day the milk is there! Magic.

mossy, your ds is 9 months and on the cusp of ramping it up on solids and liquids from a beaker. It is great that you are expressing, but from a nutrition (as opposed to supply) point of view, your ds will probably do just fine at your MILs. With you not there, he will naturally have more solids.

I am separated from ds from 7 am to 6 pm every weekday. I don't express - could never get more than an ounce or 2 a time and just could not be bothered. When I get home, he demands a feed. We co-sleep and he dream feeds maybe 4-5x a night. I just feed him lying down and don't get up.

Weekends, we feed more during the day. No problems with supply.

Mossy,my babies went happily without milk (of any sort) all day from 8 mths as i was working f/t.We still carried on b/feeding for 30 mths.

Thank you everyone for your reassurance.

I don't have a double pump, in fact my electric one has broken so I just have a cheap hand one. But I'm going to paid work due to major skintage so I'll have to make do with the cheapo hand one until my first pay packet. Dh has already bought my chrimbo prezzie (for £20 not £250 anyway) so it's not like I can ask for it for a prezzie...

But as you say, ds will get by without too much milk for a bit and then when I get a pump he can up it again a bit.

Thanks again all!!