needing to leave a bf baby for 2-3 days. HELP!

[mimmymouse]

Due to some seriously unhelpful scheduling, it looks like I will need to leave my bf baby for 2-3 days. She will be nealry 8 months old. We've introduced some solids and she accepts expressed milk in a bottle very well.

However, I've never left her for longer than 8 hours to work and she hasn't had more than 3 bottles without going back to the breast.

My questions:

If I leave her with expressed milk, will she accept the breast again after a few days absence?
Am I going to irrevocably damage my supply if I have to express for a few days?

Advice welcomed.

Many thanks

[Albrecht]

Hmmm tricky. I wouldn't have thought your supply will suffer as it must be pretty well established by now. You will need to have plenty of expressing breaks set up (Is it for work? They have to agree to this, don't let them make you sit in a cupboard or somesuch). Recently had to express on one side for a couple of days due to a bite hole and it was pretty uncomfortable as I obviously wasn't getting enough out. Are you still feeding at night?

I think it is positive that she already switches between bottle and breast but I think you can't know for sure until it happens how she will react.

Hopefully others who have been there and done it will be along in a mo...

[VeronicaCake]

At 8 months I doubt you'll irrevocably damage your supply. My personal experience of leaving my DD for a couple of nights at 8m was that far from rejecting the breast when I got back she fed like a newborn for a couple of days.

But I agree with Albrecht I'd be more concerned for your comfort - express as early as poss and often as poss. I left it far too long when I was away a couple of months ago and once my breasts felt engorged expressing was really uncomfortable.

[milkjetmum]

Hi - similar discussion here recently but with younger babies - here's the link, HTH www.mumsnet.com/Talk/breast_and_bottle_feeding/1209765-EBF-but-need-to-leave-DD-for-36-hours

[mimmymouse]

Really, really helpful, thank you all.

It is for work and it involves an enormous amount of travel over 3 days - including travelling at night, making it a bit too mean for baby. She'd get absolutely no sleep and, therefore, neither would I.

It seems as though most people have had little trouble convincing their little one to go back to the breast as long as it was within a couple of days. I'm just so scared she'll reject it. I want to keep feeding her - I'd been aiming for her first birthday.

I'm really heartened by your responses - and the link milkjetmum!

Many thanks xx