12-hour shifts forcing me to wean at 1 year?
So as above, I work 12-hour shifts 3-4 days per week and I’m gone from about 6:30am-7:45pm. Occasionally I work nights as well. My schedule is sporadic and not patterned at all. My LO is almost 1 year old, and while I wouldn’t mind continuing to breastfeed, I can’t quite figure out if that’s even possible.
For one, I know one of the last feeds to go is before bed. My little guy is in bed by 7, well before I make it home on a workday. I guess I could just pump when I get home after work, but I really hate pumping and don’t love the thought of that. Besides, what do I even do with that milk if he’s not supposed to take bottles?
Secondly, my workplace is not required to continue to allow for me to pump at work being one year. I’m thankful that we’ve made it this far, but it’s really added a lot onto my workload in a shift to have to leave to pump 3x/day and some days were a struggle to even get 2 breaks in. I don’t see how I can just not pump at work but then continue to breastfeed on demand when I’m at home without my breasts getting unbearably engorged. I’m also quite prone to clogged ducts.
The only feed I can conceivably see continuing is the first one upon waking. I usually feed him before going to work anyway. Is it possible to just stick to that one feed?
Anyway, I guess I’m just looking for advice, but the way I see it I think my breastfeeding journey might come to an end because of my job. Any suggestions are welcome.