Feed feed feed.... and returning to work

DD is BF by demand, and this has generally been 6 - 7 feeds from 6am-ish to 7pm-ish, as I've been lucky enough that she has slept through for a couple of months now. She normally would BF upon waking for the day and after all 3 naps, with an extra after breakfast one and one to go to bed.

For the past nearly 3 weeks, everything has just been all over the place. I think she is changing to just 2 sleeps a day, and we are doing BLS, which is going well enough, but in between all of that she is just wanting to BF heaps. And now she won't go down to sleep during the day without a BF, wakes up to one, and it feels like all I do at the moment is BF!

I know that's the point of infant-led, and to a degree I don't mind it, but I am due back at work part time at the start of the new year, and I'm now freaking out that it's going to be really hard with her feeding. I do feel it's almost more a comfort thing, not so much a hunger thing atm, so is it just an age thing? Her teeth have been bugging her too, and she's moving around alot more.....

I don't even know why I'm posting, I guess to know that it's all normal and will settle back down? But I know noone can promise that either! I have no idea how to go about getting ready to put her in CC as everyday is different, but then maybe I should just take 10 deep breaths and realise it's another 8 weeks away and it could all change 3 times over before then!

For those parents that returned to work with a BF on demand bub, how did you prepare for it or do it? She'll be 9.5 months when I go back, and I'll be able to drop in for a lunch time feed, so I'm thinking I'll need to start expressing and building up a stash soon.

My munchkin was happy at home with dad, had 1 ebm bottle and a bit on his cereal and lots of food (over a period when he would have previously had 5 feeds) and then woke up much more during the night to slot in extras....
I would feed him before I went to work (waking him to do this if needed), express a couple of times at work (more for me than him it turned out - because he wasn't that keen on ebm) and then have a feeding frenzy when I came home.
He started talking not that long afterwards - so I would come in the door to be greeted with "hello booboos"!

P was 8mo when I went back to work 3 days per week. She was fed to sleep for day naps and fed at least once a night. She was mostly looked after by my mum, but I put her into care about a month later 1 day per week.
I always packed a bottle for her to have prior to her nap/s, but apparently she rarely drank anything much from it. I liked it to be there though, just in case she wanted that to help her settle for a sleep. Mainly she grew used to drinking water through the day and settling for a sleep with cuddles instead. Then she'd have a big feed when I picked her up.
I'm going to say, chill out - it's still 8 weeks away. :) Enjoy these 8 weeks and try not to worry about what comes next.

This might sound stupid, but to be quite honest I'd just wing it and see how you go. there really is no way to know where you'll be at by then, you know? Express if you want to - do you do well with expressing?
With CC, are you able to go along with her for a while to give her a chance to settle in (and reassure yourself about the place) before you actually start work? As for sleep - you'll be amazed, truly. She'll most likely sleep at daycare without feeds...

I know it seems silly being 8 weeks away and already overthinking it, but it only seems like yesterday I brought her home! But, I get what you mean, no point stressing out over it now. I think also the fact that I have almost no luck with expressing I thought I should start trying to get onto it now, might just have 100mls by January :rofl:

What it does sound like is she might just get by during the day without EBM, especially if I can feed her at drop off, go back in at lunch and then when I pick her up. It makes the whole BLS 'food is fun until they're 1' ideal a little tricky, but I am going to make myself just relax and see what's happening closer to the time.

Thanks for the reality check lol

Oh, I do understand it though. When we realised that I would have to return to work because our financial situation was in the crapper P was only 5 months old and I cried great gasping sobs all night long one night, tears of grief for our breastfeeding relationship.
I totally get the anxiety of wanting everything to work out ok, even if you and I have/had different reasons/feelings/situations prompting us to think ahead. But the point was not to say you are worrying for nothing, just that you may be incredibly surprised at how very easy it will be.
Because P was so young and hadn't even tasted solids at that stage I figured she would need bottles and because I could never express more than a teaspoonful at a time I figured she'd transition to formula because we wouldn't be able to keep it going, or she would prefer the bottle cause it's easier etc etc. However, it turned out that it took a while for me to find work so she was that little bit older. And she totally surprised me by sticking with the breastfeeding, changing her patterns for other carers but keeping the same feed-to-sleep pattern with me. She knew where the boobs were and she just fit into the new routine with relative ease. (There were some days when she practically ripped my top to shreds to get to the boobs when I collected her though, LOL!)
Anyhoo, I really didn't mean to say that you are silly for being concerned and thinking about it. I was just trying to reassure you that I think you and your LO will be fine! :)

Yeah, it's not silly. I went through the same thing before returning to work. Like Snacks said, it just kinda works out.

