Getting down to just morning and evening breastfeeds

[annaspans]

Hello all. I have a nearly eight month old so we're about two months into solids. After a bit of a slow start, she's now taking a decent amount at three meals a day - finger foods interspersed with spoonfuls of mashed up stuff, including fish, chicken, lamb, etc.

We seem to have now dropped a feed in the morning - she feeds when she wakes up about 7.30/8am and then not until after lunch, but then usually has another mid-afternoon feed. Then it's supper, bath, feed, bed. And finally a dreamfeed at whatever time I'm going to bed, which gets her through to the next morning.

My question is - because in the next couple of months I'll be going back to work - is it possible to give her enough to meet the daily milk requirement in just the morning and evening/night feeds? Or if I have to start leaving her during the day, will she still need a bottle at lunchtime? So far she's only ever had breast milk so if a bottle is required, I either have to start building up a pretty good bank in the freezer now or introduce formula, which I'd rather not do, especially if she's able to get enough from me just morning and evening when I'm there to feed her.

Bear in mind, she'll probably be getting on for ten months at least by the time I'll be working again (bit vague because I'm freelance so have to find a job first!)

Thanks a lot!

My dd is nearly 10m now and we're down to 2 milk feeds, morning and night. She gets sippy cups of juice or water during the day and has access to the sippy cup of water all day long, not just at meals. (The amount of fluids she takes in varies from 150ml to 250ml) It seems to be working for us (most days). Though I/ we've extended the feeds again. (We had been down to 5min per side and now we're 10 to 15min with a bit of the 'distracted feeding' in there too)
But we have 3 rather big meals a day too.
About 75g of porridge for 'brunch,' a jar of 200g babyfood with 12ish cheerios, a slice of the fruit of the day for lunch, another jar of 200g babyfood, slice of whatever meat Mommy is having and some of her veg too for supper and lately we've been adding a pouch of Ella's fruit purees. Sometimes I find she's peckish around 3 and so we have cheerios and fruit and or a yogurt around then.

oh and there's the paper and fluff and hair she likes to eat too

I went back to work full time when DD was 8 months and I was just breastfeeding her when she woke up, and when she went to bed. In the daytime at nursery she just had water to drink. However she got other dairy products - milk in food, youghurt, cheese...so I think she was fine without any milk to drink. We never bothered with formula at all, and when I started to drop the BFs at about 14 and 16 months just went on to water and cow's milk.
Hope that helps.

Thanks both of you, that's really helpful. Yes, I should have mentioned that she drinks water from a doidy cup with every meal and sometimes in between. And loves yoghurt, fromage frais and lumps of cheese. So it sounds like we're doing something similar to what you both have done with your DDs.

What a relief to hear we don't need to bother with formula!

Same here, went back to work when DS was 11months, got him down to a morning/night feed by 9ish months. He eats well through the day and easing off the feeds in the day time was fine, he did cling on to the 4pm one for a while, and would claw at my chest to get at my breasts come that time, so a big bit of distraction and a snack at 3pm was a big help.

Doidy cups are great, but maybe think about a sippy cup with a spout that is always full (of water) and available to your child all through the day.

That's a good point - we also have a Tommy Tippee cup with a spout and the only reason I haven't used it much is that she can't yet tip it up high enough to get anything out, but I guess that's a skill that comes with practice!

If you do feel that she needs some milk, you might be able to express enough for one cup or you might also consider reading the labels of the formula milk. I was totally against formula but my twins have some follow on milk of a certain organic brand which is cows milk fortified with vitamins minerals and extra fat and lactose, rather than the long list of chemicals that seemed to make up all the other milks. So when I need to get a bit of milk down them (they won't bf when we are out and about as it's just too interesting, but they will drink milk from a cup whilst they keep nosing around!) I use that.

Sorry, haven't logged on for a few days but thanks for this suggestion. I'll have a look for that brand