Breastfeeding and returning to work

[agri]

My baby is 8 months old and I will be returning to work when she’s 11 months.

She is breastfed, however will occasionally take a bottle of expressed milk.

I don’t get what I’m meant to do when I return to work? Obviously I can’t breastfeed throughout the day. Should I be getting her used to bottles now and still expressing, or did you just go to cows milk @ 1 years old?

Not sure how I’m going to manage to express in work, although there is a room specifically for that.
Just seems like that could be a total faff and boobs will be hurting throughout the day etc.

I find breastfeeding in the night so easy, and I can’t be arsed to go downstairs to make bottles in the middle of the night, but I’m assuming my milk will dry up if I’m not feeding in the day.

Any advice please? I formula fed my other 2 kids, so I’ve no idea!

By 11 months there should be no night feeds. So bottles during the day is easier its only a month till its cows milk at one

By 11 months baby will be on 3 meals a day so wont be feeding much anyway. If you can do a wake up feed, feed before bed and I'd imagine one through the night (possibly more for comfort, resettling) and feed on demand at weekends then your milk wont dry up.
My baby is 3mo and im going back at 9mo/10mo I'm already worrying about it, she's my 4th (surprise) and I haven't had to return to work with the others

Can you start pumping now so she can have expressed milk at nursery?

My middle (and I expect my youngest will too) wouldn’t take any bottles and when he started nursery at 11/12 months he just adapted his feeds and fed before and after nursery and just ate a lot of food there.

I went back to work when mine was 12 months old. I breastfed them in the morning before work, and then breastfed them in the evening and night (they slept with me.)

Your supply will be well established and will adjust to your new routine. Mine never had a bottle and I bf when home but he was absolutely fine with just solids when I was at work.

I also returned at 11 months and was still breastfeeding. Have you spoken to your employer about this? See how it works according to their policy and I’m pretty sure it should be part of a risk assessment too. Some employers give you time to express, some don’t as they’re not legally required to do so.
In the weeks before my return I got her used to having only one feed during what would be my working hours. When I returned, that one day feed was replaced by a bottle of expressed milk. I still breastfed on my days off and nights and it didn’t affect supply at all.
The expressing didn’t last long as it was so much effort so she ended up having cows milk on my working days while she was at nursery - she was just shy of 12 months at this point. I stopped expressing at work which was uncomfortable for a week or so. I just hand expressed to ease it on my lunch. I was so worried about how it would work but between 9-11 months she naturally reduced how much she fed anyway and it wasn’t as complicated as I thought it would be.

Ignore this, it’s very normal for babies and toddlers much older than this to still feed at night.

my son went to nursery at 11 months. He would sometimes have a bottle but wouldn’t take formula and I couldn’t be bothered pumping. I went to NCT BF clinic for advice and she said if he was a good eater he’d be fine on no milk in the day (or cows milk from 1), and he just continued to have a BF before bed and first thing in the morning. I continued to make milk fine without feeding in the day or overnight very often.

Take a pump incase as you might need to at first if they get sore. Your body does very quickly adapt so I actually never pumped at work. I fed in morning and when I picked up my son up and at night. My son never took a bottle even of expressed milk at nursery , he point blank refused so he just had breast milk when he was with me. We fed until 2, morning and night time.

Unless you proactively night wean (your choice), it's likely there will still be night feed at 11 months for a breastfed baby. However, by then your supply will be well established and very flexible.
You can either pump 1-2 times during the work day if you want milk for her to be given while you're apart and this aligns with your work arrangements, or you can just hand express for relief as needed while your body adjusts. If you do this you can continue to feed either on demand or on a schedule when with your baby, if you're doing a couple of feeds a day/night outside of work your supply will be fine. You can then gradually move to cows milk once she's 1 if you choose to, better to do a cup rather than start a bottle at this age though.
I worried about this before I went back to work at 10 months and it was all fine! Breast fed happily until 2.

There can be night feeds for breastfed babies beyond 12 months. Particularly where parent choose to cosleep.

Mine were all EBF for around 18 months and never had a bottle as I was unable to express.

By 11 months they were down to 2 or 3 feeds every 24 hours, with food making up most of their intake.

I fed first thing in the morning (half asleep usually) then as soon as I got in, settled with a nice cuppa, and last thing at night. The feed at dinner time dropped first, then nighttime then finally they weren’t interested in the morning either, and I was done.

