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Old April 22nd 06, 04:47 PM posted to misc.kids.breastfeeding
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Default will be away from 22 month old - wean prior?

ktuerk writes:

tuerk So finally, I get to the question. I will be in California for 4
tuerk nights/5 days. Do I wean her from these last sessions before I go?
tuerk Will it be harder for her if I just leave without weaning? Should I
tuerk anticipate that the Wednesday night before I leave will be our last
tuerk nurse together? Aside from weaning, does anyone have suggestions how
tuerk to prepare her for my absence? Thanks so much for any advice, I'm
tuerk really feeling conflicted.

On the basis of my experience with one child and years of reading this
newsgroup (i.e. caveat lector!):

I'd advise against weaning her in order to take the trip, since you're not
wanting to do so anyway. DS is actually just fine without breastmilk if I'm
not there, even though he still nurses more than your DD when I am there.
With just DH, it's just a different situation, and they cope. He does miss
me, but I don't think it's because of the milk particularly. So my feeling
is, no, it won't be easier for her if you wean her first. I see that your
DD doesn't always nurse to sleep, so it's not that she doesn't know how to
sleep without nursing, so there's another potential problem you don't have
to worry about. It's *possible* she may not go back to nursing when you get
back, but then you're just in the same situation you'd be in if you weaned
her in advance; more likely, she'll go back to it just fine.

I'd talk to her a lot about the trip in the few days before it. Concentrate
on the journey, that you're going to go away, and how, and that you're
going to come back, and how, and explain what'll happen while you're away.
The first time I went away, I remember two things: first, that I was
planning to leave before DS would have been awake in the morning, but that
in fact, contrary to his usual habit, he woke many times in that last night
and ended up in our bed - I think he was just checking whether I was still
there or not! So I ended up nursing him minutes before I left, which I
hadn't anticipated. When I got back, he was cheerful, then briefly clingy,
and then talked about my trip endlessly for many weeks, working through it
I suppose. I was only away for one night; but when I was away again for one
night recently, he took it much more in his stride.

Another thing to consider is whether you're likely to suffer engorgement.
Probably not, but it might be worth taking a pump with you just in case -
some people do, even when they're not nursing very much. I haven't done
more than one night away yet, but the last time I didn't even take a pump,
and was fine. DS nurses about 4 times per day on average, but YMMV.

Sidheag
DS Colin Oct 27 2003