Weekend away without baby when breastfeeding

[Laura1609]

I’m after some advice please!

At the end of March I’m going on one of my best friend’s hen do’s for two nights. It’ll be the first time I’m leaving my DS who will be 9 months by then. If I’m honest I’m totally dreading leaving him but I know I’ll have fun once I’m there, albeit desperate to get home on the Sunday!
He’s been EBF and at the mo is on two meals a day and by then will easily be on three and maybe even a snack too. He generally feeds 5 times in 24 hours now which I anticipate reducing when he’s eating more solids. I’m just wondering what to do about the weekend away; I’ll need to pump during the weekend but how often would be good to do it so as not to affect my supply? I don’t want to spend the whole weekend sat pumping.
I keep going back and forth about giving up and getting him onto formula as I had planned to stop before I go back to work in June anyway but I feel such a guilt about stopping and feel as though I’m being selfish.

He'll be fine and you'll have a brilliant time.

Take the pump in your bag. Your body will make it VERY clear when you need to express, don't worry! When I did this, the amount my baby drank of expressed milk was the same amount I'd managed to pump in the hotel bathroom - your body knows what's required.

Start building up your freezer stash of EBM now if you aren't used to a hand pump. That way you'll be a dab hand by the time you go away and it will be a doddle. Have a fabulous time!

I just did 24 hours away from my 6 month old which I was very stressed about before but was actually fine. I expressed at roughly the same times she would have fed (including a 4:30am pumping session). I had to do one big pumping session instead of 2 due to a long train journey but the amount I expressed would have covered approx the 2 feeds. Previous poster is correct the amount I expressed was about the same as my baby ate while i was away. It actually wasn't too much of a hassle to do so you don't need to give up BF if you don't want to just because you are having a weekend away. Enjoy the break from your LO!

I did this and it was horrible. I was in agony despite pumping.
In your position I would get him on formula beforehand.