Will my breastfeeding journey be over?

[BumblebeeStar]

I am due to go on a hen weekend in a few weeks. I will be away from early Saturday morning until late Sunday night, just a 1 hour flight away. My baby will be 8 weeks old and is exclusively breastfed. He does spend the occasional afternoon away from me and will happily take a bottle of either formula or expressed breast milk when I'm not arround, although the formula does seem to give him a sore tummy, so working on building up a stash for him to have only expressed milk when I'm away.
Is this likely to be the end of our breastfeeding journey? Obviously I'll express when away, and I'm not worried about my supply as I generally over produce and wouldn't expect too much of a decline in 2 days. My main concern is that he develops a bottle preference and refuses breast when I come back. I could cancel the but have spent around £500 on the trip and it is my sisters hen weekend so I'd feel terrible not going. Unfortunately husband bringing him to stay nearby isn't an option has he wouldn't have a passport on time.
Has anyone left a baby so young and managed to carry on breast feeding? Is 8 weeks too young to leave for a weekend?

My sister went away for a weekend when her baby was four months and expressed the whole time at 3 hour intervals and I'm sorry to say....yes that was the end of the breastfeeding "journey".

You are very much in the early days of breastfeeding and you don't know how things will pan out over the next few weeks. You probably won't want to leave an eight week old regardless of breast or formula.

Your sister seems a bit misguided to expect you to go on a hen party which is a flight away with such a young baby being left behind. Surely you aren't letting HER down, she is asking too much!!! It's not her actual wedding, after all.

You won't enjoy a weekend away at this point as much as people might think you should - you will miss the baby too much

if it was me I wouldn’t go. You will be glued to a pump and risk mastitis. I couldn’t have left my breastfed baby for a weekend at 8 weeks but he fed constantly and I was so sleep deprived. It is really difficult. If you really want to go obviously your baby will be absolutely fine with a bottle but it is gambling your breastfeeding relationship a little, in my honest opinion. But this could also happen with a separation you couldn’t help.

Honestly I wouldn’t go
at that very young age it is highly likely it will be the end of your feeding
you will likely leak and have to pump a lot as your supply will still be establishing
I think you won’t be letting your sister down - actually your very young baby takes priority as do you

Honestly, I wouldn’t go either.

I wouldn’t want to go either. I think the anxiety about not knowing what would happen with feeding once back with baby would stop me relaxing or enjoying the trip.

My friend went away for two days got mastitis which led to an abscess when had to be drained And packed for ages after and it was the end of her breastfeeding journey too!

My sister isn't expecting or asking anything. This was booked before I fell pregnant, and she is completely understanding of the fact that I may choose to not come - she was actually happy for me to bring him and just join in the daytime activities but unfortunately he can't travel without a passport. My feelings about letting her down are entirely based on the fact that she's my sister and I feel I should go.

I cannot imagine going. Currently have dc3 breastfeeding who is 12 weeks old. I just couldn’t get on a plane without being seriously anxious to the point it wouldn’t make the trip worth it for me. If your baby was 8 months it would be different

how long til you go? My baby’s passport arrived in under 2 weeks this August.

apply tonight. Get your contact to approve the photo tonight and you could have it posted to you in less than 14 days

I really wouldn’t go.

Apply for passport, if it doesn’t come, don’t go.

I can't apply for a passport until after his birth registration appointment and that isn't until 8 days before I'm due to travel - that was the first appointment I could get.
Feeling very conflicted now as I obviously don't want to mot go to my sister's hen weekend but at the same time I don't want to risk baby refusing to breast feeding when I get back. I do have a wearable hospital grade pump thay I'd be taking so I'm not too concerned about my supply or mastitis but really don't want to end up only breastfeeding for a few weeks. I breastfed his brother until he was just over a year and hoping to do the same this time round.

OP. Having done something similar, it did not impact BF and I am still breastfeeding now at nearly 10 months.

In my experience, most people advise against this with breastfed babies despite not having done it themselves. It’s the same way everyone advises against giving bottles of expressed alongside breastfeeding despite never having done it. It’s one of those situations where there is limited definitive info so people err on the side of caution (understandably).

