How do you work and EBF?

[m00ngirl]

I’m going back to work soon and baby is EBF.

I cant/really don’t want to pump at work. I want baby to stay EBF and do not want to introduce formula but will be weaning soon.

I’ve started pumping at night after baby is down to build up a store of frozen milk, supply is good.

Few issues / questions for anyone who has been in similar shoes please:

1. I surely cant produce enough each night to get baby through the day EBF? Currently producing just over 200ml a night. When back to work I can still do the early morning and night feeds. But not sure this will add up to the amount (up to 1l a day?) baby will need.

2. because I’m pumping and increasing production, will I be engorged at work?

3. I’m trying to get my periods back to I can try for my next baby. Will increasing my supply be an obstacle to this? On the flip side, I’m hoping to do no milk at work (9-5) so isn’t the gap supposed to be a factor in getting periods back (or do I offset this with the extra pumping at night?)

so grateful for any thoughts or tips at all!

How old will baby be when you go back to work?

assuming this is a 6m old since you say you’re about to wean? I don’t think you can ebf with only one pumping session and 2 feeds unfortunately, Unless you’re not going back full time or you’re wfh some days and you then have chance to build a freezer store up for the days you are at work
2 - yes
3 - I’m not actually sure you will be increasing your supply since you will be going 8-9 hours without feeding a baby every day
have you checked baby will actually take a bottle?

6m ( DH doing shared parental leave)

@Tinseltottiesyep baby will take the bottle. Not enthusiastically, we are just starting to practice now, but it’s not a refusal at all

It sounds like I’m going to have to pump at work and accept I’m probably not going to menstruate for a while. I can’t think of anything worse than having my boobs out at work / toilets etc and putting my milk in the staff fridge… barbaric. I am SO hoping to find a way around this. Will be back to work full time 5 days a week.

How much are you feeding currently?

Both of mine were down to just two feeds during the day by six months (plus a wake-up feed, bedtime feed and through the night). That fairly rapidly could have become one of needed once they’d properly got into solids at about 7.5 months.

*if needed

@NW3Ladyi feed to sleep so at least every two hours more or less! But of course no idea how much she’s actually taking from the boob during those feeds

I went back to work When DC2 was 5m old. I bf DC1 to 4yo so did the same with DC2.

I went back on a phased return. Using my KiT days to do a 1 day week, then 3x 2 day weeks, then a 3 day week. Then I went back full time onto payroll and used my accumulated annual leave to work a 3 day week and then a 4 day week.

before going full time again.
I was in the office 4 days a week so out of the house 8am to 7pm.

for the first 6 weeks my nanny brought DC2 to my office at lunchtime. I would eat my lunch and bf.

I didn’t bother with pumping as I didn’t need it to keep my supply going. In any case neither of my DC were too fussed about pumped milk And I was a crap pumper!! So there was no incentive, except for comfort but after a few weeks my body adjusted.

I knew about reverse cycling and DC2 did that. So when we were together there was lots of cluster feeding. Incl overnight.

we co slept until DC2 was about 12mo and that saved my sanity In those first 7 months back at work!!! As I could bf half asleep so still felt rested In the morning despite the reverse cycling.

I also went away for a long weekend with friends without my baby when DC2 was about a year old. I pumped and dumped for comfort.

I still managed to bf DC2 to 4yo so those gaps didn’t stop that.

with DC1 I also bf to 4yo and there was some overlap with DC2. And yes it is still possible to get pregnant whilst bf, especially after the new born months.

my periods came back with both of them around 9/10months post partum.

1. It depends. What's your commute? You could bf 6am... bf 8.30am...baby has solids at 10am...bottle ebf 1pm...solids 3pm....bf 5.30pm...bf 8.30pm...bf 11pm.
2. For the first day or so yes...then you adjust ime.
3. Seems different for different people

Lots of people find their baby “reverse cycles” when they return to work- so they want more
milk at night (BF) and less in the day (bottle).

This is good in that it means less pumping is required, but bad for your sleep obviously…

My periods returned at 8-9 months despite EBF by the way. DD took to food enthusiastically and was taking less milk by then.

Btw I didn’t bother trying bottles with DC2 before I went back to work. It had not worked with DC1 so decided against it.
both kids drank water from a cup
in my absence. (sippy cup or one of those open cups designed for toddlers & old people - I forget the name!!)

They both made up for lost time as soon as they could get hold of me.

they both started solids at 6m. And would try all sorts but my milk was still their key food source until around 9/10mo.

I understand babies get more efficient the older they get so don’t need much time to get as much milk as they need, which is helpful for busy mums.

