- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Working Moms
Laurynthornton2
member
Traveling every week for work- is it possible?
Laurynthornton2
member
in Working Moms
I've been doing tons of research but have had a hard time finding any information regarding heavy business travel for work. I am a first time mom in medical sales and am expected to travel about 4 consecutive days every week- typically out of state. Aside from missing the baby while being gone this long, I am also very concerned about nursing. The men I've talked to make it seem like I can just pump for when I'm gone but is it even possible to pump enough (while simultaneously breastfeeding) to last 4 days every week? Also, I know the law requires employers to accommodate women while breastfeeding but how is this even possible with heavy travel like this?
Have any other moms encountered this before? My company is very small (5 sales reps cover the country) and I have been told I will be expected to travel the same as everyone else so there is no option to work from home, change territories, etc.
Also, does anyone know if this ends up not being an option, is this considered a legitimate reason to leave a company and collect unemployment until I find another job?
Any advice from traveling moms is greatly appreciated 
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Traveling every week for work- is it possible?
The others have already brought up good points. Some of the main considerations that pop into my head are:
(1) When you are traveling, will you have access to private places to pump as needed, and breast milk storage? As a PP mentioned, 4 days is about the max that BM is good in the fridge, so you will need to freeze what you have pumped during that time as soon as you get home, and you need to be able to keep it cold while you are traveling.
(2) Does your DH have the type of job that will accomodate being a single parent 4 days a week? My DH is on a project that is a couple of hours from home, so he either stays over or is gone 14 hours a day 4 days a week. I have had to really adjust my job since he started that, as I essentially function as single mom 4 days/week.
(3) Will you be able to emotionally handle being away that much when your LO is small? I know women who travel a lot for work and some have a harder time than others. If you are happy with your job and have a good support system at home it is likely to go better for you.
Before I had DS I worked in public actg, which meant long hours and also a couple of months of the year when I stayed in a hotel 4 nights a week. I switched industries before starting a family, because I knew I could not sustain that lifestyle once I had LO's. Again, my DH's profession also entails long hours and traveling, so that was definitely a consideration in our thought process.
So I think you need to do a little soul searching to decide if it will really work for you or not. You can always give it a shot if it is something you are committed to and see how it goes. Are there any women with kids that you work with who you could talk to? It may be good to get some pointers from someone who has BTDT.
To answer your question, I do not believe you would be eligible for unemployment if you quit this job.
Personally I could not imagine being away from my baby that much. But this is very much a personal decision. If you love your job, maybe you can handle it. My SIL traveled a lot to London for a year when her son was a year old. I'm sure it was hard on them but they found ways to manage.
I think you need to really sit down with your DH and figure out together if/how you can make this work. It is extremely stressful being on single parent duty. My DH is gone long hours like 14hrs/day. I have to drop off and pick up the kids, and handle dinner and bedtime by myself most nights. I am always the one to have to leave work early if they are sick or there is bad snow. My job has definitely suffered b/c of this. We are very lucky to have my mom able to help us a lot. She often watches them if they have to stay home sick or go for a DR visit.
So I think you need to determine how much support do you and your DH have. Do you have family nearby to help out? Can you afford a nanny instead of daycare? Can you afford a mothers helper in the evenings sometimes? What can you outsource- house cleaning, landscaping, cooking?
If this is what you want to do, you will find ways to make it work. If you don't want to live like this, if job hunt while on ML.
I'm going to reiterate what others have mentioned about how hard this would be on your DH. My DH does a 4 day trip every month or two. Those weeks are really rough for me. I end up cutting out of work early whenever possible and really cannot go in very early or stay late. And my evenings are hectic and incredibly stressful. If he did this every week I don't think I could work F/T.
I started having to travel when DD was 9months.
Honestly, for us it would have been near impossible for me to maintain pumping/breastfeeding if I had to start travelling before DD was that old. Pumping was a VERY difficult process for me and my output was always lower than what DD needed. We made BF'ing work because I basically didn't sleep more than 3 consecutive hrs the entire first year. Even after DD started sleeping longer stretches I was up in the middle of the night pumping, and pumped 2 sessions on weekend days even while I nursed her exclusively those days.
Now, your experience could certainly be better, and I know women can, and do exclusively pump with no problem.
