Grandparent care - what age?

[PipPipPip]

Hi there,

I need a little advice. I'm currently pregnant and working on a PhD thesis. I'll take a couple/few months of proper maternity leave, but I'll be keen to get back to SOME study as soon as possible.

My parents-in-law have kindly offered to look after the baby on a regular basis. My partner also has some flexibility in his work hours.

But I am completely clueless about babies At what stage do you think I would feel comfortable leaving my baby with its grandparents or my partner, and heading to the office/library for a couple of hours?

I'm planning to breastfeed, but don't really understand how expressing etc works.

If I could just get one day (or two half days?) at my desk, it would make an enormous difference to my progress.

Any clues welcome!!

i would say altho extreamly difficult the sooner you leave the baby the easier it will be- my hubby took my baby to tescos when he was 2 weeks old - he was only gone an hour but i cried the whole time it felt like my heart had been ripped out and i ended up ringing my mum to make me feel better. i then cried the 2nd time but by the 3rd time i was fine - my baby now 12 weeks and i have no probs leaving him with my mum or hubby - dont trust hubbys parents tho. some people at baby group i go 2 havent left thiers at all and dont know how they ever could! x

I would strongly advise against setting any limits or setting out with PILs exact date/timescales.
You really don't know how you will feel. it may be 2 weeks later, it may be 2 years later you feel ready. Give yourself a chance to find out how you feel rather than forcing something you may feel very uncomfortable with when it actually arrives (and gp's set up for babysitting will be very disappointed to be let down!).

Pippip I agree with the others, it won't be til your baby is here that you will know how you fee. FWIW my baby is now 10 months old and I am a bit of a control freak liking things done 'my way' and am having trouble letting go to allow the grandparents take him, but I have to go back.
Perhaps if I was able to return to work quicker I wouldn't have had so long to be a control freak about the whole thing.

Also babies are not all the same. Some stay happily with grandparents from a very young age, others are much more attached to their mums. Some breastfeed every 3 hours for 15 minutes, others want to be fed much more frequently. You will need to wait and see how the baby is as well as how you feel about it. Although they are no doubt linked.