ok, looks like i'm going back to work soon and i'll need to be expressing milk for DD for during the day. not sure how much she'll need as she's completely fed on demand at the moment!
so, how much will she need? i will be feeding her just before i go to work at 7am and will try to express the other breast at similar time (she only ever takes one side) - will be gone til somewhere between 4.30 and 5. when she is home, ,DH will have access to the frozen EBM but i need to know how much to have at mum's for her if she spends the day there
and, given the length of the day, and the fact i want for my expressing at work to be as fruitful as possible, does it sound ok to express just once (around 4.5-5 hours into the day), then feed off one breast as soon as i get back to DD, express off the other?? i will only be working two days a week, with a day off in between - so she will have unrestricted access to breast outside work time and on days off. i'm not particularly comfy expressing (large breasts, not really a suitable place at work) so i'm hoping i can get out of it only expressing the once and not impacting my supply at all. i won't have any formula back up in the house and the nearest place to buy stuff is 40k round trip for DH - with no car...
BG, it can be really hard getting ready to go back to work.
Many mums find that their babies drink less milk during the day then when mum is home. Also, now that she is on solids, and old enough for some water also, she will be fine having less EBM if she doesn't want as much, or if you run out. This can be very reassuring to know.
Most babies at Miss E's age are having an average 750 mls of milk a day, so to work out an approximate amount per feed divide 750mls by the number of feeds in 24 hours. This is only approximate as some feeds will be bigger than others. But as I have said, if she drinks less during the day when you are at work (which is common) then she will make up for it by having more when you get home.
Many mums only express once while at work. It is quite individual - some mums get full easily and need to express more often, but most manage with one express. Your supply will adjust to this too, so that on work days you will be fine expressing just once, but you will still have enough milk to bf more often on non-work days. It's truly amazing how well the supply and demand system works.
All the best with it hun. It's great that you are so well prepared. I'm sure everything will go well.
It may also be worth adding in an extra "feed" at the moment - where you feed the freezer rather than the bub.
I found that when I returned to work my DS (10 months at the time) would only actually take 1 bottle of EBM a day, and some on his cereal - and then have one heck of a feeding frenzy when I got home!
Miss E will work it out - and she will probably have very different feeding patterns when you are and aren't home.
good luck!
MR - i couldn't say how many feeds she is having a day as i don't keep track - i think so far today (since half six) - she's had half a dozen or more - she generally snacks more than drinks i think (much like mummy - only have a big drink once or twice a day - but manage to get through a lot of water just sipping). over night she in now back to feeding every few hours, which i'm fine with - again, i drink overnight - especially in hot or dry weather, so i can't see a reason she wouldn't. i have been adding an expressing session at night after she goes to bed around 10pm - and going to express again first thing in the morning when i start work. during the day, if she has a big sleep i try to express - but i do find she fusses more if i do that so not sure what the go is. her main "feeds" as opposed to drinks are first thing in the morning, before her arvo snooze (so anywhere from 12-2) and then she has a decent drink late arvo (which she will probably hold off until i'm home i guess). i know my boobs can cope with no draining for at least five hours as she sometimes goes that long now (not often) during the day - and used to sleep 8 hours overnight. i guess i just want to make sure there is no reason for formula to be considered at all!
i'm guessing if i freeze in small portions it will be better? that way DH (or mum) can just take small amounts out rather than risking losing heaps if she doesn't want it... the only fear i have is that, so far, she has flat out refused to take frozen ebm... have been talking to DH and we're just going to hope she gets over her hatred of it and takes it! most nights at the 10pm expressing i'm getting at least 60ml (it is just after i feed her) - so if worst comes to worse, i guess on the day before i work, i can replace one feed with fresh ebm from the night before and express then, plus the night express - gives 2 lots of fresh for work days... not ideal, but if i can have 100ml plus that is fresh, hopefully she will take that, plus a bit of water (she is happy to drink water with meals - plus watered down prune juice to keep her tummy working) - and the frozen ebm can be used if needed (and if not, can be stored and we can use it for cooking soemthing for her later)
it's funny - all the return to work stuff that you go through after having so long off work - and the only condition i put on it was that my lunch be when i dictate so that i can express milk! (oh, and if DD is at mum's if DH is working, mum has said she'll bring her to me at lunch time so i can feed her properly)
You seem to have things well organised hun. Many mums return to work without needing formula - I did it twice myself. My boys liked EBM but in reality they didn't drink a lot, they tended to wait for me to get back. Now that she is 6 months she will get enough with the feeds she's having, water and solids, as well as whatever EBM she drinks. It is so worrying at this stage, but you'll find it easier once you've started work and can see that she is ok.
That's great thinking about freezing smaller amounts. I found around 50mls worked well for me. Most often that's all the boys would have at one time, and if they did want more it was easy to prepare another batch. It's definitely better than having EBM thrown out.
I am sure that things are going to go very well hun. You are so well prepared.
BG, I have combined working and BFing/expressing successfully twice now. I think at around 7 months old my DD was having 2 or 3 X 120ml bottles of EBM while I was at work (I can't remember exactly ). And I would send a sippy cup of water as well as some solids along too.
I could never make up the amount of EBM I needed for daycare while I was at work. I would always have to do some extra expressing (usually at night after she had gone to bed) of 60ml here and there to make up the amount required.
My two have always been able to adapt to being away from me, feeding more when I was around and EBM from a bottle so I guess I've been lucky. I hope it works well for you and your darling E too. It does sound like you have everything well organised and under control.
Wishing you all the very best (it can be a very emotional time).
Does you DD take water from a cup? If so then when you aren't there she will probaby be happy to just have that where she would normally have little drink type breastfeeds. I am sure that those are about being thirsty, not hungry and water does the job. I have found with both my boys that once they were on solids they only really needed to have 3 or 4 decent feeds a day. They sometimes wanted extra little feeds in between but if they were/are being minded then it isn't an issue as the boobs aren't around to attract their attention.
My DS2 (9 months) is going into daycare for the first time tomorrow and I am just sending 1 EBM bottle along with him, aswell as his cup of water. I am pretty confident that with a feed just before being dropped off (around 7.30am), one just after being picked up (around 4pm), and one before bed he will be just fine. He can still have his other short feeds on the other days if he wants.
If you are concerned then try having a couple of feeds there for the first week or so, then cut it back if they aren't being used. It won't take long for you to work out how much your DD really wants when you aren't there.
As for expressing, I would think once a day will be fine unless you are finding it too uncomfortable to go that long. I am sure you can manage just fine without needing formula. And it will only get easier as DD gets older and the number of feeds she needs goes down.
how much?
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). And I would send a sippy cup of water as well as some solids along too.
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