EBF'ing leaving DS for the first time for 3 full days (72 hrs) will i lose my milk supply?

[mummyfirsttime]

I am a bridesmaid and have booked to go away for hen weekend for 3 full days. I plan to express and store for my DP to give in a bottle. While im away i intend to use a hand pump to pump and unfortunately dump however DS feeds every 2-3 hours and to keep the schedule while away will be almost impossible. Will i lose my supply? My DS will be 5 Months when I go which is the second week in February and this will so far be the first time i leave him. I am so worried that I/He wont cope. He falls asleep at night latched on.
Any advise re keeping milk supply an getting DS DP and myself ready for this would be much appreciated.

Hmmm.....this is tricky, and not so much a keeping-up-milk-supply issue but a leaving-a-tiny-baby-for-a-long-time issue :(

It would be the same if he was formula fed.

Is there no way you can take your baby with you (maybe with DH in tow?)? You could then at least maintain contact/feeding in the evening and at night. Your milk supply will be ok as long as you express often enough, but you and your baby will miss each other, no doubt about that. Your baby will recover in time, but he may be unhappy some of the time you are away - he doesn't understand you will come back!

You would not be at all unusual in finding 3 full days and nights away a real challenge for you :(

I have been looking at my flights etc and i could change this for a small fee this would mean 2 full days but only 1 night. I know I must do what is best for DS and myself and this would be not leaving him at all as I know I will miss him so much. DS on the other hand love his daddy and thrives from his attention so im hoping he will only miss me a little. I know the bride will say she understands however the other bridesmaid and my mother etc im not so sure they will.

Thank you for your honest advise

I went away on a hen weekend when DS was about the same age and ebf, although only 1 night away. Took a pump with me and expressed when I could, not as often as I would have fed had I been with DS, but no problem with affecting supply, in fact as I wasn't feeding/expressing frequently I felt uncomfortably full a couple of times.

That's a long time to leave an ebf pre-weaned baby. DS wouldn't take a bottle so I wouldn't have been able to go, but even without that I know I would have struggled to be away from him for that long. I can't see that anyone would have a problem with you shortening the time that you were there, if they do then they're not proper friends!

Please don't worry about what other people think, it's your baby and you should do what you think is best. Like tiktok says, he will have no idea that you will come back.

Have you done any trial runs? Maybe express a few feeds and let DH do an afternoon or part of the night and see how they get on?