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!

I mean in the 70s and 80s people also used to smoke around babies and not wear seat belts. Not sure I’d take parenting advice from that era…

She and you'll be fine. I went back at 5 months and still feed my 18 month old on demand at home and overnight. Mine started refusing expressed bottles after 10 months, but he would drink water and eat solids including lots of water fruit at nursery, then feed when he saw me at the end of the day. I pumped once a day until 12 months and dumped the milk otherwise i got uncomfortable. I can go about 12h now before I really need to pump or feed and it doesn't seem to affect supply. 8 to 11 months are lots of changes. 8 is still a baby, at 11 you can see the toddler.

For us by the time he was 11.5 months and I was returning to work we were down to 2 daytime feeds, so when I went back to work we did early morning, bedtime and overnight boob feeds. Overnight and bedtime feeds continued until he was about 2 and we finally stopped bedtime feed just after he was 3. You don’t need to stop breastfeeding before you are both ready just because you are going back to work.

I expressed milk at work. I took an insulated lunch bag and some freezer block things, put them in the freezer in the morning. I expressed twice through the day, keeping the pump parts in sandwich bags inside a Tupperware box in the fridge to keep them clean and avoid having to wash them between uses.

I was sending a pouch of milk to nursery with him for the three days he was going but after just a few weeks they told me he wasn’t drinking it, so I stopped sending it. Eventually weened him off the daytime feeds. Your body will adapt, and your baby will gradually start to eat more and more solids. Hope your work are flexible to support you during the transition.

I went back at 9 months with both kids. We just dropped all feeds when I was at work, did morning before work, as soon as I got home and then bedtime. My supply and babies adapted. Do whatever works for you though, and remember you have rights as a breastfeeding worker.

Start expressing and get her used to bottles or a sippy cup
Gradually reduced the frequency and time spent feeding and expressing
Once little one is used to sippy cup, start getting her used to water in it
Reduce actual breast feeds to one a day in the evening
You will probably feel uncomfortable at first, but your body will gradually reduce the flow to meet demand

Mine was eating three meals by this point and having milk morning & night! So I would think you’ll be fine. I was already weaning at 8mo - porridge, rice, mushy things etc. I wouldn’t think you’ll need to pump by then. X

I went back to work at 7 months; ebf up to then, and once we started him on first foods at 6 months we also introduced some formula milk - it’s just another food. I BF in mornings, evenings and at night, and sometimes during the day at weekends too, but he had bottles of formula when I was at work. Carried on BF till he was about 2.

I did try to express but it was a ginormous faff for me and I could never get much out. Mostly did it just to help the adjustment to not feeding during the day while at work - it didn’t take long. I found feeding much more flexible at that age - not like when they’re a couple of months old.

Mine used sippy cup with water it cows milk at nursery. I breastfed before they went and after I got home. Never expressed at work and breastfed as normal on my days off. My youngest was a bottle refuser, my supply adjusted to her needs.

I went back when baby was 9 months. CMPA so I was dairy free. Baby wouldn't take any form of milk any way we tried.

The nursery was only 5 minutes drive from my work so I went and fed in my lunch break for the first couple of months. Would have done it longer but baby started refusing to feed because they were twisting around trying to watch what the other babies were doing and wanted back down. So from then I just fed before and after nursery and baby was fine.

You absolutely don't need to do this, if you want to continue to feed on demand outside of nursery. Your supply will be established enough to cope with less feeds on nursery days. You only need to express if you feel uncomfortable or you really want her to have breastmilk at nursery, but she might not take it anyway.

I went back to work with my eldest when she was just shy of 6 months old and my youngest was 11 months old. With the eldest I tried expressing in the medical room but it wasn't necessary so dropped it after a week. I was out the house for 13 hour days so just fed before and after work. They had expressed milk in a bottle or tommee tippee cup until 12 months then just had cows milk when I wasn't there. Food intake increases quite a bit at 12 months so they don't take as much milk.

The World Health Organisation recommends breastfeeding until at least 2 years old and beyond.

Milk is also a babies primary food until 12 months so even if not breastfeeding they should still be receiving the majority of their nutrition from milk until a year. No baby should be milk free at 8 months that’s actually dangerous to suggest.

Big EBF feed in the morning before you head off. Big feed as soon as you get home. Feed at bedtime and overnight as you normally would. Baby might wake for extra feed at night.
Mine wouldn't take expressed or formula during the day at childcare so they just had water. Mine also didn't like cows milk until 18m-2y ish.

Your body will adjust and continue to produce milk. My EBF journeys ended 14m ago and I still produce milk!