Anyone bf and work in the evenings? Reassure me it'll be OK!

[Ceolas]

I'm due back to work beginning of June. It's just a part time job but it's mostly in the evenings. DD3 is 7 months old and bfing like it's going out of fashion. She eats very little solids (if we were talking in spoons, it would be about 2-3 tsp a day, if that). She does take a little EBM from a bottle if she's feeling in the mood.

I'll have to leave home at 5.30pm and won't be back til 12.30am . I'm thinking She'll need a bottle to go to bed about 7.30pm. That's the first worry. I know we'll need to try it out beforehand, but she's been bf to sleep every night since birth.

Now, she's not a good sleeper and wakes often in the evenings. Sometimes I can settle her without feeding, other times it's the only way. I'm also not ready to say she's not hungry every couple of hours because she's taking so little solids during the day. So I'm thinking DH will need a back up bottle.

I don't want to express at work. They will provide facilities I'm sure, but I'm no good expressing under pressure!

My second big worry is that I'm going to be completely knackered! I'll get back and into bed about 1am and will be awake during the night feeding. We co-sleep, but still... Then I'll be back up at 7am to start the day again with the older 3. This will be 3 evenings a week.

Now, it's not a 'career' and the job offers little in the way of intellectual stimulation, and I can take or leave the 'adult company'. It's purely a means of bringing in a few extra ££ a month to make life easier. We can pay the bills without it, but life would be financially pretty depressing otherwise.

I can't help thinking it's going to be a logistical nightmare! Any opinions?

i went back to work when ds was ten months. He also bf. I worried to. Is there anyway you could start later? Say 7? Who is looking after dc when you at work? Re tiredness. I also work three evenings a week until 1am. Get up with ds(2.2years)once or twice in might(co sleep and still bf) and up at 7 with him. It is exhausting. What job are you doing?

DH will be looking after them. Not sure about starting later. My rota is pretty rigid. Also, I'd have to finish later then to get my hours done.

I work 3 nights, although I am home by 10. Tom started off having expressed milk but had to have formula in the end as we only have a teeny freezer and had begun full-time solids and cubing everything.

Get her into the habit of having a bottle and the time she would be when you goto work. Get your hubby to give it to her as well. It was always someone else who managed to give Tom a bottle, never me!

Express in the mornings. Your boobs will be fuller then, well mine seemed to be. Make sure the milk is slightly warmer than you would give formula. Tom would only have it if it was very warm.

Tom self weaned 2 months ago, when he was 21 months .

I did this. The first night bottle of the week required a bit of vigorous expressing. But, then I'd go to work, and the feed I'd missed, I could express when I got home (although you'd be within your rights to express at work and be provided with a place to do so and somewhere to store your milk). So it was easy to express on the following nights. Then, the last night of work, the milk I'd expressed could either be used the next day and I'd carry on expressing, or I'd revert back to doing the evening b/feed and store the milk in the back of the fridge.

We found that DS was actually better at eating and settling when I wasnt around. He was totally different with DH.

It was hard, and I was absolutely knackered but it helped at a time when money was really tight. I've now gone back to part time day working.

Thanks

Did your DS only have one bottle VVV? How long were you away?

I'd start work at 3.30pm and finish at 10pm. Did it 4 days a week - Monday to Thursday.

He & DD went to a childminder or ILs until DH picked them up.

So, just one evening bottle for DS - I'd feed him before he went off to the childminder/ILs.

I started working when he was a year I think. Possibly a bit younger. He was b/fed until he was just under 2.5 years, when he slowly self-weaned.

its always good to meet another extending bf. I am gonna let ds self wean too. I also found ds better for dh. He never took my milk just water off dh. I think its us mummys that worry more than the baby! Well done btw for bf this long

no need for applause but thank you!

I prefer to call it 'natural term b/feeding', or, just b/feeding
But I'm a funny bugger about b/feeding

I really miss it actually.

whatever you want to call it. You still did a great job. I get alot of funny looks about still feeding ds and it bugs the life out of me. How long did it take for milk to dry up btw