Travel for work whilst breastfeeding - do I have to go?

[mandymac]

I am due to attend my works summer conference in May, it would involve being away from home for minimum 3 days & nights, maximum 7 days & nights. I am aiming to breastfeed dd until she is a year old (at the end of June) due to allergies in the family. I am not confident I could build up enough of a supply of EMB to last even 3 days (I currently express 8oz per day whilst at work, for her to have at nursery) and am worried about the effect on my supply trying to pump to keep it up whilst away from dd. Plus of course I would miss her like crazy Does anyone know if I have to go, or if, because of the breastfeeding, they are obliged to give me a choice?

[mandymac]

bump

[FrannyandZooey]

Could you go and take your childcarer with you? If your company think you must be there it seems like they should be happy to pay for a nanny etc to go too, just a thought.

[mandymac]

If they insist on my going, I am going to ask about that. I know DH (who would be the obvoius choice as baby minder) would be delighted as it is at a 5 star resort in Majorca. I don't know if they would do it though, as the cost per delegate at the conference is very high, and DH has just been made redundent, so I can't offer to contribute myself if they did come.

[FrannyandZooey]

Ah, Majorca eh? Every cloud and all that

Sorry I couldn't advise you, I hope someone more knowledgeable will be along soon.

[beansprout]

Is there a strong business case for you being there? A 5 star abroad sounds a tad like a bit of a beano. Do you feel you have to be there? Could they manage without you? It's just this once, you could go next year if you want to.

[starlover]

i have a feeling that they have to accomodate you, ie they have to provide a place at work for you to pump etc etc

so i can't see why that wouldn't extend to a trip like this. they will either have to let you off, or let you take baby with you

[mandymac]

Thanks for the replies so far!

I work for the department that organises the conference, so I'm not just attending as a delegate. I know it sounds like a beano , and maybe it is if you aren't involved in the organisation. Work have been pretty accomodating in terms of time and space to pump so far, and I feel like I should try and reciprocate here, but seriously I am worried about my supply, or dd rejecting the boob after a 3 or more days without, and also I really don't want to do formula after getting this far - but just can't see me managing to store 60+ ml. Plus I would have to pump and dump whilst away - what a waste of all that lovely milk .

[mears]

Since she will be 11 months old when you go, you could easily build up stock between now and then. She actually won't 'need'much in the way of milk feeds when you are gone TBH. 3 days would be OK probably, but a week is a long time. Can be done though. I would speak to bosses and see whether you can have special dispensation this time round. surly therte will be enough others to help. What would happen if you were off sick? Why don'y you ask for parental leave?

[mandymac]

Thanks Mears, Beansprout, Starlover & Franny&Zooey. Guess I will have to start pumping at the weekend to try and build up stock just in case. I know she would survive without me for a few days and she will take EBM from DH. Has anyone spent more than a few days away during breastfeeding at this age and was your dd or ds happy to resume when you got back? I guess I am really concerned that it could be the end of breastfeeding for me and I want that to be my or dd's choice, not thrust upon us because of work.

[chipmonkey]

someone on MN ( Prettybird?) went away for a week whilst bf and her ds still bf when she came back. Plus, she stored all her EBM in the hotel freezer and brought it all back in a coolbag with lots of icepacks. Dh and I are going away for 2 days at the end of April without ds3 but he is 13 months.

[harpsichordcarrier]

mandymac just to say that I have been away for three days on two occasions with dd and she was still happy to bf when I cam back and it did not affect my supply
hth

[blueshoes]

mandymac, this might sound obvious, but best to try dd on a bottle of EBM before you go. My dd would not take bottles for love or money.

[mears]

Jasper left her DS3 for week when he was a year old and he resumed feeds when she got back.

[mandymac]

Thanks again. Nice to know it can be done. I guess I could try freezing at the hotel too. Luckily dd will happily take ebm in a beaker from DH and at nursery, although the only time DH has done the bedtime feed with a bottle, she was not amused . I know some people do leave their lo's at this age for holidays, and we will all survive, but at the moment I can't imagine being away from her for more than a night.

[prettybird]

Spotted my name, and yes, it was me who epxressed for , in the end, 8.5 days, while I was away on a skiingin holiday. Stored it in the chalet's freezer and brought it all back in a cool bag (during the foot and mouth crisis - I was just waiting for someone to challenge me ). It meant I had a great "supplemental" supply for the next 6 months, as my expressing at work dwindled off.....

Ds went back on the breast no problem once I got back, but then he was already well used to a mix of EBM and boob.

I'm sure you could make an arrangement with the hotel.

I had done a lot of epxressing before I went, so that I leave sufficient supply for ds for the time I was away.


I had to go away for 3 days (2 nights) to a work event when ds was 11 months old. It was on an army barracks (), (the company decided to send the sales force on "boot camp") so I had good fun going around asking the army personnel where I would be able to store the expressed milk! . Although I did manage to arrange access to a freezer, in the end it was easier just to use the ice bucket and supply of ice that they gave me.

At nearly a year, if you were really determined not to give him formula, you could leave whatever supply of EBM you had managed to build up (maybe try expressing extra at the weekend, or if she drops a feed, use that time to express more), and arange for it be watered down as required to "stretch" it. Make sure the rest of the food she has is nice an high calorie to compensate.

[katzg]

i went to conference in Sept when DD2 was 3 months old and took my mum with me to be my nanny, my worked paid for the hotel room but i had to find the money for my mums flight, which was thankfully only £90. She then stayed in the hotel and round the pool with DD2 and DD1 whilst i attended the conference. I then claimed back all my meal costs but again had to pay for my mums.

[tribpot]

mandy, our little ones are exactly the same age, ds is not bf but even so I wouldn't leave him for three nights. Not to mention I think it would finish dh off completely!

I would certainly use the breastfeeding as leverage with your company to find out if they can do something like katg's where your dh could come to help out (I am quite happy to provide childcare in Majorca just say the word )

[MummyToToby]

pretty bird - after bringing it back in the cool bag could you refreeze it when you got home or did you have to let it fuly thaw out?i know you cannot refreeze thawed out milk, but i don't know about frozen milk that has been kept in a cool box.

[Dophus]

My understanding is that if you are still bf then they cannot insist you go.

I would insist that they either paid for your husband (a double room is normally the same price as a single room and flights are cheap to Majorca) or explain that you can't go.

Expressing stocks for that length of time will be hard, plus finding the time to ease the pressure on your boobs whilst you are away on a business trip will be hard.

[MummyToToby]

ok i have found out as long as it is still frozen solid when taken out of the cool box you can refreeze it, but does anyone know how long it will stay like this before beginning to thaw out?