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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Going back to work and introducing formula

19 replies

LaDiDaDi · 18/06/2010 20:19

ds is 6 months and has, until today when \I started blw, been exclusively breastfed. I'm so proud and happy of this as for me it feels like a real achievement .

However, I'm going back to work in September and I really think that I will have to pretty much give up bf as I will be working shifts. At times I will be out of the house for 13 hours and in addition there will be no particular pattern to my work (or at least the pattern will be far too complex for a 9 month old to understand!). I also want to start to be able to spend some time away from him, both for socialising and to get hom more used to being in the care of my parents who will be looking after him when I'm at work. I don't want to express as I find it very time consuming for little result.

So my questions are:

How should I start to introduce ff in terms of how often and how much? When would be the best feed to start with?? How long is it likely to take to switch to mostly ff?

Has anyone worked a similar shift pattern and kept up any bf at all?

OP posts:
Haliborange · 18/06/2010 20:25

Hi

I can't answer most of your questions (am no expert) but I can tell you what has worked for me.

I was advised to drop feeds no more quickly than one every 4 days (to avoid getting sore). My DD2 feeds at 7, 10-ish, 2 and 6, so I need a little over 2 weeks to drop her feeds.

With DD1 I introduced a bottle at the 2pm feed first and left the morning and evening ones until last. With DD2 somehow I have ended up starting with the 6pm feed, although I would probably have preferred to leave this one until last as it might have been the one I would have continued to do on my return to work.

Re how much: I just make a full bottle atm and see where that goes. My DD2 seems to always want around 5 ounces but I guess this could vary a lot between babies.

Good luck, I hope it goes smoothly for you.

Original poster
LaDiDaDi · 19/06/2010 08:38

Thanks Halib, bumping for more ideas .

OP posts:
Original poster
LaDiDaDi · 19/06/2010 11:26

Anyone out there who has managed to continue the odd bf whilst working long and random shifts?

OP posts:
jaggythistle · 19/06/2010 15:37

Hi,

I work 3 different shifts, although I am expressing so DS has ebm from DH while I'm working.

He [ds] copes very well with not knowing what feeds he'll get from me every week! my shift pattern is very random, i am only out 9 hours though.

I wasn't sure about expressing either, but it is different regularly replacing feeds compared to expressing the odd bottle at home. I don't get loads, but can generally get enough in 30 to 45 mins per 'session'. I then just bf on weekends and holidays. i have been back full time for 3 months

got to go, he is 9mo now and requiring some attention!

Original poster
LaDiDaDi · 19/06/2010 17:27

Thanks jaggy, that's quite helpful.

I'm still worried about being able to maintain a supply whilst not being painfully engorged whilst away from ds.

OP posts:
theslumbertaker · 19/06/2010 20:28

could you express during your breaks at work in order to avoid engorgement?

Original poster
LaDiDaDi · 19/06/2010 23:36

I doubt it!

OP posts:
Original poster
LaDiDaDi · 20/06/2010 12:25

Any one else?

OP posts:
rubyslippers · 20/06/2010 12:29

At 9 months your DC may not be breastfeeding that much

My DD is 8.5 months and is only on 3 feeds per day

I haven't bothered with formula - feed her before work, when i get home and a 10 pm feed

I don,t work shifts but am away from her for 10 hours and have done a late night and she went to bed no probs

I have found as DD has eaten more solids she dropped her breastfeeds accordingly without any fuss

rubyslippers · 20/06/2010 12:31

I don't express - supply is good and when i am around and she feeds more so i think that keeps it all going for me

Original poster
LaDiDaDi · 20/06/2010 13:52

Thanks ruby, you've given me hope that I may be able to carry on with bf for longer than I thought.

On night shifts I won't see ds in the morning but will see him again from around tea-time and then will be able to bf him before he goes to bed/I go to work. On long day shifts I should be able to bf him in the morning but won't see him again until the next morning. At weekends I might not see him for almost 48 hours though that depends upon how I work my weekend shifts.

OP posts:
BosomsByTheSea · 20/06/2010 13:59

Firstly, Well done on getting to 6 months! my DTs now 9 mos and were also ebf to 6 months - I've been back at work 2 weeks.

They dropped feeds pretty quickly once they started with food (BLW) at 6 months, and are now on 2 feeds per day (7am ish and 7pm ish), with 3 meals and 2 snacks in the day time. When I first went back they also had a feed at 4pm, but one day I was back late and they didn't seem bothered at all so over the next few days I shortened that one and then dropped it too.

I have a freezer full of expressed milk but they are not interested! If I'm home,and they ask, then I give them a feed, other wise they seem quite happy, growing well, eating loads, into everything!

Original poster
LaDiDaDi · 20/06/2010 14:03

Wow Bosoms, you've done fantastically well to ebf twins!

Have you just been offering them water with meals?

OP posts:
rubyslippers · 20/06/2010 14:12

Honestly i thought i would put DD onto bottles but keeping on breastfeeding is so much easier

No faff and don't have to worry about bottles

She has water after her meals and with her snacks plus she has water in her food or watery fruit so she keeps hydrated

BosomsByTheSea · 20/06/2010 14:17

Thanks.

Yes, we offer them water with every meal and snack - they only drink about 100-150mls a day each though. Plenty of wees and soft poos though so I'm sure they're getting enough.

No, we decided to skip the formula too. Too chaotic to sterilise

WidowWadman · 20/06/2010 14:20

In September your child will be 8 or 9 months old, which is the same age my daughter started nursery. I never needed to introduce bottles or formula. I expressed for a few weeks, but my daughter wasn't having any of it, instead she just rearranged her drinking patterns to when I was around and stuck to water and solids while at the nursery.

WidowWadman · 20/06/2010 14:21

(I work full time btw, and have never had any problems with supply or engorgement)

happy2bme · 20/06/2010 14:34

Hi there

I too went back to work when DS1 was about 8 months, working shifts. he was EBF (+ food from 6 months) until that point. He genrally slotted in around me and when I was there, although I got some of the small cartons of formula - he would sometimes have some of this before going to bed or if he woke at night, otherwise it was just food/water.

We didn't introduce bottles but just used the same sippy cup that he used for other drinks. Once he was 12 months we just used cows milk.

I did express at work on occasions but mainly when I was doing from 2pm one day -3pm the next.

mousymouse · 05/07/2010 15:07

dd is nearly 7 months now and I started last week to give her a small bottle of formula in the afternoon. so far she has taken it quite well but she did not want to have it from dh.
will go on holiday with my parents for a few weeks and hope she will take the bottle from my mum so that I can go swimming with ds or go shopping.
soiled nappies are quite a new experience now

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