Leaving 6 wk old newborn for 8 hours

[Summertime]

Hello,

After some advice, bubs isnt here yet (7 weeks to go!) but DH and I have made plans to go on a social outing when bubs is 6 weeks old. We will be travelling one hour away.

I hope to breastfeed and Im anxious about how I am going to leave bub when she is so little for about 8 hours (this includes travelling time).

Im thinking I express and introduce a bottle once a day for a week beforehand? I really dont want this to interfere with breastfeeding though. Or I could get a babysitter to come with us and have her stay at my friends place close by, so I can breastfeed right before and as soon as we get back (will be away for 3 hours from my friends place).

What would you do?

[Heaven]

I would get the babysitter. You might not want to leave your baby either. All those hormones make you not want to be too far from your baby in the early days. I remember going to the shops for 1/2hr and bursting into tears, lol. So it might be better to have bubs close by

[Junglemum]

I'd take my baby.

[onthefly]

I'd plan to take baby with you.

[Catastrophic]

I would get the babysitter.

Breastfeeding is quite a task that it usually takes 6weeks to adjust and learn to feel comfortable, so a good idea to just concentrate on that rather then introducing bottles and things into the mix.

Hope that helps


Love MN ;-)

[Junglemum]

To expand...... I had all sorts of grand plans to leave my baby and express for a wedding when DD1 was 6 weeks old. When she was born i quickly realised how difficult that was. Not only logistically for breastfeeding, i did not get into the swing of breast feeding for a good 3 months, but i was not ready to leave her anywhere at 6 weeks old. It's pretty much worked out for us that i either take my babies with us when they are that little or we don't go. Now they are older, i will happily leave them, but i found it just wasn't something i wanted to do when they were tiny.

[trishalishous]

To expand...... I had all sorts of grand plans to leave my baby and express for a wedding when DD1 was 6 weeks old. When she was born i quickly realised how difficult that was. Not only logistically for breastfeeding, i did not get into the swing of breast feeding for a good 3 months, but i was not ready to leave her anywhere at 6 weeks old. It's pretty much worked out for us that i either take my babies with us when they are that little or we don't go. Now they are older, i will happily leave them, but i found it just wasn't something i wanted to do when they were tiny.

Same here! I was going back to work at 6 weeks then 9 months, then 14 months, and now Im thinking 2 years

[aussienic]

I ended up going shopping with SIL one day when Ds was only 2 weeks old. I had only planned to go for an hour or so but we ended up being gone 5 hours :/ Anyways I already had some expressed milk and Dh was with him as well.. He didn't even wake the whole time i was gone though ..

But in saying that I would honestly take your baby with you. or wait till baby is here and see how you feel about the situation. Maybe take your mum or MIL with you to watch bub somewhere (get a motel room for the night or something like that rather then driving back an hour when you might be tired from a newborn)

[wysiwyg]

I would also get the babysitter so can take baby with you and leave for a shorter time. At 6 weeks for 8 hours you would need to express at least once I would think just to feel comfortable, and in my mind expressing can be difficult and even if not is boring and time consuming, much easier to have the baby close at hand to drain the breast.

[HotI]

I would take bub with me in a carrier.

[~me~]

I would take baby with me..a 6wk old newborn would be no trouble at all and a relief to you when you your breasts get full.
From experience, a NB is easier to take places and is the best age to get out and about with baby.

[Catherine]

Personally, i would plan to take bub (even to the social outing) and def be open to cancelling the plans, you know - play it by ear. Don't feel pressured either way. You do what feels right at the time.

All the best for the final stages of pregnancy and your transition into parent hood. xoxo

[beansbeans!]

I would get the babysitter, but in saying that, could you take bub with you?

Also agree with catherine, you will work out what feels right with you and your DH. If I were, maybe cover all bases now, look at all your options. Then closer to the due, you will know in your heart what decision sits right with you both, and then do that one.

xoxo

[little_mrs]

When DD was almost 8 weeks old I left her for 12 hrs with her grandma while dh and I went to soundwave, I was only about 40mins away and the biggest issue I had was exploding boobs by the time we got back!! In the few weeks leading up to it I made sure she would drink formula from a bottle (I couldn't express near enough to last her 12 hrs) and although a lot of the day was spent wondering how they were getting on, MIL sent me updates every few hrs and I'm very glad we went. Boy was I glad to get a feed into her when we got home tho!