Struggling to express at 10 months

[Rhian82]

My DS is 10 months old and has always been fully breastfed - he's at nursery three days a week and has expressed milk there. He's currently on three feeds a day - 7am, 3pm and 7pm. However, since dropping a mid-morning feed I'm really struggling to express enough milk for him (even though I need less).

How many milk feeds a day does he need now, really? And if he doesn't have much for that 3pm one at nursery, then will he just make it up by drinking more in his proper feeds at home? Not really sure what's the right thing to do - it's always been a struggle to express enough but I've always just about managed, but there's another two months before I can put him on cow's milk and I'm really not sure I can last that long.

This is a personal opinion Rhain, but what I would do is 7am bf, 3pm cows milk/water, bf on pick up and bf before bed.

Wouldn't bother with the faff of expressing.

Cows milk isn't as nutritionally as good as breastmilk, but it is perfectly acceptable for a 10month old provided he still gets breastmilk and nutrients from food.

I too wouldn't express, feed him when he is with you and let nursery staff offer water or formula if your not keen on cows milk yet.
If he's weaned he probably can manage with food & water really, for the time away from you iyswim. hth

Rhian82 - same problem here - I reaaly struggle to express 2 feeds for 2 nursery days - and I go in at lunchtime to bf!

I am that others have said cows milk - really - is this ok - it would solve all of my problems. I hate expressing!

I'm tempted - would love to stop expressing. Think I'll chat to my HV (unlike many mentioned on here she's really good and knows her stuff), fingers crossed!

I would say bfeed when possible.
If it works to express for the 3pm at nursery OK, if not, let the nursery give what the other non bf babies have.
I would check with HV about cows milk.

Cow's milk cannot be the main milk until 1, the majority of milk should be either BM or formula. By 10 months though, one cup of cow's milk 3 days a week is fine.

That's what I was thinking - I know it can't be his main drink, but would three cups a week matter?! One thing on the NHS site suggested their stomachs can't cope with it properly yet, but he has a big bowl of porridge for breakfast every morning, and I'm not convinced mixing it with oats and heating it would make that much difference!

Exactly Rhian. It is less that their stomachs can't cope and more that they can't absorb the nutrients, so if they were to live on cows milk only they risk malnutrition.

Provided they are getting plenty of nutrition from other sources you really really don't need to worry. Most babies at that age have milk on their cereal, white sauces, cheese and yohurt.

Woohoo! HV has no problems with him having three feeds of cow's milk a week! Now I can burn my breast pump?

Just need to speak to the nursery now - it'll probably be fine but I can't help worrying they'll have some silly policy forbidding them to give cow's milk to under-ones, or something like that, to stop me in my happy-dancing tracks. Fingers crossed for me please!

Woohoo! That HV should be promoted right now, on the spot!

Do you have to supply the milk at nursery? If so, jut tell them it is expressed. If not, well, perhaps get your HV or GP to write a note (or forge one)

Yay, nursery was fine too! Had a chat with the manager of the baby room who was lovely about it, they'll try him with milk in a cup when the older babies have some, and if he's not keen on that then they'll give it him in a bottle later. And they're happy to give him yoghurt if he refuses it completely, to get some calcium in him. All provided by them.

Oh I'm so relieved. I never have to express again!