1 year weaning and return to work

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I think I have left this a little late, but am going back to work 2 days a week, in 2 weeks time. I am a shift worker so there will be no regularity to my work day. I am still breastfeeding my daughter 3 times a day, I have let her lead our feeding and we have developed some bad habits that work for us. Namely breast feeding to sleep. I still feed first thing in the morning, before her day nap (which is about midday) and again at night. I had wanted to be down to at least 2 times a day, maybe even only once a day But havent managed it. The reasons are.
1. We both enjoy it
2. She is so aware of the boob, and can now say boob, and pull my shirt up to get to it.
3. There seems to be constantly something like immunisations, teething, illness, starting daycare, upset routines etc that make me go, oh its just better to feed her than refuse when she needs comfort.

I introduced a sippy cup of milk some time ago, but she still insist on boob over cup to sleep (comfort)
I am currently sticking my head in the sand saying things will work themselves out when I go back to work, she'll be right mate.

Does anyone have any advice for me, do I just stop the midday feed or keep feeding her on the days I am not at work, and not worry about the days I am at work? Do I need to express to maintain my supply (not something I want to do). How did other people wean off the day feed? I was hoping she would self wean but not showing any signs of that AT ALL!
Help!

Hi Hawksey
I was in a similar situation to you when I returned to work, my DS was a little younger though.
He is now 14 months old and we still bf exactly the same as you on the days i don't work, and on the days i do work, he is happy to go to sleep with cuddles from nan (mum looks after him whilst i'm at work). I was so stressed before returning to work as the only way he would sleep was to feed to sleep, he also never took to ebm or formula (he was 6 months when i went back), but when it came time he simply learned to survive without mummy for a few hours. I never thought it would happen but they do sort themselves out!
None of this has probably been much help to you but I just wanted to let you know that you can work and still bf!

Actually it does help, thanks! Just knowing someone else does something similar helps!
Do you find your supply is still good enough on the days you do feed during the day? I am worried about that especially thinking it will be up and down. There is no one else left still bfing out of the mums I am in contact with, and I am starting to get the "oh, are you STILL breastfeeding" so its hard to talk about it with anyone.

Any other advice or examples would be appreciated!

Well I can't offer any advice as my baby is only 12wks, but I do want to say well done for b/feeding to 1 and beyond, especially with the others giving up. I find it very odd that people are suprised when you're still breastfeeding a 1 year old when they fully expect that if bub was bottle fed they would still be having a bottle at that age??.
Your supply might drop off, but someone correct me if I'm totally wrong but my pregnancy/baby book says that at 1 they don't absolutely need breastmilk since wide variety of solids by that age, so even if if supply drops off it's not a big deal if you want to just feed with the milk you do have and comfort. Good Luck with returning to work too!

Hawksey, I haven't had any personal experience, but I would assume that like Janine said, if you are not there, your DD will likely just as easily fall asleep a different way. No doubt she'd be upset if you tried to put her to sleep another way (i.e. I know the boobs are there, why can't I have one? But she's old enough to know that if the boobs aren't there, then that option just isn't available, KWIM?). Course, that's a guess :) Only one way to find out for sure!
I would think that if you are only feeding 3 times per day you won't notice a massive drop off in your supply. Lots of people feed sporadically in the toddler years and your milk sticks around for ages.
Again, this is without any personal experience, only what I've heard from others. Unfortunately, we weaned at around 11 months. And even though DD was completely weaned, my milk stuck around for a couple of months after (in one breast... Don't get me started, LOL! I'm a weird one).

I don't have specific advice because I haven't returned to work.

But I wanted to say regarding "we have developed some bad habits that work for us. Namely breast feeding to sleep." If it works for you, it's not a bad habit :) My DS fed to sleep for a long time and slowly outgrew it. It wasn't a bad habit, just a need of his I was happy to meet :) Don't let other people make you feel bad about anything you do with breastfeeding, especially if they're not breastfeeding!

