I'm going back to work in a week and LO is starting daycare. She will be a few days short of 4 months old. We had a ton of problems in the beginning due to a tongue tie and her learning to suck properly. I exclusively pumped for a couple of weeks very early long while we worked with a speech therapist, and then after I went back to the breast, DH still gave LO usually 1 breast milk bottle a day to give me a break. Everything fell into place between 6-8 weeks, breastfeeding got so much easier, and I slowly stopped pumping very often and just fed her from the breast all the time. So in the last 2 months, I have fed her from the breast only, with the exception of once or twice. After having such a difficult time in the beginning, and then pulling through, the last 2 months have been amazing. I love our breastfeeding relationship and the bonding time and I can't imagine my life without it.
In addition to the general anxiety I have just about taking her to daycare and not being with her all day, I am feeling additional anxiety just about breastfeeding. I can't imagine missing most of her daytime feedings. It makes me very sad just thinking about it. I'm also terrified that something about the transition will negatively impact our ability to breastfeed. The daycare has expressed their willingness to accommodate as much as they could, and they even offered to research paced bottle feeding after I brought it up. But I also know they have other babies to take care of and it's unrealistic for me to think they'll spend a lot more time trying to feed her than the other babies.
So I guess I'm looking for support from other breastfeeding mommas who have continued to make it work after starting daycare. I would appreciate any suggestions on how to make it through this transition with the most success, and not let my anxiety get the best of me. Thanks in advance and sorry about the long post.
Re: Anxiety about how daycare will change our breastfeeding relationship
Once LO sees your back, that smile will warm your heart. I know it's hard but you both will adjust.
The time I take to pump at work I use to relax and think of my LO. It helps me to break up the day, as I used to never take breaks before.
You got this!
-My step-daughter is 12 years old.
-BFP #1 on 9/2/12, D&C 10/18/12 no heartbeat on US @ 10 weeks.
-BFP #2 on 1/7/13, R was born on 9/22/13 via C-Section
I nurse in the morning before we leave and in the evenings and weekends and I don't feel like it's changed our relationship at all. Just trying to show you it can work, and it can work well!
Mrs. H
Crohn's Dx: August 2008
Endometriosis Dx: May 2010
Married: 05/19/2012
TTC #1: June 2013
BFP: December 2013
DS: Born 08/29/2014
TTC #2: July 2015
BFP #2: September 25, 2015
**DD1 - 7/9/98**
**DS - 11/9/00**
**DD2 - 4/30/13**
PPs have given great advice, so I just wanted to add my encouragement and support. It may take a couple weeks for you to get into a routine that works for you and LO, but you'll get it eventually. Don't be afraid to talk to the caregivers to get their input and make sure you are all on the same page when it comes to feeding your LO. My LO (who had milk transfer issues and weight gain problems for the first ~3 months) started day care when she was 6 months old. She is now 16 months old and still nurses twice a day (wake-up and bedtime). I love my quiet time with her at the beginning and end of each day. GL!
I commute to work in a different county (about a 30 minute drive), and LO will be going to daycare near where I work. My daycare center is pretty small so I don't know that they have anywhere that I could nurse (although I still can ask), but my office is about half a mile away, so I can always go there. I might come to town early and feed her at my office before I take her in. And the afternoons will be tough to juggle also because I have to figure out when to feed her in terms of the drive home. It's probably going to take a while to figure out what exactly works.