It’s worth you considering how you’d feel if this did cause the end and whether you’d like to take that chance of course. But it doesn’t mean it definitely is the end of your bf journey.

I had various afternoons with DD1 while my wife looked after DD2. I also did a spa break with my sister when DD2 was 11 weeks old and expressed whilst I was there. It was a lot of work pumping (and having a good/well fitting pump) but it’s possible.

Obviously no one can predict whether your baby would prefer a bottle, but the only other person I know in real life to bf and use bottles had no issues either. There were a few instances where DD preferred breast feeding one day or bottle another but when I looked into it, there isn’t much info when using both BUT there is lots of evidence that solely breastfed babies also go through phases of breast refusal and you just have to persevere. So that’s what I did and she continues to happily take both.

FWIW - DD1 wasn’t breastfed so this was all new territory to us this time around. More than happy to answer any specifics if you have any questions.

Does your baby even take the bottle? Have you tried?

Op said ‘will happily take a bottle’ in the 4th sentence of her original post 😅

I wouldn't go either - I'd put your son before your sister.

I think you’ll be rolling the dice to be honest. You might be okay, but it might cause issues. You won’t know unless you do it. The only way to definitely avoid an issue would be to not go. 8 weeks is still very early in terms of breast feeding. Personally I wouldn’t go, but it is obviously your decision. Good that your sister is so understanding, it sounds like it won’t be an issue if you don’t.

Thanks for this.

I fed my first for over a year and had several nights away from around 20 weeks without having any impact on breastfeeding, but 8 weeks just seems very little! I also returned to work when my first was 9 months and was doing 12 hour days and nights, but managed to continue feeding and expressing whilst at work.

With DS2 so far he has had bottles of both formula and expressed milk and happily taken to the breast when I've returned. I'm just unsure if he'll be the same after 2 days of bottles!

I have a wearable pump and have been blessed with a good supply (currently pumping 10oz daily on top of his feeds) so don't have any concerns regarding my supply or being able to express when I'm away.

Yep, as stated in my original post!

No probs. I guess in this situation you can only really do what you’re comfortable with as sadly no one’s able to say 100%.

Do you feel like you would enjoy being at the hen do? When I did the spa break it was 2 full days (left early & got back late) and honestly I was so revitalised from it so it was completely worth it for me. I found going from 1 to 2 quite tough though. Similarly, my supply was quite good as I pumped from the get go, so it wasn’t a major concern for me either. To be honest she was completely fine without me and drank well, and then was happy to have my breasts back 😆

You do sound conflicted though so I feel like deep down maybe in an ideal world your sister would take the decision out of your hands and kindly say don’t go. If you feel that would be a relief it’s probably given you your answer!

Just go. Take the pump and enjoy it.

There is a risk that this is the end of BF for you. But I think enjoying yourself a bit is more important.

I regret every single moment of breastfeeding and resent never being able to leave him (bottle refuser).

If I could go back in time and enjoy myself a bit, I really would.

Once they're on solids, formula vs BF is a distant memory.

So contrary to most of the advice on here I'm going to go ahead with the trip. I really do hope its not the end of our breastfeeding journey, but hoping that since he will currently go wuite happily between breast and bottle and breastfeeding is well established that it will be fine 🤞
Worst case scenario if he is unsettled I'll catch the early morning flight home and be home for 9am on the Sunday.

Love that for you. Come back & let us know how it goes, I’m sure all will be well xx

I think you’ll be fine. I just personally wouldn’t want to go and I couldn’t be bothered with the faff of trying to pump there and maybe needing to get an early flight back, but that’s me and not you. It Seems like you know what you’re doing though, and even if he develops a bottle preference I’m sure a 48 hour preference isn’t enough to completely end your feeding, you’d maybe just have to spend a few days weaning him back. Hope you have fun op

I sent off for my son’s passport on 20th August and received it on 2nd Sept. It might not be too late to get him on and hubby bring him.