BFing just a bit

[Anonymous]

Having read lots of different things about this online I thought I'd ask the following question: has anyone had much luck/experience BFing their baby just a little - at night for instance? I have to go back to work and am not in a position to pump. I'm wondering whether there's any utility in me keeping one or two night feeds or whether I'm likely to lose milk. Also, is a mostly bottle fed baby likely to want to continue to breatfeed?

[Anonymous]

Absolutely try it!!!

My supply did decrease, which was fine, because then my breasts didn't hurt during the day.

For around 3 months, I did dawn, 5 pm, bedtime, and any extra middle-of-the-night feedings. It was great for us both.

[Anonymous]

I would encourage you to try it. What is the worst that could happen - that it actually works out for both you and the baby?

Since you are already anticipating a decrease in milk (supply and demand) since you are unable to nurse or pump then don't worry too much about drying up. But at least give it a shot...at least you'll have peace of mind that you tried.

Besides, as PP said, she was fine and everyboyd is a little different.

[Anonymous]

As long as there is demand (at night), there will be milk. During the day, the 'production' will be decreased, which is good, because you don't want to be engorged all the time. But as long as your baby nurses at certain times a night (or day) every day, the milk will be there at those times. We did this for a good year

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Some women can do this and some can't. I found that I couldn't go for more than 6-7 hours between feedings--that's when my milk really started to dry up.


I would say try it, but only if you're prepared for the possibility that you may not get your supply back or be able to do this.

[Anonymous]

Yes, you may well be able to do it. I was eventually nursing only in the morning and at night. Your body adjusts to the demand. And it's very likely that your baby will still want to nurse, despite being primarily bottle fed. Good luck!

[pamD]

I think the previous posters all said it well - give it a try! I pumped for a while at work, but gave up when the baby was about 9 months, and we kept BFing in the mornings for another 3 or 4 months. Of course, it's easier to do that if you have been BFing a while. If you are going back to work after 2 or 3 mos, you might want to try cutting back gradually before you go back to work, so your body can adjust more easily.

[Anonymous]

I went back to work when my son was almost four months old. I EBF him until he was about 3 months, after that we started pumping and supplementing some. When I returned to work, I was pumping 3 times a day at work, but nonetheless my supply went way down. I think the stress at work also had something to do with it. The pumping caused major anxiety when I saw that I could only produce about 6 ounces. I stopped pumping and went back to BF only in the morning, evening and during the night. This worked well for a little while and then my son started sleeping through the night. He eventually weaned himself off completely. I have to admit that this was emotionally very difficult for me. I had a lot of resentment towards my job and being a working mom for a while and I cried a lot. It has since gotten better.

I would say definitely give it a try. Your body adjusts to whatever you need it to do.

Good luck to you!

~ Katja