Weaning and going back to work

[thehousethat]

My baby is coming up for 13 months and is waking 4 times a night still for milk (breastfed) I also feed her three times approx during the day.

I am going back to work in Jan and really need your tips on how to make the transition to reducing milk feeds. Any help would be much appreciated

My 16 months isn’t BF and still wakes twice a night for feeds and I admit it’s very tiring when I have to get up for work.

Are you going back full time?

With my first son I had to take a CC approach with regards to going cold turkey overnight with feeds and I’ve reached the point now where I’m considering doing the same with my current one.

I'm in the same boat. Difficult at the moment as she's constantly got a cold so doesn't want to eat much and wants lots of milk!

My DD has morning, mid morning and evening milk now. She did have an afternoon milk as well but I've cut that out by offering her a snack instead. I'm hoping to do the same with the mid morning milk i.e give her a snack first then offer boob after that with the idea that hopefully she'll want less milk...then in a week or so I'll see if I can distract her from having milk at all after her snack (go out for a walk or something).

I'm also trying to get her into cows milk, she's not interested at the moment but I'll keep giving her small sips to get her used to having it as a drink.

In terms of night feeds, my DD also wakes frequently...we've ended up bedsharing so I still get a reasonable amount of sleep and will hopefully manage to cope at work. Not something you probably want to get into a habit of though if you've managed to avoid it so far!

Daddy going in has worked for both of mine (BF babies). Even when he is proffering a bottle of expressed milk they've both been quick to decide it's not worth waking up if it isn't delicious boob. We night-weaned my eldest in 3 nights without excess upset by constantly presenting him with daddy.

Thank you both for your replies. She is actually my second baby and I have no recollection how I managed with the first!

I am going back 3 days a week and my dd will go to a childminder. We are already co-sleeping and my daughter feeds to sleep. I am quite happy to co-sleep (I did it with the first until my second was born 4.5 years later.

I think I will just have to be more disciplined with dropping feeds during the day.

And thank you Countess. That's a good idea. Did your babies go back to sleep easily? Mine likes to shriek for milk in the night 😂

I'm going back in March and all my friends have BF for 2yrs + They have all said babies seem to be very much out of sight out of mind and don't ask for it as much. If you want to continue feeding just be prepared if your coming home to an awkwake baby that boobs will be demanded as you walk through the door.