I would say the other poster's advice is good. Just feed when you can and don't worry too much about it. My DD gets rocked to sleep in the pram by nana, and DS was cuddled to sleep holding a musical toy. They find other ways to settle when they have to :)

My DS isn't quite 12 months and I am currently working 5 days for 2 weeks and then will cut back to 3 days a week after that for awhile. He doesn't seem to miss it too much, I feed in the morning before work and he isn't always that interested, I feed after tea and a bath and the it's bed. He might wake once or twice through the night and usuasually wakes between 5 - 6 am for a feed and straight back to sleep. My supply seems ok but I think it's too soon to tell. On the weekends I feed him his lunch feed (which is really the only one I am missing) and through the week he just has water in a sippy cup. It did take him awhile to get use to it but he has got the hang of it now.

GL

Hi Hawksey
My supply seems to be fine, the first month or so I would be quite full by the end of the day but it seemed to even out after a while, boobs have a funny way of knowing when they're needed :)
I think you'll be fine and well done on continuing to bf, I think it's fantastic! I'm also getting the oh you're still bf'ing thing but you know what, I'm happy, DS is very happy to continue and that's all that matters to me!

Thanks everyone, I feel better with all that to think about. I guess thats what I had hoped would happen, that she would be at an age that it doesnt impact too badly on her. She drinks water well, and eats ok, so wont be damaged by not having a bfeed some days!!
It was lovely to hear some breastfeeding reassurance too. I slowly get quieter and quieter about still feeding cause I have honestly had so many people react (suprised, amazed, disgusted, and worst the sypmpathetic, poor you reaction, even the 'good for you'(but I wouldnt do it) reaction)when I say I am still feeding. But I am proud of it and will continue to proudly say that I am still feeding. A girlfriend today told me she gave up feeding her 1 year old, a month ago,cause her husband didnt support her and she has since felt she was denying her child. She got a bit teary when I said I was still feeding.

I shall keep going as I am then!

If you're worried about DD not going to sleep for her carers while your at work you could try rocking her to sleep/taking her for a walk in the pram to fall asleep etc to give her other ways of falling to sleep, that way she won't be totally put out when she's not BFed to sleep?

I've been doing that with DD for her naps and it's working well. I used to feed her to sleep, then wake her slightly before putting her to bed. Then wake her almost fully and rock her back to sleep. Then just rock her to sleep, gradually putting her to bed more awake each time. It's taken a few weeks but there haven't been any tears and doing things gradually works better for my DD.

And congratulations on feeding your DD so long, I also really enjoy BFing my DD, I had planned on fully weaning her when I went back to work at 1 yo, but she really loves it, also for comfort so we'll see. Good luck :D

Thanks Kristin27, I will try that sort of regime over the next few weeks to go to sleep in the evening too. It sounds good. I have been really working on the routine bath, milk, book, bed too to give her sleep cues and it seems to be helping. I am making a concerted effort to cut out the day feed altogether for my own energy and sanity. I will feel so much better knowing she is not missing out on that lunch feed just cause I am at work. I will keep going on morning and night feeds for as long as she wants it. She has slept ok at daycare so far. Only 1-1.5 hours though and I can get her to have 2-3 hours most days at home.

this is just what i did/do
i went back to work when my dd was 4 months old(now 20 months) i used to express for her unlit around the 9 month mark where i couldnt get any more(i was getting less and less even after being away for 6/8 hrs) so she would go with out for those feeds but we made sure she was having her solid meal and plenty of water while i wasnt there. who ever had her(a nanny or her oma learnt how to put her down with out a bfeed)
at 10 months i went back to my second job(that was in a cc centre so that was easy enough)and she would have a lunch feed while i was there then the cc girls would also get her to sleep there own way.
at 15 months we moved and i became a sahm again so i went back to feeding her to sleep for her daytime sleeps(we dropped the bed time one). i have just started uni so she isnt in my care for 3 days a week now and she goes with out again for those feeds but i feed her when i get home or we only have one feed a day(first thing in the morning)
if she is sick(very rarely) she might have an extra feed.

you can feed your dd when ever your there with her any carers will soon figure out how to get her to sleep with out your boobs and she will associate sleep with them is something else and sleep with you is a booby moment!!

you really dont have to change your feeding habits too much.