Feeding quantities of breast milk once I go back to work

[Zelda100]

Hi all.

I am looking for some advice regarding how much milk my baby needs during the day, when I am back at work.

She is exclusively breastfed on demand right now, she is just over 7 months, she is used to bottle feeding (EBM) during the first few months.

When I go back to work in a few weeks I will be able to feed her a few times before I go (up to 8.30am) and then when I get back around 6.30pm.

I have been pumping & have a big stock in the freezer and plan to pump a few times at work to maintain the supply.

How many mls should my husband give during the day? We were thinking perhaps a feed at around 12 and then another at 3pm? We have just started solids so he’d give her breakfast, lunch and a snack too. Should we offer say 120ml for each feed?

I could just about feed her during my lunch break if necessary but would prefer to avoid.

We aren’t too sure so any tips from people in similar situations would be great, guessing its going to be trial and error!

How old will she be when you do return to work @Zelda100?

This will really depend on how your weaning is going (which varies), and how dependent your child is on milks for naps/sleep.

I went to a 1 week work conference as KIT when my daughter was 7 months and had to pump twice a day for comfort. When I returned to work when she was 9 months she was having 3 meals a day (varying amounts eaten!) and I had to pump just once pwr day. After about a week or two I found some other pest was always in the "wellbeing room", I couldn't get in to pump, and my milk supply had dropped to the point where I didn't need to pump - just had to feed when I got home from work.

My daughter was always combi-fed though, so formula was always an option for my husband. The pumping was more about my own physical comfort (I always had low supply, hence the mixed feeding. Trying to store and keep 10-40ml batches of pumped milk was too much effort by the time I went back to work - though I triple fed for 2 or 3 months.)

If weaning is going well, and you are offering breakfast, lunch and dinner, then maybe think of the milk as "snacks". So something like, you feed in the morning, husband offers breakfast while you are at work, milk as a morning snack, lunch, milk as afternoon snack, you feed when you get home from work, dinner, bedtime breastfeed. Offer 120ml feeds and adjust depending on how much is being drink. (As I recall, babies rarely take more than 90ml at a time from a breastfeed.)

Have a think about what "amount" of breastfeeding suits you now, ypu are gping back yo work too. I found this time aligned with needing to ramp back milk to encourage eating solids, and encouraging more independent sleeping. After 12 months we were soon trying to cut down on bottles of milk out altogether- day and night - and I sure as heck didn't want to replace those bottles with more boob! This needs a bit of planning, as ramping down breastfeeding can cause hormonal changes that make you mopey.

She will be 1 week shy of 8 months

Great thanks for the tips.

We have only recently started 3 meals a days so I'd say she is still pretty dependent on milk, but I think the plan of 1 milk feed around lunchtime and then mid afternoon should hopefully work ok before I get back. I want to reduce the breastfeeding and ideally don't want to be doing if after she turns 1 (end of the year)

I will definitely need to pump for comfort too as I notice if she sleeps through the entire night (fairly rare) I leak !