Am I mad to be considering this?

[popspig]

Hi all

I'm fairly new to mumsnet but have found it a massive help with bfing and becoming a mum - so hello all.

I'm currently bf my 4 mo old dd and my original plan was to stop bf at 6 months. I know the advice is to carry on for longer but really just want to get my body back, get a nights' sleep and wear a decent bra (currently feel really frumpy due to crappy nursing bras).

But we've now booked a holiday to Majorca in May when dd will be 6.5 mo old. I'm now feeling confused about what to do for the best - stop bfing or not - and think I'm obsessing about this as well. Husband is not much help as says he'll support my decision whatever i decide.

If I carry on it will be much easier from a faffing point of view but was really looking forwards to having a proper drink - am seriously missing wine - and the thought of wearing a bikini when bfing fills me with dread. All my reasons for stopping seem so shallow but every day I feel crap about myself as have to dress for boob access and deal with dreadful bras.

Has anyone else stopped at 6mo - how was it? and how did you managed on holiday with ff?

Thanks for any advice - just feel that I need some perspective on this and sorry for the waffle

I don't have much advice for you except, can you be bothered with the stress and hassle of sterilising, taking formula and all that jazz on holiday with you?
I know how you feel re your body and breasts, but I felt that at 5/6months things stated to settle down considerably. Have you gone and gotten properly measured? I am on my 3rd size of bra, having started at a 36DD, and now to a 36C. I don't wear nursing bras any more either, just reg good fitting bras.
Also, flying with a baby can be tricky and BF is a real comfort for them, helps un-pop their ears.

Hope you have a lovely holiday!

i am breastfeeding and i drink! you can have a drink or 2 and it's fine
why can;t you wear a bikini?

personally i would carry on breastfeeding. it's easier, it's free, you can do it anywhere...

i dunno, i think you can have it all! i have nice bras and wear what i want... you can generally find a way round it tbh

I have both exclusively bottle fed and exclusively breast fed differenct dcs.

I can honestly say I would carry on breastfeeding until after your holiday - sterilising is hassle. Obviously if you can afford to buy all pre-mixed cartons thingies for the holiday then that is easier but you could still need to sterlise the bottles IYSWIM

We got married overseas when ds was just over 6 months and I'd stopped bf at that point. I'd also started weaning so not only worried constantly about finding somewhere to sterilise and prepare a bottle, but was also stressing out about finding suitable purees for ds (hadn't heard of blw at that point). I then ran out of formula and it's not common in Italy so was really hard to find some and I had to use a different brand.

It was a massive faff and I really wish I'd still been breastfeeding particularly as it was hot so was worrying about ds becoming dehydrated as he wasn't keen on water. It would have allowed me to relax a bit and know that the solids could wait as long as the milk kept flowing. If you can hold out, then I would.

Also, I definitely had wine when bf - not lots, but some and timed it so it was just after a feed so it would be out of my system by next feed.

Enjoy your holiday.

my ds is 4 months. i just wear normal bras now. i only wore nursing bras in the early weeks when i'd still be getting engorged. now things have settled i just feed by pushing the cup aside. i wear moulded cup t shirt bras, so it's pretty easy.

we're off on holiday when ds is 7 months old. i'll be bfing. as for bikini/cossie situation i'd just wear what you want and use a muslin/towel or whatever so you aren't totally exposed.

Lethal BAC is 0.55% enough to put you over the limit is a BAC of 0.08% so there is no reason why you shouldn't drink except all parents should be careful about being sober enough to look after their children - however they feed them.

I'd wait till you get back from holiday, you have trying to take a baby abroad with bottles and formula, restless baby on plane not to mention lots of upheaval with no breast to settle to.

thanks for the advice - seems the best thing for dd and a relaxing holiday will be to carry on with the bfing.

Just think I'm struggling with accepting my body as it is now. I had a crap pregnancy (dd was fine i wasn't too well) and just looking forwards to getting back to normal.

I've tried feeding with normal bra but have big boobs - 30GG - and struggled to get on with it and found it impossible to be discrete too when out and about.

Will be best for dd and less unsettling too as hoping to get out in the evenings with her in the pushchair

BAC? Sitting here with glass of wine and EBF baby

What about getting a normal bra and adding the clips from a nursing one where the strap joins the cup? I found that great for giving my boobs a lift. I am not exactly gifted in the sewing department but managed OK - if you can take up a hem on trousers you can do it. Then I would always wear the nice, underwired bra (I am a similar size to you) whenever I wanted extra lift. It does mean altering a bra or getting a new one (brastop.com usually have good discounts if you don't feel brave enough to try this on a posh bra)

I also managed to drink a fair amount of wine without damaging my kids. Tbh you are not going to get smashed even if you are ff because then you (and your OH) wouldn't be safe to change a nappy or look after the baby otherwise. But a few glasses of Rioja with some lovely Majorcan nosh - no problem. The amount of alcohol in bm is quite small.