I went back to work when mine were 9-10 months old. I didn’t express during the day at work (no room for it back then). When I got home, baby would nurse and then I expressed the reminder. Both babies then fed throughout the rest of the evening and during the night. Mine didn’t sleep through the night at that age, so I didn’t dry up at all. Don’t worry, your body will adapt. Breastfeeding can work around your commitments, it’s very versatile.

Hi OP,
I went back to work at 7 months. We got out little used to a bottle by dad giving expressed feeds. That got me into the habit of expressing before i went back to work and little one into taking a bottle. I expressed at lunchtime at work, boobs did get used to this first few days were a bit more awkward with a tiny bit of engorgement by lunchtime. By 12 months, i stopped expressing, little one moved onto cows milk during the day while I was at work. Breastfeeding has continued and its part of our reconnect in the evening when I get home.

Babies adapt to feed timing changes pretty well (I've done this twice and its worked)

Wish you all the very best x

I went back to work at 12 months with both my babies. They didn't have milk at nursery (my eldest would occasionally drink cows milk from a cup but youngest not interested) and I just fed them as normal when we were together. My youngest is 14 months and I feed him a few times in the day, few times at night. Varies depending how he's feeling!
I never needed to pump, apart from when I left my youngest overnight at 11 months and then I just pumped for comfort. Your supply is so well established by this point, it shouldn't dry up unless you stop feeding completely. Good luck!

An 11MO doesn’t need milk in the day. They can have a breastfeed first thing, then meals, snacks and water to drink at nursery, then another breastfeed before bed. And also potentially night feeds if you’re still doing those, it doesn’t really make a difference. I wouldn’t be expressing unless it’s for your own comfort or faffing about sending in bottles. Mine were formula fed at that age and still didn’t bother sending bottles to nursery because they don’t need it if eating normally. Also the official recommendation is to stop bottles completely from 12 months, they’re bad for teeth in a way breastfeeding isn’t, so I certainly wouldn’t be encouraging it in an 11MO.

Babies adapt really well and your supply will be pretty much bombproof by now. Just to be aware though, many babies reverse cycle when mum goes back to work. This means they wake more at night and feed more at night because that's when you are available.

There are no rules about when to drop night feeds if it’s working for you and little one. I have a 17 month old who’s been in nursery since 12 months and I just continued to breastfeed responsively when he wasn’t in nursery and my milk didn’t dry up. He mostly just has a morning and evening feed on nursery days now, but on a weekend I am still able to give him a feed during the day, although I think my body definitely adapted to having more milk available at his usual feeding times (ie outside of nursery hours) I was still feeding during the night when i first went back and then he just stopped wanting night feeds as he got a bit older.

I know it will feel like the return to work is fast approaching and in some ways it is, but they change massively in terms of what they are consuming in terms of solids vs milk feeds between 8 and 11 months and it might just not feel like an issue at all by that point. My youngest was still on a couple of milk feeds a day when he started nursery and I did get a bit sore the first week or two of cutting them out, but it wasn’t too bad. If your baby sometimes takes a bottle you can send that and either formula or expressed milk with them to nursery (or whoever will be looking after her). You can switch to cows milk at 1, but it’s not essential and it tends not to be an overnight switch as they might need to get used to the change

Where is this outdated information from? Ideally night feeds should last until around 18months or until baby stops waking for feeds themselves (if this is before 18months).

OP - boobs are amazing at adjusting to your schedule, e.g. say you wanted to feed just morning and evening on weekdays but all day on weekends - they learn what day it is and adjust their milk production accordingly

I breast fed my toddler only in the night till 18 months. Your body recognises its pattern and starts to only produce milk at those times.

Why though genuinely curious. Breast milk is food by 11 months there should be 3 meals a day. Sleeping all night.

Complete nonsense. My LO had night feeds until 2. It’s child dependant. During the day sippy cup of water and then the child makes up for it at home and in the mornings and night.

I've never wanted the laughing emoji back more!

It’s also water and comfort. The WHO recommends breastfeeding until 2. Kids with faster metabolisms wake up at night.

OP I went back to work at 11 months, mine never took a bottle. We offered a sippy cup and straw cup from 6 months, I'd advise that rather than a bottle. I never pumped and I fed on demand on non-nursery days. I did send in formula and I think she took a bit, but she coped on meals/snacks and BF outside nursery. Once she turned 12 months she drunk cows milk but that shouldn't be lots as it impairs appetite. I didn't feel uncomfortable so therefore didnt need to pump. I'm still BF at 22 months but have cut down to once a day, after dinner.