If I was away over night DH would offer pumped milk in a sippy cup or medala bottle.

once they were older (around 12mo) and if I was away at bedtime they had a routine with him where he made them a banana and honey oat milk shake in the nutri bullet and they sang songs together!!!! No time to miss mummy or her boobs…..!!

I hadn’t heard of reverse cycles, really interesting, thanks so much. That might save me! Though I hope that doesn’t mean they’re hungry during the day?! I won’t leave the house unless DH has enough expressed milk to keep them going. On my KIT days so far baby has fed less from bottle and then it seems made up for it with bigger feeds from me but not sure if that’s just her being less keen on the bottle or could become the kind of reverse cycling thing described in posts here.

thanks so much for all the help and replies so far by the way, it’s so helpful !

Re: menstruation. This is so variable. Some get periods back at six weeks despite exclusive breastfeeding all round the clock. Others find they have to stop feeding completely. There’s no way of knowing til you get there which one you’re going to be unfortunately. Some find stopping the overnight feeds is the key but it’s not the case for everyone.

The feeds will start to reduce automatically once you introduce solids, so you’ll be heading the right direction. That may be all you need. If it’s not, you can think about doing more to intentionally reduce it. I was once it your shoes.

How many naps is she taking a day? This will start to reduce too which will help.

I don't think you're ready.

I think you should take some of your leave back from husband or take accrued annual leave then 4 weeks of unpaid parental leave to get you another couple of months with baby.

You could also maybe go back part time only working mornings. That's what they do in Italy from 6-12 months.
Or dp could bring baby to you on your lunchbreak for a feed.

Work legally have to provide you with a private clean space for pumping - not a loo. Get a flask that is not clear see through to store it in.

@NW3Ladythank you! About four naps a day. Hopefully weaning goes well, thats a whole other thing we need to research…! I’m very very keen to get pregnant again asap but she is of course my priority, above work too. But I am trying to find/think of hacks to tick all the boxes… full time work, EBF, and menstruation… 🤪

Ive pumped 280ml tonight and could keep going so feeling good about building up ansupply at least. However I had to work today , v important meeting, and only realised when home that I’d soaked through my breast pad, and bra, and half my top was wet 🙈 mortified. Hence my question about risking getting engorged at work!

I returned to work when DD was 7/8 months and didn’t pump at work (teacher; no time). I would get home from work and feed baby on one boob and pump on the other. Your body adjusts to the new routine, and I didn’t leak at work for very long. I tried to make sure I always had a supply ahead in the freezer as well, rather than getting down to the last bottles.

And were you able to pump enough in the evening to still EBF?

Naps will likely go down to three at around the six month point and could be nudged in that direction if desired. Could she have one of her naps in the buggy to get rid of one feed? I managed to do this quite successfully with my first.

Yes I was but that included pumping at weekends/any days off as well for the week ahead. You could build up a supply in the freezer before you go back so you have a buffer.

we Have a pumping room with its own fridge. I’m pretty sure that the legal requirements require. Dedicated space that is not a toilet.

I went back when my DC were 7 months. They were good eaters (we did BLW from 6 months) and seemed content with just breast feeding when I was around. So big feeds first thing in the morning, when I came home from work (4pm) and bedtime. At the weekends they had smaller breast feeds mid morning and mid afternoon as well, but when I was at work they had just water or - deep breath - cows’ milk in a cup for drinks. Cows’ milk shouldn’t replace BF or FF until a year due to lack of iron / nutrients but it’s fine alongside mainly BF. I didn’t want to introduce formula or bottles. If you’re BF, you should also add vitamin / iron drops as you run low on these in your breastmilk by 6 months anyway.
My boobs coped ok too with the different feeding patterns.

I went back to work at 7 months. My baby took very well to solids food and he was on 3 meals a day, reliably, at 8 months.

BUT they do a lot of growing between 6-12 months, their weight and height really shoots up and they need a lot of calories. He basically didn't drop any feeds until around 11 months.

At 9.5 months I stopped pumping 9m - 3pm and replaced milk feeds with substantial snacks. But he fed loads from 3 pm when I got home anyway.

It's really unrealistic to drop day feeds at 6-7 months, UNLESS you are prepared for reverse cycling I.e. waking to feed every 2 hours

Pumping is hard work but it really isn't that bad. I had a bag with everything I needed and another thermal bag with 2 big freezer packs so I didn't need to use the communal fridge.

However pumping is a BIG learning curve, there is a lot to learn and research.

I basically had 2-3 HORRIBLE months but it means now at 11 months I'm still breastfeeding.