When I started travelling the only way I felt comfortable doing it was bringing her with me. She still needed me so much at 9months. So, my mother travelled with me and DD until she was 15months and I weaned. At 15 months, my travel was getting more intense. From 1-2weeks a month to every week 3-5days. Also, DD had really become a toddler and a little more independent. She finally had started sleeping through the night and could be put to bed/sleep in less than 2hrs. and by my DH (who had a very difficult time getting her to bed before that age). Also, she was down to a single nap and much more active, so it was far more difficult to entertain her in hotel rooms and in the car.
I have currently been travelling 3-5days a week since Dec. DH and I have a good routine down that works and DD is taking it all in stride. We Facetime every evening and I would say it is going better than I anticipated. All that said, DH & I agreed that we were ok with this travel and my current work project because we knew from the beginning that the travel was for a limited period of time (I will be done in just a few weeks after about 1yr. of travel) and that it wouldn't start until DD was 9months.
Also, we make it work with a LOT of family support. DD has always been watched by my parents so DH has flexibility in when he needs childcare while I am gone and my parents will often run an errand or two for us during the week if needed. DH's job requires him to be on call 24/7, so his Mom stays at our house overnights while I am gone in case he gets a call and needs to go into work at night/early morning.
I don't think I would want to do this type of intense travel 100% of the time and have it be our normal. With my job travel ebbs and flows, and luckily this project was fairly local (only 3.5hr drive) if it had been farther away and therefore required more weekend stays it definitely would not have worked for us short term let alone on an ongoing basis.
http://balletandbabies.blogspot.com
Seriously!! Forget travel, there was NO WAY I would have been able to work at 2-3weeks postpartum. There are very valid reasons that doctors certify that you are medically disabled after birth for 6-8 weeks depending on delivery.
Do you get any vacation or PTO/sick leave with your job? I understand working for a small company that doesn't have to comply with FMLA, but most companies will at least hold your position for medical leave (even if unpaid).
OK based on your follow-up, there is no way in hell you can do that at 2-3 weeks PP. I could not even go back to my local desk job at that point, nevertheless be on the road and meeting with clients, etc. Your doctor should write you out from work for either 6 or 8 weeks, depending on method of delivery, and your employer should have to allow you at least that time off as you will be medically unable to work.
Good luck - that is a tough position to be in, but if they are really serious about that I say you need to quit and find another job.
Good luck.
http://balletandbabies.blogspot.com
For me, it was hard enough traveling for 1-2 nights the entire first year. E didn't sleep through the night until 13 months, and DH works a pretty stressful job as well. We decided to go with a nanny because with my travel, and the flexibility we need in our schedules. The first year sucked traveling and pumping, but if it is a priority, you can do it. The longest I left was four days/ three nights and I refused to pump and dump.
As others have said, you need to take a step back and see if this is the type of career, mom and wife you want to be. I get that some women are more career driven, I know I fall more towards career spectrum, and even I found it hard to travel the first year. I am pregnant with #2 now and really stepped up my travel for the last year and will continue to travel for the next 4-5 months. If you decide this is the career, then there are some things that can make it easier:
1. Hire a nanny, travel with the nanny in the beginning. Nanny can stay with the child while you're working, and could cut out some of the pumping. When I travel, work pays for my hotel / flight, so depending on setup you may have to pay for another hotel room. It might be worth it for some of the trips. Also, if you travel that frequently, you probably have more than enough hotel points for rooms.
2. Travel with both a manual and double electric pump. I often found myself without a room to pump because I was visiting an office and the room was booked. I could get same output with my manual pump in a private bathroom. not ideal, but you do what you have to do. I've also pumped on amtrak, airports and in the middle of my seat on a plane. You should get comfortable with pumping in many different locations!
3. Traveling with milk is possible - invest in a good cooler (one with wheels?) ice packs and become friendly with hotel staff. I would also keep milk in our office fridge (in an inconspicuous lunch box) if I was really running out of space. Although 72 hrs is idea for refrigerator milk, some sources say up to 8 days. You should do what you're comfortable with: https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/milkstorage/milkstorage/#storage
I also think you need to have a serious conversation with your partner. Making this work will require support at home. I know I feel guilty when there are some weeks I work 60 hrs, or I'm gone 2-3 nights, and I am stuck doing my MBA work all weekend. My H is wonderful and supportive, but it does add stress to our relationship.