Should I buy an Elvie pump when baby is already 10 months old?

[Alexandraoko]

So my ds is coming up to 10 months old and I’ll be going back to work in 6 weeks. I’ve exclusively breastfed since he was born and have recently tried him with formula which he spits out and refuses to drink 😲 but will take my expressed milk in a bottle or cup. I’ll be doing 13 hour shifts so will be expressing in work for him while he’s in nursery. I have a double breast pump which I find difficult to find the time to use an am worried about using in work.
Is it worth getting the expensive elvie pump that is hands free for when I’m in work and before to build up the freezer supply of milk or will ds start taking less and less breastmilk over the next few months?!
Is it worth spending the money this late on or should I just stick with my old pump?
How long do you actually need to pump for after they turn a year old? Sorry about all the questions, I’m just a bit confused about how it will all work 🙈

I looked into it too and I think it looks really good. I didn’t think there was much point for me but in your situation it sounds like it would be handy for sure! My baby is only 4 months so I’m not sure how long/how much you’ll need either unfortunately!

@Alexandraoko when they are a year old he's unlikely to need his daily bottles at nursery as by then he is getting his calories mainly from food. You are advised to stop using formula at one year old for this reason. You can continue breastfeeding for as long as you want however but it's probably only necessary when you're with him. My daughter is 13.5 months and I still bf her but only first thing in the morning and before bed- she doesn't have any other milk in a bottle during the day.

I also had the Elvie pump and absolutely loved it but it's expensive and if you're only going to use it for a couple of months max I wouldn't bother to be honest. It's also less efficient than standard pumps (ie you get less out of your boob) but that's because it has other advantages (namely being hands free and not needing to be plugged in)

@pigglepot Wow thank you for that reply!! That’s really useful to know. I’m going back to work at the end of this month but only for 2 days a week (12 hour shifts) so glad to have some advice from another breastfeeding mum! So sounds like I’ll just feed him morning and night on work days and he can have cows milk and food in nursery. Did you notice your supply decreased when you started working? I’m assuming this will be the start of slowly naturally stopping breastfeeding, not that I want to stop anytime soon! Thank you xx

@Alexandraoko my supply has just always been in tune with what she takes so I haven't noticed a decrease exactly. I would say I don't have full/painful boobs during the day anymore like I would have done when she was tiny and I'd missed a feed. Boobs are amazing and they just adjust to what your baby needs! I'm not sure how much you're feeding your son now (?) but if you plan to drop any of the day feeds for when he goes to nursery then I would try to decrease gradually so that he and you aren't suddenly going cold turkey on a feed. I still really enjoy feeding my daughter in the morning and before bed too so I'm not planning to drop those until she wants to really. I'm also pregnant so I'll see how things go when the new baby arrives and I'm potentially feeding two!! But until then I'm happy as we are! If you're only going back two days a week initially it should be a good transition for you both and for breastfeeding. How old will he be when you go back to work sorry? If he's younger than 12 months then they don't recommend cows milk as a drink (for some reason) so you may want to still consider pumping for the afternoon feed whilst he is at nursery. But if you build up a little stash now then I don't think it will be too difficult to have enough to keep him going in milk until he turns 12 months when he can start having cows milk.