Help! Have to Leave the Country...

[GoddessJ]

I have to leave the country for work next week. I will be gone 5 days and 4 nights. My son is 14 and a half months. He has never been away from me, and won't be able to go with me. Currently we share a bed and he breastfeeds mostly at night. He also breastfeeds to sleep.

He will be at home with pappa, while I am gone. We tried a trial run the other night and he won't take a bottle, he just cries for me and breastfeeding. My partner says we just need to keep doing trials like this, but it's painful to me. I'm definitely not into the CIO thing.

I'm afraid that he won't breastfeed when I get back and I'm committed to two years. I'm also afraid that he will be damaged somehow by me leaving him, although his dad will be bed sharing with him.

Any advice? Any good books? We need help fast, since I leave on Wednesday.

[LorenaAZ]

Will you be pumping while you are away?

Are you giving baby bottles with breast milk?

Have you tried taping a SNS to dad`s finger? This is the only thing that worked for my daughter for a long time. She didn`t take bottles until after 9 months. Also, when your husband tries, you shouldn`t be home because baby can hear and smell you. If he does, he`ll definitely scream for breast.

Here are other options if baby refuses to take bottle while you are gone:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/t026000.asp

I`m guessing there`s no way you can have another coworker make this trip instead of you?

5 days without you will be really hard for baby, especially since you`ve never been away from him before.

Do you have any other breast feeding moms who could nurse him while you are gone?

[GoddessJ]

I am taking a pump with me while I am gone and have been stock piling milk in the freezer.

He hasn't had a bottle with breastmilk for awhile, we should probably try doing this before I go.

I'm a teacher of a very niche topic and an author, handpicked to do this exclusive event in Scotland, so no one else can go for me.

I do have two friends who are breastfeeding that might be willing to help me out, but they have new babies too...not sure how to work that one???

Thanks for the link!

[KatWozBlue]

The baby will be fine, my son would never take a bottle either and I had to leave for a weekend when he was about your son's age, I left a bunch of pumped breast milk and eventually he grudingly took it, luckily my mom was really patient with him and when I got back he went right back to the breast. You are not leaving him with a stranger, you are leaving him with daddy and daddy's can do a great job too :-).

You will not do lasting damage because you are gone for a few days, it is something that happens from time to time and we all survive :-), barely, ha ha. Just pump and know that he will not go hungry when you are gone.

[dahlialia]

At 14 months, if he is not used to bottles, then I'm not sure a bottle is the best way to transition him to sleep.

What about snuggling/singing/dancing? Putting him in a carrier/stroller and walking, then moving him to the bed once he is asleep?

For drinking, what about simply using a cup?

He may/will cry; for a LO that is the best way for him to say "hey! this is NOT what I am used to!!!!" But with a loving dada there to keep trying things, he'll be OK.