Hi! So good to see everyone coming out of hiding :)
SpringSam, I'm back at 'work' i.e. my PhD, but only two days/week. It's really weird, on the one hand I keep feeling I need more days for work, as I'm never getting anywhere and it always feels like ages from one Thursday to the next Wednesday and I forget what I was doing. On the other hand, I miss my little baby so much on the days he goes to the CM (like today) that I start thinking I'd actually quite like being a SAHM. Just a little bit ambivalent about what I really want, me. How's work going for you?
Regarding the night feeding, well I. is 11 months old already (!!!) but he still wakes for a feed in the night. That is, I BF him at bedtime, at around 4am-ish, and at wake-up time. He also gets about 4-5 ounces of follow-on formula for breakfast (most in his cereal) but during the day he just gets water. The tommy tippee cups with the soft spouts are the only spouted cups he will drink from, but he's quite good at drinking from regular non-lidded cups now. Anyway I think he shouldn't really need that 4am feed, but there's just no other way of getting him to go back to sleep.
I well remember when we were trying everything to get him to drink from a cup, so that he could go to the CM during the day, and he just wouldn't. We resorted to catching up with the milk in the night, as you're doing SpringSam. It isn't really a long-term solution though, as if you're going to be awake and alert at work, you can't be feeding all through the night! ( Well I can't anyway) But in a little time, your LO shouldn't be needing more then 2-3 feeds per day anyway, so could you consider working on reducing the number of night feeds?
We sort of did the NCSS thing (sort of as in: it was about 2 months after reading the book, and I didn't really remember everything but just worked from memory) and that did improve things lots. He now sleeps straight through from about 7:30-ish to 4am-ish, and then again until 7:30-ish. Oh I think the black-out blinds help a lot too.
TMT sorry to hear you need an OP. Probably BF won't suffer from a short interruption, as SpringSam said. And even if you don't manage to express regularly, you shouldn't normally have a supply problem - just feed often once it's all over and supply should be back to normal within a short time. Good luck - when is it scheduled for?
AngelG, I was very sorry to hear about your cat. My own is a frail old thing and on daily medication, I don't think she'll make it much longer - I dread the day when she dies. I. loves her too, although she won't let him get close. Will you be getting another cat sometime? Will you wait until after GILS has arrived? I love Phoebe too, it's soft and beautiful and has a sort of mysterious sound to it. Philippa on the other hand, sounds like a clown to me - no offense!
Dorcas, oh so you have a constantly moving baby too? They're hard work, aren't they! Well mine is anyway! Sometimes I get all jealous of some of my NCT friends' babies - they just sit there and happily play with their toys. Mine, in contrast, is always, always on the move. He can go up and down stairs now, and loves to - any stairs in sight, he'll go straight for them. He's also very nearly walking. He'll take a step or two without holding on to anything, into my waiting arms - and he's delighted by it :) And climbing - he gets up onto the sofa by himself now, and is always trying to climb into the bath.
Muser hello, hope you get some more sleep soon!
Was late for dropping I. off at the CM's today and had to skip breakfast, so stopped at Nero's on the way home for a coffee and pastry (after doing some shopping). While I was there, two ladies with similar sized, big bumps walked in. Then another. And another. And... at the end there were eight of them, and obviously together. Must have been an NCT group or similar. They looked like they might be due in August (as I was last year) and they really reminded me of last year! They were talking about hospital bags and getting the nursery ready and good/bad things they had heard about the local hospital/maternity ward. It was 10:30 which is when rhyme time starts at our library and I was thinking, this time next year (or actually, in a few months already) you'll all be meeting up over at the library instead of here at Nero's. 
It did make me a feel a bit broody too... Two of my NCT group are expecting their second already, one for October, the other for December, and I suppose it's just a matter of time for more news of this kind to arrive. There's no question for us however. Have to finish that PhD first.