Help! Baby freaking out while I am gone!

[happysmileylady]

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I started back to work 11/20, however, I only work part time, so I only started back 1 day a week. This week is the first week I work 2 days a week, Friday and Saturday. However, I work two days next week, but they happen to be Sunday and Monday, so I am actually working 4 days in a row.

We have 1 bottle with the slowest flow nipple. My shifts are usually short so she usually only needs one bottle while I am gone and that started out ok.

Last week, she had a really rough time with it. She was not happy and let DH know it. Well this week, she was NOT having it. She has a tough time if I am a little full and it comes out of the source too fast, this whole bottle thing is not working for her.

I only worked 4 hours yesterday, DH said she screamed for three of them, got to the point where she was outright refusing the bottle and pushing it away. When I walked in the door, she was screaming and he was pretty close to tears himself. The moment I picked her up she quit crying. I nursed her, handed her to DH for just 5 minutes to change and she immediately began crying when I let her go, stopped when I picked her back up.

I don't know what to do. We can't have her scream the whole time I am working. I have to do 8 hours today, then 5 on Sunday and 5 on Monday. Advice? Help?

[liberal_chick]

The only thing I can say is "it gets worse before it gets better."  I work at a Mother's Day Out program and I've seen it with kids left in my care and with my own ds2 (who recently moved to a new room).  The first week or two go well; the child is kind of along for the ride.  The next few weeks tend to be rough.  They've figured out this is a new normal and they don't like it.  After that it becomes more routine and the kiddos will fall into place.

It takes some kids more time and some less.  So I guess my advice is to give it time and hang in there.

[texmati]

How old is she? I"m assuming that she's pretty young.

Can you try leaving her with DH (or someone) for a few hours (the same hours that you will be gone, preferably) while you are in the house?

Also, she could just be hungry;

I'd try nursing immediately before leaving and upon walking in. I used to not change, or do anything else after walking in. I'd also nurse in my work clothes right before leaving.

I would definitely try different bottles, and also check your pumped bm for lipase. We had good luck with the breastflow, but ymmv.

If the baby is still young, I"d also try finger feeding, spoon feeding, feeding with a dropper etc. A hungry baby makes for a miserable caregiver and baby.