Back to work - can it be done?

[NoBiggy]

Prospect of some work for me looming in the next month or so. While I'd like to go and do it, and I'm sure I'd enjoy it once I got going, it would likely involve staying away from home all week.

I did this before, when DD1 was about 19 months, home Sat and Sun, just for a month. By the end of that month I'd had enough.

This time, the added complication is DD2, who is 16 months and still BF a couple of times a day, will not take a drink of cows milk (and I suppose she has her reasons!), but will have yogurt and cheese.

So, I'm thinking, shall I try and negotiate, say, a Wednesday off, then I would be away Mon am - Tue pm, Thur am - Fri pm. I'd still see them both, DD2 would get a bit of bf if she wanted it, in theory. In practice would that work from a BF POV?

I also wanted to continue bf for an entirely selfish reason, just for my own interest I wanted to see how and when self-weaning would work.

DP would do childcare btw, so no complications there, he'd just step back from his work for a while.

How can you consider bf to be entirely selfish? If your baby wasn't enjoying it, she wouldn't do it. That it is good for her is, if not indisputable, certainly indicated many times over by research. The WHO recommend that it's beneficial for all children under 2 years.

It is likely to be more than possible that you could continue to bf even if you are away o/n a couple of times a week, though you might need to express a bit while you are away, to stay comfortable and not leak.
It's also a possibility that your dd will start to lose interest earlier than she would have done, with your being unavailable to feed at the times she would have done it, a couple of times a week.

You have to balance 2 competing considerations: (1) spending more time with and thereby maximising bf with dd2, or (2) safeguarding your career and thereby your financial security.

I don't consider it to be selfish, it's just that I have a selfish reason to continue (amongst non-selfish ones).

Is leaking likely? I haven't for ages - no leaking when I've been away from her for the odd night, but that would have been for 15 or 16 hours.

Competing is right

I went back to work when ds was 10 months, not staying away so he was getting 2 bfs a day, but he was meant to be having formula in the day which he barely touched. At 12 months switched to cow's milk which he wasn't bothered about either. Finally dropped the evening feed and suddenly a new-found love of cow's milk emerged, so you might find she is much keener when there is no other choice of milk around! Certainly sounds do-able from a bf POV - not sure about the leaking but would have thought it's unlikely. I think (am sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong!) that once bfing is so established it's much easier to leave bigger gaps - there are definitely mnetters around feeding their 2-3 year olds every few days with no ill effects.

Definitely do-able ! Have been bf DS2 for a year now, stopped expressing at work in Sept (he was 1 yesterday). Never had a leak. I work Mon Tues Thurs Fri so it's true I have Weds for extra bf but I also have school holidays to "top-up". but your DD is older and I'm sure you could do it no probs.
I was told that up to a year they needed 500ml, which I kind of figured was 2 big feeds. I feed both sides first thing and then when I get home from work. That's it. DS has a bottle of formula at childminder's in the afternoon but not sure how long he'll keep that up.

Thanks, that puts my mind at rest a bit. If I know what's reasonable for DD and me to do, I'll be able to negotiate better with the company.