Advice/opinions needed: stretching out feeds for 6.5 month old

Hi all. We are in a bit of a pickle and I may need to go back to work sooner than I would like. I am very lucky that I can pick and choose my hours so have been considering doing 4 really short shifts (3 hours) and then dashing back to feed DS2 who is still feeding every 3-4 hours.

I would much prefer to do a 5 hour stint or two and save the rushing back and forth and disruptions that my coming and going will bring but am not sure how to manage feeds.

We have started BLS but he's not really ingesting much yet. I do think he'd probably get more in if we spoon fed so I guess this is option 1: do you think it would be ok to give him a little spoon-fed meal of something easy to digest to fill him up so he lasts 4 or 5 hours?

Would formula be preferable to this?

I literally cannot pump. I have tried and tried hand expressing and with a medela swing. I wonder whether it might be worth hiring a really good one on the off chance it worked, but my past experience has been quite demoralising when it comes to expressing. I know I have HEAPS of milk but after 6 weeks or so am lucky to get 20mls if I pump.

We're going to do what we can to just keep up feeding on demand and survive until it's natural for him to be going longer between feeds. But as this may not be feasible, I need a plan and one that's going to be best for his digestion and over all health.

TiA.

ETA - he's 95th percentile, heaps of wet nappies and at some stages through the day will have feeds more like 2-hourly, so he's definitely getting heaps in and I don't think stretching out one feed a week will compromise his growth, it's more that he'll be hungry/thirsty and I want to fill his tummy with whatever's best for him.

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We have started BLS but he's not really ingesting much yet. I do think he'd probably get more in if we spoon fed so I guess this is option 1: do you think it would be ok to give him a little spoon-fed meal of something easy to digest to fill him up so he lasts

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This is what I would try first. You may find you not being around changes his pattern anyway and he will feed more often when you are about and last longer when you are not.

Have you tried being a away 5 hours to see what he is like at all? Get in a couple of feeds closer together and then go out?

DS would never take bottle and I also hated expressing, and I was lucky in that if I was around he would want it but if not was happy enough and just ate/played with food and had water and then made up for it after.

When I had DS1, I had to return to work when he was 6 months old. He was like your little one, having some solids, but not really a lot, and was feeding 3-ish hourly. I worked 4 hour shifts every day. We tried giving him formula, which he mostly wouldn't take. So we ended up, just feeding literally before I walked out the door, he would be offered formula, water and food and if he ate/drank it, then awesome, if not he would just have a big feed when I got home, and would cluster feed all afternoon. It didn't take that long for solids to become more interesting to him, so he was fuller for longer, and he was able to go about 5 hours through that time of the day (10 am-3 pm) without booby until I got home. It was kind of nice for him to feed a lot through the arvo, because then I got to relax until I made dinner at about 6pm!

Thanks ladies. I guess if it comes to it, we'll just have to do a few trial runs and see how he goes. He's certainly hit the age where if he can see me, he needs me RIGHT NOW. But if he's in another room with DH he's totally content. Hopefully he feels the same way about not having boob around for slightly longer than usual.

Is it an option for someone to bring him to you at work so you can have a break and feed him?

I can't pump either. It's more common than you might think.

You'll probably find that he will take in more fluids and solids when you're not around, as long as it's being offered. My DD2's food intake increases dramatically any time she has a longer break. That didn't start until about 9 months though, so unsure how it would go with a younger kid. You could always try, with spoon feeding as a backup?

It could be FL. But he HATES the car. Only time he really screams. So it would kind of be substituting one stress for another and stress on the other kids too.

We used to do that when I worked 5 mins from home but now it's 20 mins.

Still a strong possibility though if I end up having to work longer hours. There is even a chance I'll have to go FT so then yes, there'd be lots of baby visits!

I could only pump significant amounts when my babies were newborns, after about the 3 month mark it was almost a waste of time, I think I more benefitted from taking the pressure of my breasts rather than actually producing a decent amount of milk.

I think at 6.5 months (and really, is he 6.5 months already??? :o ) he would be fine for 5 hour stints. With you out of sight and smell he will likely be content with spoon feeding and water etc and then attack you for BM when you are reunited. DD did this when I went back to work (she was 10m old). She didn't seem to miss the boob and just made up for it with a massive feed when I returned from work, half food/half comfort really. I assume you can work less days if you work longer ones - and this would be beneficial to your little family as they'd have less days without you needing to leave at all :)

My dd was around 9 months when i was working, and although she fed 2 - 3 hourly when we were together she went all day with breastmilk or an alternative milk, bc she wouldn't take it unless it was from me. She would drink water, but wasn't having alot of solids but increased her intake when i was away. i did BLS and was able to continue this.

Being Winter it would be easier than summer in terms of fluid consumption. i'd give it a go with finger foods and water, have spoonfoods as a backup and get the carer to follow bls principles (watch baby, allow them to say when they are finished etc), when you are offering dairy yogurt can be good for when you are not there.