Am I off my rocker? Taking an 10 week old baby away.

[Spaghettinetti]

Last year I was asked to take on a freelance project, which requires me to stay away from home for 4 days in the Summer. In the past, I have turned down such projects because I was pregnant, only to have my pregnancy end in MC and have lost the work (basically, my life was on hold for three years and I lost my self-confidence and drive as a result). Whilst I knew I was TTC, I accepted the project, then a few months later fell pregnant. I've been working on the project and feel it would be a shame to back out now as I'm very committed to what I'm doing. I've also had offers from family members to join me on the trip. I will only be away from baby, who will be about 10 weeks old for 3 or 4 hours each day... But I'm not sure if I'm being completely mad and/or, heaven forbid, negligent. Am I overthinking things? Is it feasible for me to try to work for a few hours a day bearing in mind DH and my Mum will be on hand to help with baby? Has anyone tried anything similar in the past? Does anyone have any advice?

Do it!!

Sounds completely feasible. I would do it without a second thought.

do it! you'll regret it if you don't.

do it! with my first child i had open university deadlines several weeks after his birth. i enjoyed the distraction from all things baby and the endless boring nct coffee mornings etc. in the us most people are back at work 6 weeks after giving birth so you shouldnt feel guilty.

Hi OP, I am in a similar position to you (freelance career) but with a 3 week old currently. I am intending to get back to work part time when she is a similar age and currently it feels very doable with the help you describe. My DP has been very involved with her care from the get-go, and I would have no issue currently with leaving her with him and a couple of bottles of expressed milk even at 3 weeks. Go for it. In my industry lots of friends have needed to do similar and with the right support they have all managed just fine.

In terms of your baby obviously he or she will be completely fine and with Dad/Granny when not with you. Don't expect your brain to necessarily function as efficiently as it normally does though! You may need longer than you think to complete your work. Sounds like a great opportunity though. Go for it!

Thank you for all of your supportive comments. I am now feeling a lot more comfortable about the trip :-)