EBF - how many feeds?

I’ve always fed on demand rather than on a schedule however as I’m due back at work in two weeks 😢 I’m wondering whether I should be trying to get more food in him rather than letting him have milk so it’s not too tricky for my mum or the baby when I’m not there? He currently has feeds roughly at: * when he first wakes up * 9am * 1pm * 4pm * bedtime * every two hours overnight 🫠 Should I try and replace the 9am and 4pm ones with snacks for the next two weeks?! Then he will only be going without the middle of the day one. I am going to get my mum to offer him expressed milk or cows milk but unsure whether he’ll accept it. Or shall I just carry on with what we’re doing and he’ll just adapt when I’m at work? He is quite boob obsessed 🙈

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I am in the same position and was worrying about this, too. Then I saw this post by Lucy Webber and realised I should just keep how it is with me for now: https://www.instagram.com/p/DB9Tflot95w/?igsh=MW1jaTdhZjhsdXB4bg== He will adapt to his new schedules when he’s with others. I’m planning to pump twice at work and leave 2 bottles worth of milk for him. I have a freezer stash to start us off xx

I went back to work at 9 months and then 10 months with EBF on demand babies. They adapt. Pretty fast too. He may or may not accept expressed milk but will be absolutely fine waiting for you to get home if he refuses. My top tip would be to skip any form of bottle if they’ve not used one before. Go for a tommee tippee, tum tum or an open cup. My Dec 23 baby accepts some expressed milk around lunchtime and that’s normally it. She feeds entirely normally when I am with her on weekends and my day off.

@Marie oh thank you - that’s helpful to know. I’ve been looking at a tum tum v a lansinoh bottle (as he hated the mam bottles) but will just go for a tum tum! X

@Emily thank you so much for sharing. It’s a difficult transition for mums and babies going back to work when you EBF isn’t it!

I’ve just been discussing this with my childminder, as my lo had his first settling in session this morning. We are doing snacks mid morning and probably mid afternoon and seeing how it goes. I did do a tester day on Sunday, where we were out and I didn’t actively over boob unless he wanted it and he was fine for about 12 hours, so I think he will be ok. My only concern is settling for naps, as he feeds to sleep if he is napping in the cot. I might consider offering cows milk, when he does a full day, even though he won’t quite be 1 yet. Can you do a trial with your Mum?

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