Many mothers feel pressured to stop exclusive breastfeeding before 6 completed months for various reasons including; short maternity leave, long hours of separation from the child or they are afraid there breasts may fall hence affect their appearance. While you think this will be of benefit to you and the baby, on the contrary the consequences are burdensome. This is because, chances of illnesses and malnutrition increase due to wrong preparation of formula or the baby’s stomach is not ready to tolerate formula and solid foods; this in turn causes you to spend less time at work to care for your sick child, you spend a lot of money buying formula and paying hospital bills, the child does not grow well, you don’t get enough sleep, and even miss out on bonding with your baby.
To avoid this, you could express breast milk which you can leave for the carer to give your baby when you are away (read the expressed breast milk brochure to learn how it is done) and breast feed your baby when you get home from work. This will ensure that your baby does not get sick from preventable illnesses and will allow you to bond well with your child. Depending on the conditions at your work place you could also go with the baby to work or ask a relative or child care-taker to bring the baby to work or find a baby day care near your workplace where you can be nearer to your child to ensure continued breastfeeding.
