How do I do this?

[@llli*justgowithitmama]

I have been browsing tons of these threads and I need some advise on making myself a plan for me and my DD2. I will be returning to work in a little over a month, and I have been exclusively breast feeding. DD2 has only had a couple of bottles in her 10.5 month old life. I am not pumping, I have pumped previously and have a stash, which I believe I will dip into to start giving her bottles as I have to go in and train for a couple of days before I start work. How do I go back to work and continue to breastfeed without pumping? I am so worried about not being able to keep my supply. The pump does not like me. I struggle to pump even an ounce per session (in the morning) and by evening nothing comes out. I was like this for my DD1. I have no idea even on how to bottle feed my girl. Amounts and times totally freak me out as I have always fed on demand. She's teething something horrible right now and has not been nursing like normal, so my supply is suffering right now , but she does nurse frequently through the night, (every 2 hours or more if she has a bad night) and nurses anywhere from 5-6 times a day. (Wow that sounds like a lot!) she's really interested in solids, but mostly my food. She hates baby food. She is not eating much lately because of the pain from teething. I have read lots that night nursing is a working moms best friend, but I don't know how it will be possible to keep up with that many night nursing and working...... We cosleep, but I actually get up to nurse her. I don't know what my game plan is and time is running out!

[@llli*bfwmomof3]

Going back to work is stressful, and just thinking about going back to work is stressful too! I felt stressed even the third time when I KNEW I knew what to do in terms of breastfeeding, pumping etc. The good thing is, you've been able to delay going back to work until your daughter is almost a year old. Which makes a huge difference. Because there is a lot more flexibility and more options once your LO hits a year old. A lot of moms (myself included) cut back on pumping or stop altogether at a year and continue nursing LO when together at home. So even if you are not able to pump at all that is no reason that your breastfeeding relationship cannot continue. If you continue to nurse mornings and evenings and nights, you will still make as much milk as your baby demands. So the second question is, what to feed baby while you're at work. At a year you can start ramping up on solids; if she doesn't like baby food (and can you blame babies for not liking a lot of mushy purees?), no reason not to feed her regular food and let her start feeding herself. You can certainly giving her milk from your freezer stash. Once that runs out, you have a few options: 1) continue to try to pump to give her expressed milk (you may find that you pump more when you are pumping instead of nursing, as opposed to on top of nursing; or perhaps you need a better pump or a rehabbed pump if you choose this option); 2) substitute an animal's milk like cow's or goat's during the workday; 3) give her water during the day when she is thirsty. As long as she is nursing at least 3-5 times per 24 hours (which it sounds like you won't have trouble achieving), as a toddler she will be meeting her needs for dairy, and if she is not nursing that much and you don't want to give animal's milk, you can do other types of dairy like yogurt or cheese (or even other non-dairy sources of protein, fat, calcium etc.)

In terms of nighttime nursing, if you can figure out how to nurse in bed, that might help you have a more restful night. If you find that you are too exhausted, you could consider partially or completely nightweaning at that point, maybe after the molars are done coming in. Since you are no longer responsible for providing most of baby's nutrition after a year (of course your milk is still nutritious, but she is getting more nutrition from solids, compared to when she was an infant), it's a little less important to maintain as much supply by doing a lot of nighttime nursing. However, a lot of babies and toddlers do like to reconnect with mom by doing lots of nursing at night when they have been separated during the day, so she might still want to nurse a lot from a comfort and connection point of view, if not from a nutritional point of view.

[@llli*bradleysmom]

You may not be able to pump a large stash before you go to work, as your baby is taking all the milk prior to pumping. You should be able to successfully pump out as much milk as she would have taken if you were home. I work full time, and I only had 1 days worth in the freezer, but I pumped enough out at work to feed her the following work day. I just make sure I pump as often as possible. I pump every three, at most four hours at work. Even if it's just a quick pump. It is difficult to go back. Hard work. But once I got the hang of it all it has been great. At first I thought my supply was too low, but realized my mother had been giving her far too much milk when I was away.

[@llli*maddieb]

For good production, one or all of the following may help:

1) If you do pump while at work, Make sure you have to best pump you can get, and that it works correctly and fits you correctly. Sometimes the issue is the pump!
2) Hand express instead or as well as pump
3) Encourage lots of nursing when you are with baby-if not nights (at least not all night) then mornings, evening, weekends, etc. Do you have to get up to nurse? that sounds exhausting.

Amounts and times totally freak me out as I have always fed on demand.

Why stop feeding on request? A healthy almost one year old will eat what they need when they need. Be forewarned, around 12 months is often a time of decreased appetite, as growth is slowing down so much.

she's really interested in solids, but mostly my food

And why not? I am sure your food is more appetizing than purees. Have you looked into baby led weaning? (aka baby-led solids?) that is what it sounds like baby is into.

[@llli*bfwmomof3]

I just wanted to add, if you decide not to pump regularly when you go back to work, make you sure when you first go back that you have the option to either pump or hand express as needed for comfort. If you are used to nursing many times during the day you will likely be quite full during the day when you first go back.

[@llli*justgowithitmama]

Thank you ladies! I do think that I am stressed and overwhelmed with all of this. I am still on the fence about pumping at work, I really can't see it working for me. I am going to try it out a few days before hand and see how it goes. Just taking it day by day I guess and figuring it out as we go. I just really hope that she will continue to nurse when I'm at home and that my supply keeps up. In the meantime I will keep checking these threads!!!! I love reading everyone's advice and seeing others with similar stories! Thank you LLL!!

[@llli*bfwmomof3]

Just taking it day by day I guess and figuring it out as we go.

The first day, just figure out how to get through the first day. In my experience the worrying was in some ways worse than the going back. Once you go back, you figure things out.

[@llli*pteroglossus]

I would work on nursing lying down, so you don't have to wake up so much. For us, nursing positions have changed a lot as my daughter grew, but night nursing did not start to decrease until about 2 yo (even though I am home during the day). Being able to nurse lying down would probably help you sleep better even now. Let us know if you need some help with that.