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The big day to return to work is approaching, and you have decided to wean Baby. Several options are available to you.
You want to express your milk for a smooth transition
You want to stop breastfeeding and still make a gradual transition. If you return to work, first know that if your breastfeeding is going well, there are provisions and tips to continue breastfeeding your baby while working, either mixed or exclusively, by pulling your breast. milk in your workplace.
Your decision is made, you will start with a partial weaning of your child before resuming work. This allows in particular to ensure that the infant accepts the bottle, the cup or any other device used to give him milk. If this is possible for you, a fortnight before the resumption, replace one or more feedings with a bottle of industrial or breast milk that you have extracted beforehand (>>> Read our box below). It may be gentler for the child to start with a bottle of breast milk, to make him accept the container before changing the contents. Some babies accept formula very well from the start, while others will need some adjustment.
If, however, you notice that your baby does not tolerate the introduced milk, that he seems to have a stomach ache, that he has allergic reactions, you will be free to ask the pediatrician for advice on an alternative infant formula (infant formula). based on goat’s milk for example, another formula, or outright a hydrolyzate, a milk whose proteins have been made more digestible for the fragile stomach of some toddlers).
In addition, you may feel emotions that push you to postpone the weaning plan by a few weeks, and then opt to continue your breastfeeding by collecting your milk at work to be given to your baby, and thus maintain your breastfeeding. milk secretion.
Weaning from breastfeeding and returning to work: how to organize?
Weaning and part-time work
Weaning Baby won’t be too complicated. If you work half a day a day, Baby only takes one bottle in your absence. 8 to 15 days before, start replacing the breastfeed in question with a bottle of infant milk.
Weaning and full-time work with office hours
A fortnight, sometimes three weeks will be necessary to achieve a gradual weaning. We first replace the afternoon breastfeeding with a bottle. Then, after three or four days, we replace the morning one. Finally, three or four days later, we also replace the midday one. The mother therefore only gives the breast in the morning, evening and night. You will probably have to express your milk, using a breast pump, or manually to avoid clogging.
Weaning: what to do when you work in staggered hours?
End feedings as above, but at the appropriate times. If your rhythm is more irregular (different hours from one day to another, alternation between days worked and days off…), weaning will be more difficult. Gradually replace several breastfeeds with a bottle.
On rest days and weekends, it is possible to resume breastfeeding completely if desired.
Whatever approach you want, however, be sure to pay attention to the health of your breasts. Some women find that it is too brutal for their breasts to cut a feed and replace it with a bottle. They then eliminate half-feeds.
How to express your milk to avoid engorgement during weaning?
Wash your hands thoroughly before handling.
Two methods
You can stimulate lactation in two ways: either manually or with a breast pump (manual or electric). Some mothers also simply use a milk collector. Experiment in advance to determine which method works best for you.
Relax
In principle, the operation is not painful (if it is, your breast pump or breast shield is not suitable). The ejection of milk begins after a few solicitations of the breast. You can alternate each breast twice for five minutes, or just once for longer. You should not be worried about the variation in the quantities collected. Anyway, to put the odds in your favor, put yourself in good conditions: isolated in a quiet place, comfortably installed and the mind disconnected from professional matters.
The time of day when you extract your milk should correspond to the sensation of rising milk and “overflow”.