Obviously your decision, your body and all that but it does sound like a massive hassle to go down the bottle route for the holiday.

Hope you have a great time. I love Majorca

Oh yeah, and I have drunk a fair bit when EBF. More than one or two

You can have a drink when you bf. You can't get drunk, but that's because you're in charge of your baby, really.

There's no evidence that the occasional drink will harm your baby.

Alcohol levels in your milk will be highest 30-90 minutes after drinking, so you might want to avoid this time. The alcohol will actually absorb back out of your milk as the alcohol leaves your blood.

BF is a godsend on planes too. I do hear you about your feelings towards your body, but you'd probably need more than a couple of weeks for this to adjust anyway, wouldn't you? Would you not be able to wear a normal bikini and use a muslin or nip inside for a bf if you wanted to? Dc may well be going in between feeds longer that you now expect.

Oh, and formula in Spain is way expensive (as are most baby things)!

lal123 BAC is Blood Alcohol Content, it can also stand for Breastmilk Alcohol Content as they're exactly the same level.

This is one of my pet topics!

Enjoy a few drinks - and surely a bikini has to be the easiest outfit in the world to scoop a breast out of?

I'd suggest treating yourself to a new bikini and maybe a glamourous sarong and enjoying yourself. Don't forget loads of sunblock for when you fall asleep on the beach!

We went on holiday when db was 5mo, and I had to bottle feed him as I was taking antibiotics, having been in hospital. It was a nightmare! I couldn't believe how much hassle it was and that anyone could ever think bottlefeeding is the easier option. I have never been so relieved in my life as when I could go back to breastfeeding him.

He's 12 months now and I'm still bf'ing him, it's so easy it's ridiculous (I had a nightmare bf'ing ds1, btw, so I do know how hard it can be at first). I also have a glass or two of wine at the weekend. And with regards to dressing for boob access - on holiday you can just wear lots of floaty tops etc., nothing easier!

I'd stick with it if I were you, you'll be so less stressed. Have a great time!

I was BFing when I travelled across Tuscany on public transport and DS was 5 months.
Sooooo much easier!
Plane take-off and landings a cinch.

I cannot imagine anything more hassle-y than FF on the go. A breast pump will take up less room than a tub of formula, so take one and express if you are going out without baby. You wouldn't want to be lagged with a baby anyhoo.

Confuddled, very interesting! Does that mean if I am tipsy on 1 large glass of wine, will baby be tipsy too?

No Cranky, not at all.

If you had 250ml of 15% wine your BAC would be about 0.07% which is less than gripe water.

Yay! I'm liking those stats! Thank you.

It was the "same level" that threw me.

Your milk is the same level as your blood, not what you drink.

15% of 8 pints would be just over half a litre of pure alcohol and you would have had to drink 5.67 litres of 15% wine in about an hour to get that. But you would be dead around the time your BAC got to 0.55% anyway!

(I think that all works,it's late and this is too much maths!)

confuddled i love you!

thanks everyone so much - am feeling much more positive today about carrying on bfing. I've ordered some bikinis and some new bras to adapt today - might just be the shopping which has helped

And so pleased about the wine - loving those stats confuddled

OP - I completey see where you are coming from re wanting your body back. I love bf but hate my bf body and am sick of nursing bras and so on, so I sympathise.

But I would agree with the others who advocate continuing to bf till you're back from holiday. I breastfed DS1 till 7 months and we went abroad when he was 10 months; he was only on 2 milk feeds a day by this point, but the sterilising was still a total faff. Plus it's definitely an advantage to be able to calm them down with bf during flights etc. We are off on holiday in a few months when DS2 will be 7 months, and I will make sure I carry on bf to get us through that holiday, too.

Oh and would back up what everyone else says about being able to drink wine. Obviously you can't go bonkers but the odd glass or two will absolutely do no harm at all. I express to donate to the breastmilk bank for our local NICU and even those guidelines state that 'there is no harm in having occasional small amounts of alcohol' when expressing for them (2 units per day they consider absolutely fine). So if it's fine for a tiny preemie baby then it's certainly fine for a bouncing 4 or 6 month old

Ah that makes sense, confuddled. Never thought of it like that.

(PS Gripe water no longer contains any alcohol)