Going back to work and breastfeeding

[MrsT30]

I'm going back to work 3 days a week in two weeks. DD will be six and a half months. She is eating 3 solid meals a day but is still having 4/5 breastfeeds a day. The problem is I can't get her to take a bottle of expressed milk or formula. I've tried bottles and cups.
Does anyone know any tricks for getting a six month old to take a bottle? Has anyone else had this problem? If so how did they get round day time milk feeds?

Hi MrsT,

Where will your DD be when you are at work? Is her childcare close to your place of work? If the worst comes to the worst, you are entitled to nursing breaks instead of expressing breaks, so you could go and feed her a couple of times a day if you needed to. Also, I used to go and feed mine in my lunch hour for the first few months I was back at work, even though I was expressing mid-morning and mid-afternoon too, and the girsl were drinking (some) of this milk, it was lovely to not go all day away from them for the first few months back at work.

If she will be too far away for you to go to her, try her with a beaker/sippy cup of water. It may be that she just doesn't want to drink boob-juice from anything except direct from source! As she is eating solids during the day you know she won't starve, and as long as she takes some fluids, even if it is just water, you know she won't dehydrate either.

Going back to work feels like a huge step, it's not very easy to leave your baby when you've been with them 24/7 for so long, but she will be fine, she won't starve herself or refuse all fluids, so try not to worry. Easier said than done I know!!

Monkies