Plans for full time moms and feeding

[DobbyForever]

I was wondering what everybody's plans are. I am going to be on my probationary year (teacher aka the year they decide to move me from temporary to permanent or non-re elect me), so I'm trying to minimize how much out of school time I will have. My principal is very supportive of me taking all my allotted 45 school days, but that makes me nervous as I have had principals say stuff like that then stab me in the back. So I'm trying to go back as close to 6-8 weeks as possible, daycare allowing. i keep forgetting to register and when I checked at 5 weeks they were already booked up until September. Oops.

Anyway, I'm trying to figure out how feeding works. Obviously, I will have to pump. But do you ladies plan/in the past have you had to switch over to bottles entirely? In a perfect world, I would love to have my baby bottle fed at daycare and then return to the breast when I'm home. I know a lot of it has to do with the baby, but is that possible? Or am I'm looking at completely shifting over to bottles once daycare starts?

 

[PrettyInInk42]

The only advice I can give is to just wait and see if your son will have an issue with nipple confusion. Whether it's through breast or bottle, as long as he's getting your nutrient-rich milk, that's the main thing. Gonna be hard to decide until kiddo is actually here.

 

[xdxxtx]

I'll say first and foremost that I have nursed babies only during the day at not at night, or even only nursing once before bed, and I was still able to produce the milk for them. However, this was after nursing had been very well established. The biggest problem is engorgement and possibility of infection in those early weeks if you choose to do this. You'll definitely have to pump during lunch and find another break during the day to do it. Breastfeeding is about supply and demand, though, so if you're suddenly going from nursing every 2 hours (which you probably will at 6 weeks old) to pumping every 4-6 hours, engorgement is a big risk, and so is producing less milk. www.llli.org might be a great resource to help you figure this out.

 

[DobbyForever]

Ty! I should be able to pump every 2 hours at work thanks to recess and prep schedules. But the recesses are super short so idk is that is realistic...

As for nipple confusion, probably my bigger concern, you're right I probably won't know til he is here.

Cyixylcykcytivhkc

 

[stellababy]

With my son I only pumped during the day and nursed him at night. I did this right from the start and there was no nipple confusion. its definitely possible, your body and the baby get used to it

 

[Letsgo]

You can do this! I pumped about every 3 hours when I returned to work. I got good at it, used a hands free electric double pump set up so it was 18-20 mins of pumping and a few minutes to get ready and a couple to wrap it up. If you are pumping every two hours, You may pump for shorter periods of time. Whatever you find that works for you. Some days all you can manage to have time for is to take the edge off. When I walked in from work I'd grab the baby and start nursing. No trouble there beyond communicating to spouse to not feed baby right before I got home or else!

Look up or watch videos on paced feedings, and ask the caretakers to bottle feed baby that way so it is more similar to nursing rather than a fast chug. Some babies get impatient and prefer the bottle if the are quickly satisfied through it.

Best of luck! It isn't always easy but it is pretty cool.

 

[DobbyForever]

Ty! Definitely giving me hope and excellent advice!

 

[xdxxtx]

If you have even 10 quick minutes to pump with a double pump, that will at least be enough to keep engorgement away. I think you're gonna do great!!! None of my babies have had any issues with nipple confusion, but I have a fast flow myself. If your flow isn't so fast, just use very slow flow nipples so your own nipples are a treat for them.

 

[Weebles]

When I returned to work after having my son I had planned on pumping but.. It didn't work for me. I don't really know why, I didn't have a lot of support at the time. But what I can tell you is that somehow my body adapted and so he was formula fed while I was at work and nursed at all other times. I only had an issue with engorgement for a few days. I don't really recommend what I did simply because I've never heard of anyone doing it before so I don't know how likely it will be to attempt, even for myself again. This time I hope to be successful with pumping!

As far as nipple confusion goes, my son was very very picky. He simply did not want to bottle feed at all but there was a particular nipple he took to right away. It really almost had the same sort of shape as a breast but I can't remember the brand it was so long ago. So I guess if there is nipple confusion don't dismay, it's kind of a trial and error sort of process.

 

[Twag]

It can totally work that way

I returned to work when my son was 11 weeks old I pumped and he had bottles when I wasn't with him and when I was with him he had boob MAM bottles - I pumped for my son for 9 months and then we both stopped BFeeding when he nearly bit my nipple off!

I returned to work when my daughter was 6 months old and I had to start giving her a bottle once a day at 3 months because she refused point blank to take any bottles when I had to go on a one day training course when she was 3 months old they had to syringe the milk into her and it was very traumatic - after trying about 10 different brands of bottle she finally decided she liked the MAM ones *phew* so she had one a day to keep it up - She totally prefers boob tho and still does I stopped pumping for my daughter at 12 months but she still has boob at night and when I am around I think her's is more for comfort now tho

 

[ARuppe716]

I went back at 14 weeks and pumped. Had no issue with nipple confusion - my son actually refused to nurse due to a fever in his first week and I had to pump then. He latched about 10 days in and we never had issues between the two. My pump supply suffered as I couldn't pump as frequently as I should have due to my employer. We eventually supplemented with formula as needed but primary nutrition was still breast milk. You just make it work and you will what works best for you and your baby as you go!

 

[DobbyForever]

Ty! I'm not excited about going back to work at 6-8 weeks but oh well. Definitely feeling more hopeful. I have two hours then a ten minute break, 2 hours then 40m, then 2 and 10 again. But twice a week I have yard duty so those days I may not pump for 3-4 hours. I also get a 45m prep each day but that is scattered depending on the day. I'm getting excited lol

 

[luz]

I am a teacher and have ebf all 3 of my kids. I wake baby up and feed before i leave and then pump at lunch. If i don't get enough (usually 6-8 oz a day is what they end up eating) then i will pump again when my students go to their specialty class. If i still don't have enough i'll pump on the drive home and then i feed immediately when i get back home. It is possible, although very exhausting because you're constantly pumping.

My advice is to get a really good pump. I recommend a medela.

 

[Twag]

I had a similar feeding plan to above so I fed before I went to work, pumped mid morning, fed at lunch, pumped mid afternoon and then fed when we got home

I second a medula but a double pump saves so much time as I discovered with my 2nd

Fenugreek also helps with milk supply

 

[Emilylove13]

My personal experience with my daughter was that I took off 12 weeks of work. So she got bottles at daycare and I nursed her at home. However she started refusing to nurse around 5 months and completely quit by 6 months. I pumped exclusively until she was 14 months. I am also taking off 12 weeks with this baby but am hoping that he does not stop nursing. If he does,I will pump for him too. It's hard but worth it to me. Your baby may have no problem going back and forth between breast and bottle though, I really think it depends on the child.

I used a medela pisa for her but got a Spectra S2 this time. It had excellent reviews across the board and is also hospital grade. Just harder to get parts/accessories.

 

[DobbyForever]

Ty! I want to talk to my insurance because I get a pump for free for two months then can rent, and from what I hear everyone who has used the hospital grade Kaiser pumps love it far more than the $2-300 Medela. And since it will just be the one I have to consider which makes more sense.

I worry if I have to pump only I'll lose my supply, so that's so encouraging that you made it to 14 months!

 

[DobbyForever]

Oh btw what brand of bottle/nipple did you use? Trying to figure out if natural nipples work better or if that's just marketing

 

[ARuppe716]

We just used the regular medela bottles and slowest flow nipple. Around 6 months, the nipple started popping in and out due to his increased mouth strength and suction and we switched to tommee tippee with slowest flow nipples which we used without problem until a year when he was solely in straw cups.