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Breastfeeding
CinnamonBun
member
XP: Anxiety over ExBFing and Traveling
CinnamonBun
member
Sorry if this gets long.
My 2 BFFs live over 2000 miles away from me in different directions: Texas and Vegas. We don't get to see each other that often so we want to plan a girls weekend and meet in Vegas. We won't do this till August. BB will be 14 months by then, but I still plan to BF. I'll be gone about 60 hours (Friday AM to Sunday PM). I am scared to death that while I am gone she will wean and not want to BF when I return.
Next: DH really wants us to take a vacation - like a cruise w/o BB. I have decided that if we are going to do this I do not want to do it until the fall (like Oct or Nov). Same issue though: what if we are still BFing? If I am gone for 5 days will she wean herself?
It breaks my heart and is causing me major anxiety to think about it. I want to go on vacation so badly, but at the same time I have worked so hard to EBF and do not want her to wean b/c I am not there. If she weans I want it to happen naturally. Does that make sense?
I know I have a few months, but I really need to start looking at flights for LV, and at least exploring cruises. She may wean herself and this won't be an issue, but just the thought breaks my heart.
Help.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: XP: Anxiety over ExBFing and Traveling
I feel for you and have been there myself. I BF DD1 until she was 14 months old and forced her weaning because we were TTC and having problems with it. DD1 was not ready and it still pains me to think of her crying because she wanted to nurse.
That said, my life was practically on hold while nursing. I didn't want to go away for a weekend with DH until DD1 was weaned. I didn't go on any trips with my girlfriends because I was still nursing.
When I weaned, I was torn about it so one day about a week after I had cut DD off, she wanted to nurse and I let her. I don't know how much milk she got but it was nice to have one last nursing session. I imagine that if your LO loves nursing, that a few days away from you won't wean her.
If these trips are important to you, then bring a pump to keep up your supply. By 14 months, your baby will likely only be nursing a couple times a day so it shouldn't impact your trips much.
Personally, I couldn't have done it, but I bet that if I had left for 60 hours my DD would have had NO problem BF'ing upon my return. She would probably latch on faster and stay on longer than ever.
i have to travel for work occasionally, for up to a week at a time, and then sometimes only home for a two days and another week on the road. dd has always wanted to nurse again when i come home. i have pumped up to 7 times a day during my trips and brought back enough milk to replenish my freezer stash. now that she is almost 2 and i am pg, she is starting to wean and only nurses once or twice a day. for my trip next week, i plan to just pump once in the evenings and leave it at that.
i agree with one of the previous posters that i have felt that my life was on hold while nursing. it's really hard to go out and do things sans kid.