will my ds forget how to feed?

[blossombath]

Later this week I am leaving for a work trip, will be away for two nights and three days. DS is 18mo. I had hoped to have him weaned before this trip but illness, some kind of serration-anxiety phase, and my own ambivalence to stopping means he is still bf at night, usually just once maybe twice, and then sometimes in the morning.

This is first trip away from him, I am dreading it a bit a lot.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that babies or toddlers forget how to suckle after a few days. Is this true? Has anyone experienced it?

Also, I seem to remember reading that milk can go salty in the boob if left too long. I plan to hand express just enough for comfort really as will have no way to store or bring home any milk.

So basically, am I going to come home to a child who can't nurse and even if he could he won't want my gone off milk?

Re-reading this I realise I come across a bit mad. Sorry. Any words of wisdom and sense that you can talk to me would be appreciated.

I don't think milk changes if not used, as I understand it it's reabsorbed if it's not used? Hopefully someone more definite will be along in a minute though.

Yes ask milk does sound a bit old wives taley but I have this horrid image of him coming to nurse and then spitting my milk out in disgust.

Ooh I came on here to ask the same - I'm going away with work overnight in December. DS will be 19 months and he's still a big feeder. At the moment I'm working full time so obviously he doesn't feed during the week but at weekends he does, so I'm assuming supply is quite flexible and adaptive.

I'll be just hand expressing to keep comfortable, and hoping for the best, maybe lots of skin to skin on my return to get things going if needs be.

Same here, except DS will be a bit younger (15 months) and I'm likely to be away for up to 5 nights. Getting worried that he just won't cope, as he feeds to sleep every night & feeds a lot in the morning.

I went away for five days for work when DS1 was around 2 and had no problems at all - he didn't forget how to feed (didn't wean for another six months) and didn't seem to have any problems with my milk (AFAIK the odd taste is only something that happens with mastitis, and presumably you're going to express for comfort/blockage avoidance - I would definitely bring a pump to pump & dump if you're not really good at hand expressing as otherwise it could get ouchy).

Thanks leedy, good to know it doesn't need to mean forced stop!.
Am pretty good at hand expressing and he feeds so little now that I hope I can get away with it - have given pump away, in fact, so better be ok!