Hello!

I am going back to work full time in 3 weeks & I have a 10 month old that is still breast feeding. I am struggling to wean her off as I don’t want to go to work as a zombie from being up several times through the night. Any ideas how to help her onto a bottle please.


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  • You’re doing well to still be breast feeding at ten months of age. But I think if you’re still getting up a few times a night to go it, it’s time to stop. I would say at this age your baby is demanding it for comfort only, not as a food source.


  • When you change to a bottle, if you can, maybe start it with a day feed during a weekend may be better than starting the process at night. One Mum I knowwhen her milk flow slowed right down gave her baby a good night feed at bedtime and bottle for the rest. Should your baby still be having that many feeds during the night? I don’t know of others who had more than one or two during the night unless they were teething. Is she having solids at all? I know of a couple of Mums who have given their baby just a few spoonfuls of baby cereal with the night feed (e,g, 10.00 pm or similar) and baby has slept through even when still in a large bassinet. One Mum I know used that method for all three of her daughters who were bron 2 – 3 years apart. Their Dad did shift work. Sometimes when he got home at midnight and the baby stirred he would give her a bottle of water, she would drink some of that and go back to sleep. One of them hadn’t long gone into her cot in her own room.


  • i reckon i agree with the other mums! find a way to keep breast feeding


  • I agree with the other poster, is there a reason you have to give up breastfeeding? Either way whether you are giving her a bottle or breastfeeding her, she may still wake through the night and there is more work involved in heating a bottle than just putting her to the breast to feed.
    Plus, breast milk at night emits serotonin to help mum and bub get back to sleep as fast as possible.
    If you are worried about pumping during the day as the other poster said, by law they have to provide you with a safe place to express and also time to do so.
    Just in my experience i wouldn’t wean her. I did with two of my 5 children and regretted not having the close bond from feeding, and also the easy comfort when they needed it. Breastfeeding is so much easier than bottle feeding and much more convenient, and as i said, you may find you get even less sleep as she wont be getting that comfort in the middle of the night anymore and bottles may wake her up even more.
    Good luck hun x


  • Is there any reason why you have to stop breastfeeding? I went back to work whether my first was about 10 months and I breastfed her until she was about 14 or 15 months old and she decided that she didn’t want it anymore. If you’re worried about engorgement, by law you are allowed to express, your employer has to give you time and a room in which you can do it without penalizing you (ie using your allocated breaks to do it). If you’re not sure what you are entitled to, give fair work Australia a call, they’ll be able to advise you :) good luck!


  • If she wakes up let her have a bottle and get hubby to give it to her, this way she won’t relate to being fed by you or your boobs. Goodluck it is hard but possible. As for sleep, one of mine didn’t sleep through till they were 4,


  • The Australian Breastfeeding website has some good info, scroll almost half way day to find weaning and going back to work to click on more info.


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