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!

Do you have a magic wand to make all babies sleep all night? Please share if so. Breastfeeding is recommended until 2 years. Night wakes are normal.

I fed mine before and after work and expressed once in the day at lunchtime which she then had in a cup at nursery the next day and she was fine. She was eating three meals a day plus drinks of water too. In the first few weeks she breastfed a bit more at night to make up for it.

Breastfeeding is so much more than just food. It’s comfort and security as well. Mine fed at night until age 2.

I breastfed my oldest until over 18 months. I wasn't working but by 11 months I was only feeding him morning and bedtime
That just happened naturally as his food intake increased
At 11 months the baby should be fine without milk during the day or have some milk in a sippy cup around lunchtime. I wouldn't introduce bottles at this age.

Such wrong advice

I fed mine until 2 and 3, returning to work about 10/11 months. Feed in the morning when they wake, then when you pick them up and get home. Then before bed and there's usually more night waking and feeding at the start as they adjust to you being away (but that will improve!)
I would pump once a day in work and send that into the creche, but it was more for comfort than anything else. They will be eating and will do fine on food and water. You could see if they like cows milk, but it's not necessary. It's very doable, don't worry.

No don't ignore this advice. Babies shouldn't still be breastfed at 11 months.
In the 80's you had to return to work when your baby was 6 weeks old....and mum's still breastfed. Most babies were bottle/breastfed free by 8 months.

Your body adjusts - you feed them when they’re home - days off/weekends/nights and the boobs seem to magically know it’s a nursery day. Then a big feed when reunited (it’s lovely). My boy started nursery after 1 so he just had water at nursery and was fine - he makes up for it when he got home (and at night). I didn’t bother expressing or sending bottles in.

I fed when I was around and when I wasn’t they took first formula and then cows milk from a cup (wasn’t into bottles )

It was completely fine except they fed a lot at night in the beginning when I went back to work

You really can do what works for you and your baby.
Cow's milk and water can be introduced after age 1.
You are giving solids now as baby is over 6 months and solids will increase.
You could bf morning and night if that works for you.
i would start introducing a straw cup at 12m and a sippy cup or open cup now for sips of water. My 2.5 y/o wasn't given a bottle at all and that has made things a bit easier with less faff.

Of course babies can still be breastfed at 11 months. The World Health Organisation recommend breastfeeding for 2 years and beyond.

Hahaha not necessarily with an 11 month old! Still very normal to need a night feed at this age.

I went back to work part time when my eldest was 11 months too, I decided to introduce formula by then so on home days one bottle of formula mid morning with a snack then breastmilk the rest of the day. Nursery days 2 bottles of formula during the day at nursery then breastmilk before/after nursery.
I never expressed at work and found my boobs were fine.
I never got on very well with expressing so using formula was a better option for me.
At 12 months i switched to cow’s milk/water during the day and gradually decreased breastmilk feeds.

I'm really not sure why some people are saying babies "shouldn't" be breast fed after a certain age. That's not only an outdated view it is factually incorrect.
Babies should be exclusively breast fed or formula fed or combo fed until 6 months. Solids should be introduced at 6 months, with typical allergen foods introduced as well, but breast milk/formula are still the main food source until 12 months.
The ratio of solids will increase 6-12 months, but every baby is different, so day to day, week to week baby's preferences, acceptance and refusal for food may change.
Cow's milk can be introduced at 12 months. Not all toddlers will accept it, though, and it may take a long time until they do. I've known some non-breast feeding mums to continue supplementing with formula past 12 months for this reason.
Breast feeding mums can continue to breast feed or offer breast milk via bottle or cup for as long as she and her child want. There is no rule, medical or child developmental reason to stop. Stopping is a choice based on personal comfort for mother and child and is not based on anything else.

This!! For most of human history babies were breastfed for much longer than is typical today. My second child was exclusively breastfed for 12 months before she would even attempt to eat food.

Oh, well if that’s what happened in the 80s, that must supersede NHS and World Health Organisation advice.

Sorry everyone I got it wrong, babies should be weaned by 11 months old after all. This person Says So.

Suggest you just cut your kid off cold turkey OP.

LOL at no night feeds at 11 months!

@agri If you have a room and breaks are given for expressing at work, take advantage of that. You’ll need to have a risk assessment done before you start back, HR or your line manager can sort that. You may find that baby doesn’t drink much expressed whilst you’re at work, but just eats solids and water, so you may only be expressing for comfort, and then breastfeeding baby when you’re at home together. It’s likely that you’ll find night feeds increase at first as you both adjust to you being back at work.

Respectfully @ThisHazelPeer that is absolute nonsense. The WHO and NHS recommend breastfeeding for at least 2 years, and beyond if mum and baby want to. Breastmilk is still their main nutrition during the first year, so your information is completely incorrect.

My 1st dc stopped at 11m of combo feeding; I'm still bf'ing my 2.5y 2nd dc morning, night and sometimes mid-day or middle of the night. 🤷‍♀️

I 💯 agree with taking advantage of it because bf'ing and childcare needs to be normalized, accepted, expected and accommodated if women are to gain any equality. As it stands we are still disrespected and under-appreciated as care-givers.

At 12 months more babies wake at night than don’t. Being hungry is only one of many reasons babies wake at night. Breastfeeding is also more than just food

OP neither of mine ever had a bottle, breastmilk from the source only. Went back to work at 11/12 months each, I kept breastfeeding when they were with me and they had food and water when they weren’t. Absolutely fine. Just keep doing what you’re doing, baby will adapt.

Babies shouldn't be breastfed at 11 months?! what have I just read...??
so they should drink the milk of a cow but not milk that is tailor made for that child, that provides ongoing immunity, and tailored nutrition not to mention comfort. The world health organization recommends breast milk until at least 2 years.
It is biologically normal for human babies to have human milk...we are not in the 80s now, we know more about how breastfeeding shapes gut health, brain development...the list goes on....mother's get longer maternity leave now, things are different.

By that age, I was feeding early in the morning and at bedtime. You have plenty of time to taper it down, so that you will be comfortable during the work day, and still able to feed when you’re with your baby.

I went back at 12 months.

By that point DS was eating well and drinking water, so that was enough to get through 8am to 6pm. I would feed him in the mornings, when I picked him up and then overnight too (lol at the poster who said no night feeds at 11 months).

He didn’t like cows milk until around 16 months so he basically had water only during his nursery hours and it was fine. I initially planned to pump so nursery can give him a bottle but it was too much hard work so I gave up pretty quickly!

I was engorged by the time I got home from work for the first couple of weeks, but my body soon adjusted and I had no issues with my supply. In fact, carried on feeding him until he was 2.5.

look up reverse cycling which is very common. Basically your baby just feeds when you’re together and your supply adjusts to compensate. I went back when mine were 12 months and fed until 3 or 4 years. I just switched to night feeds rather than day feeds and in the day they had food and drank water from a cup.
I know you’re supposed to be allowed to express at work, but I didn’t respond to a pump so it would have been hand expressing, and I was in audit visiting client sites, so I would have been explaining to various clients I needed somewhere to express as well as somewhere to work which was already a bit improvised.
by that age your child is an expert feeder and your supply will be pretty adjustable, your body will be able
to up supply on weekends if your toddler puts the orders in.
if you do find yourself feeding at night I would definitely recommend cosleeping and going with the flow as much as you can so that you get maximum rest. Good luck with it all x