Pressure to leave clingy baby

[Peace]

I hear you! I get frustrated too with people suggesting our bond is an issue and inconvenience rather than a natural and healthy relationship.
I would just email saying your letting them know DD is still very much a mummy's girl and might not cope ok in unfamiliar surroundings without you for a whole day so you'll only be able to join them for x hours. No need to mention or defend her feeding habits. Just keep it simple.

[Amaunet]

Absolutely don't do it if you feel uncomfortable leaving for that amount of time and if you were leaving her with extended family/babysitter I would leave it at that.

However, how does your DH feel? I know mine would be upset at the prospect of being not an "equal" in caring for one of our children once they were not solely reliant on breastfeeding/could satisfy their food/fluid requirements in other ways. Whilst he couldn't comfort with BF, he had/has his own techniques for soothing them iykwim?

[briggsy's girl]

Just tell them you have a routine that works for you guys. It's going to be messed up enough travelling to the UK with the flight and everything else. The last thing you want is to plan to be apart from your bub when they will potentially be out of sorts. You are happy to go with them for short periods of time (and give them time frames so they don't pick a window that will mean bub is due a feed bang in the middle if that) but your bub has to, and will, come first.

It's not fair on her to be left with her dad when he is her non-primary carer, away from her "normal" space, and with him wanting to catch up with a lot if people she doesn't know - so potentially being on show and expected to be happy and upbeat all the time.

I work and dd was at home with dh at that age - but even then, away from home, I'd have been reluctant to plan a full day away from her. I would have had to wing it when we arrived based on how she was faring as her needs came first. I know when we've been away from home dd has upped the feeds again as extra comfort, so you may find you are even further restricted if she needs you more due to the disturbances with the flight and new people...