Nah Snacks I didn't take it that way at all, everyone's responses have been reassuring. No doubt I'll have more trouble adjusting to her in care than she will! I think it's mainly the whole can't seem to express dilemma that is freaking me out a little, as in if she does need EBM I might not be able to have it for her, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Thanks :)

I went back to work away from DD for two afternoons or mornings a week when she was about 8 mths old (she stayed with my gf). Since you'll be popping in at lunch you'll probably find it works quite well. I always bf her right before I left, ie where she was being cared for, and then as soon as I returned. She would go up to 5-6 hrs without me. I left a couple of bottles of EBM (frozen) for my gf, just in case. But only once did she even bother defrosting it because I was stuck in a traffic jam, and in the end I made it back before DD cracked it. She was generally happy with whatever food and water was there, particularly yoghurt. ;)

I didn't bother expressing, I just used whatever supplies I had (I used to express for comfort when DD dropped a feed for a few days, that kind of thing, so I did have a small stash).

GL! You'll probably find she manages quite fine without you and just has bigger bfs when you get back on the days you work.

You will probably find that when DD doesn't feed when she normally would that you are able to express - perhaps even needing to do so for your own comfort. Have a practise "work" day over the weekend (i.e. leave her for 6 hours with someone other than you and go play) and see how you both do!

Thanks again, all good advice, and chilling me out a bit more too.

Kmn I will have a few practice runs when it gets closer and see how she goes - good idea!

Hello HB. DS2 is around the same age as your DD - he was born on 3 March 2010.

He was BF by demand up until I returned to work (fulltime) 2 months ago (gosh time flies!!). On the weekends we slack off and revert to our "on demand" feeds - I try to stick to our new workday routine but it just doesn't seem to work.

I, like you, am able to duck out for a BF - the childare centre is on site so I'm very lucky there. I looked at loads of different routines to see how long he should go between BFs and I figured that he could learn to fit in with me. At the moment I give him a BF at 7am (he usually has an early breakfast because I have to leave straight after his BF). Then I give him a BF at 11am and then another at 3pm. Some days he doesn't seem to want the 3pm feed and will have afternoon tea instead - I'll be moving him onto having afternoon tea anyway soon and dropping that feed entirely. He has lunch anywhere between 12 and 2 - usually closer to 12 but it depends if he's slept a bit longer, they keep his lunch for him and give it to him when he wakes.

One of the mums in the same centre put her bub - cold turkey - onto the bottle for one feed and then comes in at lunch time to give a BF and then will either give her one when she picks her up at 4.30pm or as soon as she gets home. When she first started little miss would only take about 20ml or so of the EBM and then guzzle away at lunch - she's now drinking around 150ml I think.

Can I just offer a bit of advice? Have everything ready the night before - bags, clothes and lunches (I make muffins and sandwiches and freeze them on a Sunday and add some fruit/yoghurt to my bag when I go). I lay out DS2s clothes (in order to be put on) and have a spare set ready to go. Also, I don't get dressed until after he's had his breakfast or I wear an apron to cover any spills. Be prepared for the morning that you've got to get out of there early will be the morning that you get pooed on, spewed on and nothing goes right!! Good luck!!

Oh and, by the way, you're completely NORMAL!! :)

exactly what Cass said! Good luck!
I went back at 9 months for DS1 and 8 for DS2, both demand fed... thety reacted differently but it all worked out fine (DS2 is still demand fwd when i am around but has cows milk from a cup when i am not...)

Thanks Cass and MamaPan, that's really reassuring. As it's drawing closer I'm actually a bit calmer, and am just going to see how it goes. We've had such a hectic few weeks that there have been a few times when she has gone happily longer between feeds, so I'm feeling better about it all. Plus I've realised worrying about it now is not going to change the outcome, so just chill :)

Remind me of that in the new year! Thanks again!

Have you started back at work?? Just wondering how it all went?

I'd also love to know how you are going
I just weaned ds2 last week - so far so good

How's it going?

Funny you should all ask - tomorrow is our first official full day in care and me at work. We have visited nearly every day for the last 2 weeks, even had a sleep trial, and it has all gone really well so far. DD has loved the carers and the room, and even just drifted off to sleep and woke up babbling in the cot room. I have honestly had more tears than her! I'm sure a full day will be a different story, but I'm feeling pretty good about it (although I have been a bit teary today)

As for BF, she really ramped up the food and water intake just into the new year, and kept refusing feeds, and lately there have been alot of days were she's only fed 3 or 4 times. She always feeds upon waking, after lunch (around 1pm) and before going to bed. I offer mid morning and mid afternoon before snacks, but quite often she just refuses. Never refuses food or her water cup though! So I figure we'll stick with atleast the 3 regular feeds - dropping in to feed on my lunch break - and I'll offer it before I leave her and when I collect her. I didn't bother trying to express a stash as it just stresses me out, and as I'll be close by, worst case they could ring me and I could go in for an extra feed.

Thanks for thinking of us, and wish us luck...... it's gonna be a big week for both of us!