Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Flip

Original poster

How feasable is it to leave a bf 9mo for 2 days?

19 replies

littlelamb · 15/03/2009 19:37

I have just been given a fantastic opportunity to go to London for two days this week. But it would mean leaving ds, who is 9 months old and breastfed. Since our freezer died before Christmas I have no stored supply of milk. Is it reasonable to think that I could pump enough for two days between now and Wednesday? I feel awful at the thought of it tbh, I don't want to give up bf just yet but I also don't want to miss this opportunity It will be the first time I have left him as well so it will be hard. Can it be done without us both going slightly mad? Or is it a silly idea in the first place? I do have a pump I could take with me, to stop discomfort if nothing else as I'd have nowhere to actually store the milk. Would it be agony??

OP posts:

JackBauer · 15/03/2009 19:53

How many feeds is he on a day? And what tiem do you have to leave?
It might work if you can feed him before you leave and when you can get back the next day. Or it might work anyway.
Would you be happy if he was topped up with formula though, As I think whoever will have him might need it just in case.

JazzHands · 15/03/2009 19:53

Will he take a bottle?

How many feeds a day roughly is he having?

you would need to pump while in London otherwise your breasts would get sore and your supply might be affected as well...

Have you left him for feeds with other people before?

Original poster

littlelamb · 15/03/2009 19:57

He had still been on quite a few feeds a day but I have noticed that for the last few days he has cut back quite a lot- he has been shoving the food in . Generally he has daytime feeds before his naps at about 9.30 and 3 and then before bed at 7. He has been skipping his morning feed in favour of breakfast.
It will be a very early start, the train is at 6.30am and we wouldn't be back until midnight the next day. I can get someone to come and babysit at my house so it won't be a huge disruption for the dc but I am worried what will happen if he won't feed. I might try him on a bottle of formula tomorrow and see if he'll take it. That way I can express the feed I'll be substitutingso at least there will be something inthe freezer should he need it I suppose.

OP posts:

Original poster

littlelamb · 15/03/2009 19:58

He has been left for about half a day before but nowhere near this long. He had no problem taking a bottle from them, but I know he is less keen to take one from me!

OP posts:

JazzHands · 15/03/2009 20:00

If you are confident he will take a bottle then you need to get pumping!

Sounds like only 2/3 feeds a day so that's not too bad.

Sounds doable to me but really it's up to you

thisisyesterday · 15/03/2009 20:01

well, personally I couldn't have with ds2, because he was very, very,very dependent on nursing still
I couldn't leave him with anyone even for the day until he was about a year old.

but it all depends on him. milk-wise you'll be fine. he'll be ok with food, water and whatever milk you can pump/formula

you will want to take the pump with you though otherwise you'll probably end up really uncomfortable.

JackBauer · 15/03/2009 20:09

I would say go for it. DD1 never took a bottle from me, but was happy to for anyone else. You could feed just before you go but you would need to pump while away then, if only for you own comfort.

get pumping now and tore as muhc as you can, but if you were happy with a formula as backup then it shoudl be fine.

Original poster

littlelamb · 15/03/2009 20:12

Thanks for all the advice I really want to go but I hadn't realised how much of an emotional wrench it would be The thought of leaving them is actually quite horrible- dd was in nursery ful time from 3 months when I went back to uni but I have been a sahm since ds was born and I have loved every minute of it. Will be nice to have some grown up time but my word, the guilt . The opportunity won't come along again though so I think I am going to go for it. If it is too much I can always get an earlier train home.

OP posts:

robino · 15/03/2009 20:23

I have just returned from leaving 8 month old BF DD for 30 hours.

She has for the last few weeks taken a bottle of formula a day but generally refuses more than that (would express but really struggle to get more than an ounce at any time and it was heartbreaking when she wouldn't take a bottle to see all my really hard earned expressed milk go to waste). Have spent last 2 months trying to get her to take bottle so I could go on this hen do and it's only recently that she started to take a bottle. She's still really quite dependent on milk.

She was fine. Had hardly anything from bottle yesterday but ate some high calorie grub (mascarpone, avocado..). OH had a v rough few hours in the night (she's still not sleeping through and has comfort feeds from about 2am onwards) but she went back to sleep eventually. Had solid breakfast and a 7oz bottle before my return. Fed a LOT when I got back!!

Original poster

littlelamb · 15/03/2009 20:44

That's good to know Robino thanks I have a friend coming tomorrow to help with the bottle, and am going to start pumping tonight so fingers crossed

OP posts:

yama · 15/03/2009 20:50

I left my exclusively bf 6 month old dd for two weekend-long hen weekends (I just couldn't get out of them) and all was fine.

I needed a breast pump to relieve my aching breasts but dd was fine being bottle fed.

Getting away is great and guilt goes.

yama · 15/03/2009 20:51

Oh, and I went on to bf for many more months.

chipmonkey · 15/03/2009 21:10

littlelamb I left ds4 when he was 5 months old for 2 days and will be leaving him for 3 days at the end of this month ( he's now 10 months) Definitely bring the pump. If you are in a hotel you can ask them to store the milk for you if you want, or alternatively I have one of these which works in the car or on a mains supply.

chipmonkey · 15/03/2009 21:11

Or just dump it if you want, I personally can't bear to!

Original poster

littlelamb · 15/03/2009 21:13

hanks for all this, it's helping me realise it's not a huge crime to leave him! The thing that I'm thinking about now is that I'm going to have to go and buy him some nappies tomorrow as I don't think my friend will be able to handle his tots bots! I know he will be fine but I know I will worry anyway

OP posts:

chipmonkey · 15/03/2009 21:18

My Mum handles the cloth nappies quite well but they are mostly bumgenius and fuzzi bunz so more like disposables. I suppose you could assuage the guilt by using eco-disposables?

Blarbie · 15/03/2009 21:23

Sounds like you've thought it all through and you know it's possible so just do it! You'll probably have a much harder time than he will though.

chipmonkey · 15/03/2009 23:58

No, she won't Blarbie! She will have a FAB time!!!

Blarbie · 17/03/2009 13:57

Then he'll have an even fabber time!

Flip

Swipe left for the next trending thread