Leaving a 1 yo nursling for 3 days? WWYD

[mambera]

So my LO is still an infant right now (9 mo) but one of my very good friends is getting married 3000 miles away when LO will be just barely over a year (like 12.5 mo). Children are not invited to the wedding.

I have been away from her for a few necessary single overnights for work but never more than 12 h, and it always goes very badly for DD and DH.

I am not sure what to do. I really do not want to jeopardize our nursing relationship that I fought so very hard for, and if I leave DD with DH they will both have an awful, awful, awful, miserable, sleepless weekend. And I guess I would have to buy a little manual pump and spend a lot of time in the bathroom.

OTOH if I bring her with me I will have to figure out someplace to leave her during all the festivities, and I am not sure how I would go about that.

Should I just not go? I would feel terrible about that. I really want to be there, this is a good friend, and she has no children and probably would not understand very well what a dilemma this is.

Sigh.

[nameisrio]

Can you bring your husband or another family member along to watch her while you are at the wedding? I did that a couple of times, and one time when that was not an option, I just did not go. Your friend may not get it now, but when she has her own kids, she will understand.

[kcparker]

If you can't bring somebody with you, does your friend know the area well enough to help point you to a reliable babysitter (like, does she live there and have other friends with kids who would know a good person)?

Could you network through the tribal area and find an MDC childcare referral that you trust? The sitter could hang out nearby with the baby, and you could go to her every few hours to nurse.

[moondiapers]

I would send my regrets. A year old is too young to leave for that long when it's not absolutely necessary.

[mambera]

Thanks for the input everyone. I guess I will either figure out a way to take her on the trip (not to the ceremony obviously) or just not go.

[Baby_Cakes]

It's such a tough choice, but I wouldn't risk 3 days away from a (just turned) 1 year old. It is still so incredibly young and especially with nursing, it would just be a hard time for everyone involved. So, I vote that unless Dad can go too, I would send my regrets.

[blessedwithboys]

send a really nice gift and stay home with your LO

[liliaceae]

I would not go. And really, if my nursing 1 year old was not welcome to the wedding, I would not consider myself welcome either.