Am I mad to consider this with a newborn?

You don't need equipment to breastfeed. Your body comes with it already installed.

It would be doable. I would’ve done it at 6-8 weeks post-partum. Allow an extra couple of hours for the drive up though with the extra stops to get baby out of the car seat.

We did a couple of days away to visit a great-grandma at the end of her life when ours was 8 weeks old with no issue. It would have been about an 3.5 hour drive without breaks. Our baby travelled well though and I'd had an easy recovery from my EMCS. I think you may not be able to make the decision until baby is here but I do think it's doable.

It depends what kind of baby you get, one that likes the car or one that hates it. My first one hated the car so much, she would litterally scream the entire time and it was so stressful. She would scream until red in the face etc. She would scream to the point we would have to stop the car and then continue screaming. We did not take any long car journeys more then an hour because of this (and one time for a wedding!).

I have a 4month old and I would have been able to do this at 8 weeks comfortably. I would have been able to do it slowly and steadily at 5 weeks. Baby would have been fine at both times :)

But you have to stop and take a break with car seat anyway after 2 hours max. So fed before and during break. It's only 3 hours driving time so hardly a long journey . And there seems to be 2 of them so driving can be shared

I dont think you are being unreasonable..when my daughter was just over 2 months old we travelled by train from kent to cornwall.. it was very hellish. a 3 hour drive would have been bliss in comparison. also an air bnb is a home from home so less stressful than a caravan

We took 12 week old premie twins (so 6 weeks adjusted) to Devon from Northumberland for Christmas woth fsmily (flew and then drove) it was by far and away the easiest journey we did with them until they were about 8 hahaha! I'd do it but I'd book things that are able to be cancelled just in case

It is possible but why would you put this pressure into the schedule? You may find you just want to stay home, you might have had zero sleep for eight weeks, you might have had an early birth or need to recover.

I think it'd be wiser not to plan something like this, really.

No and there’s no guarantee that she won’t have this “issue”. Incidentally, by issue, you mean feeding every two hours? I think that’s incredibly common.

I stated “if you’re planning on breastfeeding, I wouldn’t advise it”. I thought that it would be heavily implied that if she’s breastfed and then switched to formula by that point that my comment would be irrelevant. But I guess not. So let me clarify…

If you are planning on breastfeeding and to STILL be breastfeeding when you travel, I wouldn’t recommend it.

It’s just extra stress that you don’t need.

I agree with this train will be easier as you can hold baby just in case they don’t like the car seat (but all of mine under 8 weeks just slept in car seat every journey)

No it’s easier as you won’t have other dc to consider ! It sounds ideal as little babies are so easy at that age. Get a carrier too for the markets and he/she will likely sleep and be cosy and warm with your body heat

This 100 %
I have travelled with my 12 week old to Asia, stayed there a month. No issues
5-8 week old is peak of witching hour. I would stay at home , especially at Christmas

I think it depends on the baby. One of mine was fine in the car at this age and would sleep. the other screamed on any car journey for the full duration until they were 6 months.

But there's no guarantee that the OP will have this issue. I personally found it easier than having to mess around with bottles and formula etc. And TBH I think about 50% of mothers have discountued breastfeeding by 6 weeks.

Can you not take the train? We went to London for a week a 2-3 month old but we took the train and packed light. The bassinet on our pram is suitable for overnight sleeping so no need for a travel cot. Most airbnbs would provide a travel cot. I think public transport is actually easier with babies. You can relax on the train and feed etc. It's essential you book a seat for the baby though as even though it's not required, you'll want the space. We travelled by train with a 4 month old to Scotland when my first was a baby.

I don't necessarily think it's infeasible to go and visit your family for a few days...

But Christmas markets are usually absolutely heaving, and probably wouldn't be very pleasant to try and push a pram around (Edinburgh?)

We took our DD and our other 2 DD (2.5 and 5.5) to Barbados when she was 7/8 weeks. It was a great holiday and proper chillled.

so without a doubt, I know I woujd have done this Edinburgh trip, it will be magical and so special.

I didn’t have a CS though.

I drove from Dundee down to zBrighton when she was 2 weeks old, all fine apart from the last 2 hours.

it dues depend on you/baby’s health, but also hugely on your attitude. I’m very not precious and not a worrier and we tend to just go with the flow.

I don’t think anyone’s being a martyr, just sharing their experiences. I would never have managed a three hour drive with my son as a newborn- he screamed nonstop every time he got in the car and could feed for 40 minutes at a time, have a 20 minute break, then go again. Some babies don’t slot into life that easily!

I assume you mean “why ever not”

Because establishing feeding can be very challenging, especially for the first time. Because you shouldn’t add on more unneeded stress. Because, with all three of mine, the first two to three months of breastfeeding have been feeding every two hours and I was exhausted and barely able to get away from the sofa.

Tbh it's easier that age than with a toddler. It really depends how the birth goes and what sort of baby you get. My dd yes vvvvv easy (was hell aged 3-4 to make up for it) although you have to be careful re how long baby is laying down but baby not a total newborn at 5-8 weeks. My dsis dd no way could you have done it...my dn needed to held all the time. Each baby is different. Very difficult to east.

I live in Scotland and visited family with a 5 week old around 3 hours away. I didn't have my husband with me and it turned out my parents wouldn't support me but I still managed. We went to Northern Ireland at 7 weeks old for both kids. That's 3.5 hrs in car, 2.5 on a boat and then another hour in car after that. The car was packed to the brim but it was all fine.

I did similar several times, and would do it again. I definitely found that the easiest stage to travel with for a little while (by car or train at least, plane travel with an infant is different), and honestly it was more relaxing for me to go to family than to host them. I would definitely keep as much flexibility in your plans as possible and manage expectations. Avoid committing to specific activities and be prepared to head home early if you're struggling, or even to cancel entirely.

I also would wholeheartedly support any new mum who chose to just plan a quiet holiday at home, so please don't feel pressured either way. Neither choice is more admirable than the other.

Get a lie flat car seat so long drives are less of an issue. Drove 9hrs for a wedding at 10 weeks (obviously breaking up the drive with multiple stops over a day or two) and had a good time so definitely possible if all goes well and you feel up to it. Agree with the free cancellation so that it is easy to cancel if you need to

Depends on your delivery and depends on your baby.

I had an emergency c section with number 1 and bounced back pretty quickly. Baby was pretty portable would have been doable.

I had a traumatic vaginal delivery with number 2 and could barely walk still at 5 weeks post partum. It would have been genuinely my idea of hell.