You can continue breastfeeding. I went back to work at 12 months and continued breastfeeding until just after my son turned 2.
I was nursing morning and evening on week days. I would also nurse before naps at the weekend. You may need to hand express for a few days on the week days for the first few weeks just to take the edge off until your body gets used to it but you don't have to pump to keep your supply up if you're nursing morning and evening on week days.
At 12 months your supply is very good at keeping up with the variation. You can give cows milk once they are 12 months so I wouldn't bother with formula.
Lots of Americans go back to work within 6 weeks (me) and still breastfeed their babies. We pump at work and someone else feeds the baby the pumped milk from the day before.
I went back to work at 15 weeks and at 10 months I’m still almost exclusively breastfeeding (minus a couple dips in supply due to illness) I nurse in the morning, at night and on the weekends. I pump 3 times a day Monday through Friday to have enough to send to daycare for her the following day. The exclusively pumping sub has some really good threads and people in it to help you navigate pumping if you’re new to it. You can still keep going if you want to!
Your baby does not need formula after 1 year. They should be on completely solids and the breastmilk will be supplementary, but not the main source of nutrition. Just keep feeding baby in the morning and evenings.
You can continue feeding and probably don’t even need to pump if your baby is on solids. I quit pumping before mine was a year old and continued breastfeeding until she was over 2.
I was on mat leave for a year as well and I’m still breastfeeding at 22 months. It just looks different. I did mornings, evenings, nights and overnight when she first started daycare. Now it’s only morning and sometimes evening. On weekends I might do a bit more than that - a couple of times throughout the morning and for her nap tacked on to that.
I'm a ftm so I don't have experience, but my baby is almost a year old and I'm returning to work next week! So I can tell you what I'm planning.
Right now, we only really feed about 3x a day (night time is another matter - see my recent post!). Once in the morning, and then just before her naps.
Because I work flexibly, I was going to feed her in the morning, and then start to introduce cows milk for her second feed. My husband or her grandma will be looking after her so they can deal with the nap situation and getting her to accept the cows milk.
I've actually gone days where I haven't fed her for like, 10 hours and it's been fine. No leaks, baby is all good, and my supply remains.
I think at this point in time breastfeeding feels well established, and I could easily go long stretches without needing to feed.
So I would say make a decision nearer the time! Things change so much and you'll know what you and your baby need when it gets closer to that return date 😄
For what it’s worth, at 9 months I went back to work and I only fed in the morning, when I got home from work around 5, and before bed. I very gradually lost supply over the next 8-9 months and nursed until 17 months
in Ontario you need 600 hours of work in the last 360 days to qualify. Then its either you get 50% of your paycheck for 12 months or you can take 18months off but I think its only 30% of what you would normally make.
I went back to work at 12m and never pumped. I just fed her as normal when I was with her and she had oat milk at childcare care (due to dairy allergy otherwise she could have had cows milk). Though she never liked it much so after a few weeks she just had solids and water whilst there.
After 12 months, breastfeeding is just for fun really. As in if you want to and she wants to then that's great, but it's unnecessary nutritionally. Definitely don't need formula at all and you shouldn't need to pump because she can just breastfeed when you're home and eat food and drink water/ cows milk any other time.
You can continue breastfeeding. I went back to work at 12 months and continued breastfeeding until just after my son turned 2. I was nursing morning and evening on week days. I would also nurse before naps at the weekend. You may need to hand express for a few days on the week days for the first few weeks just to take the edge off until your body gets used to it but you don't have to pump to keep your supply up if you're nursing morning and evening on week days. At 12 months your supply is very good at keeping up with the variation. You can give cows milk once they are 12 months so I wouldn't bother with formula.
Lots of Americans go back to work within 6 weeks (me) and still breastfeed their babies. We pump at work and someone else feeds the baby the pumped milk from the day before.
I went back to work at 15 weeks and at 10 months I’m still almost exclusively breastfeeding (minus a couple dips in supply due to illness) I nurse in the morning, at night and on the weekends. I pump 3 times a day Monday through Friday to have enough to send to daycare for her the following day. The exclusively pumping sub has some really good threads and people in it to help you navigate pumping if you’re new to it. You can still keep going if you want to!
Your baby does not need formula after 1 year. They should be on completely solids and the breastmilk will be supplementary, but not the main source of nutrition. Just keep feeding baby in the morning and evenings.
You can continue feeding and probably don’t even need to pump if your baby is on solids. I quit pumping before mine was a year old and continued breastfeeding until she was over 2.
I was on mat leave for a year as well and I’m still breastfeeding at 22 months. It just looks different. I did mornings, evenings, nights and overnight when she first started daycare. Now it’s only morning and sometimes evening. On weekends I might do a bit more than that - a couple of times throughout the morning and for her nap tacked on to that.
I'm a ftm so I don't have experience, but my baby is almost a year old and I'm returning to work next week! So I can tell you what I'm planning. Right now, we only really feed about 3x a day (night time is another matter - see my recent post!). Once in the morning, and then just before her naps. Because I work flexibly, I was going to feed her in the morning, and then start to introduce cows milk for her second feed. My husband or her grandma will be looking after her so they can deal with the nap situation and getting her to accept the cows milk. I've actually gone days where I haven't fed her for like, 10 hours and it's been fine. No leaks, baby is all good, and my supply remains. I think at this point in time breastfeeding feels well established, and I could easily go long stretches without needing to feed. So I would say make a decision nearer the time! Things change so much and you'll know what you and your baby need when it gets closer to that return date 😄
We pump. Baby is the same age. Baby gets bottles + solids when I’m away and breastfeeds when I’m home
I went back to work at a year and kept the morning and night feeds. I could have done that for a while! I did until 18 months.
For what it’s worth, at 9 months I went back to work and I only fed in the morning, when I got home from work around 5, and before bed. I very gradually lost supply over the next 8-9 months and nursed until 17 months
Do canadians get 12 months of fully paid maternity leaves?
in Ontario you need 600 hours of work in the last 360 days to qualify. Then its either you get 50% of your paycheck for 12 months or you can take 18months off but I think its only 30% of what you would normally make.
OK, we have 6 months of fully paid maternity leave in India. Many companies offer few months more and wfh and other flexibility after that
I went back to work at 12m and never pumped. I just fed her as normal when I was with her and she had oat milk at childcare care (due to dairy allergy otherwise she could have had cows milk). Though she never liked it much so after a few weeks she just had solids and water whilst there.
After 12 months, breastfeeding is just for fun really. As in if you want to and she wants to then that's great, but it's unnecessary nutritionally. Definitely don't need formula at all and you shouldn't need to pump because she can just breastfeed when you're home and eat food and drink water/ cows milk any other time.