Returning to work and breastfeeding

[Bean92]

I’m going back to work 2 (9am-5pm) days a week in December when my DD will be 13 months old. She is exclusively BF (as well as 3 meals a day). Her grandparents will be minding her.

Her breastfeeding schedule is vaguely: fed on wakening, fed to sleep for morning/afternoon nap 10am/1:30pm (Does also nap in the car/pram if needed!) and fed to sleep at night. She sometimes has an extra feed here and there if she’s upset or ill or whatever. She also feeds during the night a few times.

My question is, what do I do when I go back to work? She does have a good feed before her naps and although I know it is for comfort too she must be getting a fair few calories from it.

She has never had a bottle and I have never pumped. Should I start pumping and leave some breast milk bottles? Should she have formula? Does she need it at all?

I’m worried about pumping and don’t really want to do it at work. But I’ve been in for a few half days and my boobs are quite full and sore by lunchtime. Will they adapt for those 2 days?

Thanks in advance!

You’ll adapt really quickly as will she, especially as it’s only for 2 days a week. Don’t start formula, just get them to offer water, cows milk or even yoghurt to help keep her full , and she’ll make up for lost time as soon as you’re home (and probably even more at night if she’s anything like my 2 were!). Really don’t stress, at 13 months and only 2 days a week this will be absolutely fine. Mine never had bottles either or any formula.

I never pumped either, and definitely didn’t want to start at work, I left some hand expressed for DD2 at nursery in a sippy cup when she struggled to settle and she turned her nose up at it!!

When I started back I think I was roughly the same. Mine was 13 months too. I pumped at work at lunch time (just enough to take pressure off) and with a view to not really keeping that feed tbh.
If she's never had a bottle she might not now take one, and NHS suggests weaning from bottles at 1 anyway. If she's eating well and still getting bf I'd suggest formula is a faff you may not wish to introduce to your life at this point. If you've not given expressed at all you've no way of knowing if baby might just turn her nose up at anything not direct from source, which is a heart breaker..
But if you did a cup would be ok anyway.
You may find she wants a feed when you get home.
What is it that worries you about pumping ?

I suppose your alternative might be to find a way to drop one or both of the nap feeds before you go back, let your boobs settle and get e.g. a haaka style pump to take edge off. I seem to recall around then was when mine shifted to a single nap anyway so it might happen naturally.

@Orangedaisy

Thank you, that’s very reassuring

@Megasaur5keeper

Re pumping I think I’m just worried about the faff, not producing any milk and her not liking it!

If I was uncomfortable at work would hand expressing a bit off work? I wouldn’t want to increase my milk supply.

She is definitely on the transition from 2 to 1 naps and the mornings she misses a morning nap she sometimes doesn’t have a feed and is ok so hopefully all will be well.

Thank you very much!

As she's over a year she can have cows milk, either in a bottle or a cup. Or just an extra few snacks to make up the calories. Chances are she will adjust to feed more when your around anyway.

I went back to work when my son was 10 months...in the month or so before I stopped feeding before naps and he was just having in the morning and bedtime. I then stopped morning feed and when I actually went bac to work I fed him before bed and in the night. It worked fine and I didn’t need to express and I wasn’t uncomfortable. I weaned him off the other feeds during lockdown so work pressure wasn’t so bad. Cx

Your circumstances are identical to mine. I work 2 days a week (7.30-19.30) during which DD is at nursery. She only feeds to sleep, and I returned to work when DD was 13 months.

We're 2 weeks in now, and DD has adapted just fine. She manages to (eventually) fall asleep by herself at nursery. Takes some cuddles from her keyworker normally, but today, she took herself over to some cushions and fell asleep all by herself! This has never happened before!

DD gets cups of milk at nursery. I have never bothered pumping. You get used to it. My breasts are a little achey and sore by the end of my shifts, but the first night feed soon sorts them out.

Ds1 was 9 months when I went back to work 3 days a week . He refused to drink breast milk from anything other than a boob. He did eat well thankfully.

I was really worried. He was fine. Week 1 I had solid boobs by the end of each day. By the start of week 3 this had settled.

He did go crazy for a feed as soon as I saw him after work though!

You will both be fine. I went back to work full time when DC was 13 months, having previously fed him to sleep for morning and afternoon naps. He didn't have other daytime feeds at the time (his choice), just morning evening and nighttime. He had water in a cup at nursery but refused cow's milk. Boobs adjusted very quickly, I didn't pump. They were uncomfortable initially but not so much I needed to express for comfort. DC had no trouble sleeping at nursery, napped fine from day one. He fed lots after nursery. He's approaching 3 now and still feeding and still wants lots straight after nursery.

She certainly doesn't need to start bottles at 13 months. She can breast feed when you are around and eat and drink from a beaker at nursery. I wouldn't bother with milk at nursery myself but she can drink cows milk if she likes it.

Thank you everyone for your replies, you’ve put my mind to rest!

She'll be fine. I went back to work at 11 months with my bf one. Plenty of food during the day and a cup of milk offered as needed (just normal cow's milk). It wasn't a big deal at all and mine transitioned to just feeding in the morning, at bedtime and during the night really easily.

I went back to work full time at 7 months and I used to feed morning, when we got home, bedtime and at lunchtime (at the childminder on my lunch break) and often overnight. I fed more at weekends. But at 12 months she just had morning and bedtime feed even if it wasn't a work day. She was eating plenty and drinking water well by then. The childminder found her own ways to get her to nap (pushchair). I feed her till she was 3.5 (bedtime only from 2 years).