Hi all,
I'm expecting my first baby in July and am going to be a single mum. I am intending to breastfeed for as long as I can, but we'll see how it goes.
Anyway, I am planning to take about three months of maternity leave and then go back to work, because it's all I can afford. My work involves some travel, but it's not a regular thing (a couple of times a year, usually, and none of these trips are absolutely required). My boss has asked me, however, if I can teach a few workshops abroad in November, which I have done before. It would be a four day trip at least (two travel days, and two days of teaching). I brought it up with my mum the other night and said I'd have to say no because I have no idea how I would manage it - I will have a baby to take care of and I'll hopefully still be breastfeeding. But my mum got very pissy with me, said I was limiting myself and should just take baby along. I could only see hurdles: who would look after baby while I was working? How could I get all the stuff I need for baby on those flights by myself (there is at least one connecting flight involved) - and how would baby cope with those travelling days anyway? I'm usually in very basic accommodation when I travel for work, so I don't know if there will be any facilities to help me take care of baby (and I'm in non profit, so I can't reasonably request all sorts of additional comforts). It's a safe country, but I don't speak the language and have no network there, so what if something goes wrong?
Anyway, my mum kept making me feel guilty and weak (and anti-feminist) for not just making it work, or even trying to make it work. I mean, obviously my career matters to me (I need to support my small family, too), and I don't want to be one of those mums who can only function as long as there is a strict routine, but this really seems quite stressful.
Am I being unreasonable? Is it normal to take your baby with you on business trips? What would you do in my situation?