This weekend we are leaving for Vegas for a couple of nights and I am terrified! I am so scared and nervous of leaving James that I can’t even look forward to the trip. Let me explain that this is something that the boyfriend and I do every year and this year we found it especially important as with the pregnancy and the first 3 months with James, we felt it was a good time to reconnect with each other. I strongly believe that happy parents equals happy babies and we (the BF and I) have been on edge lately… like we are on the verge of pissing each other off at any moment but haven’t quite pissed the other off enough to say or do anything about it. This will be a good break right before I go back to work and will allow the caregiver, the grandma , to connect and bond with James as she will also be the caregiver for when I go back to work.
Now, I find it extremely important to have a backup caregiver (besides the BF and me). The BF and I have already discussed who would care for James in the event that something were to happen to us and have made sure that person bonds with James on a regular basis. With that said, obviously the bub would need to be bottle fed while in the care of such person and let me tell you… the bottle is hell! Bubs would not latch, he would cry and fuss and it’s horrible to watch! He won’t take a pacifier either, pretty sure he just doesn’t like plastic in his mouth… no matter what the shape or size, a plastic nipple is a plastic nipple.
After spending hundreds of dollars on every bottle under the sun, the one that he seems to like the most is the Medela nipples. I think because they are small and closely match me. So now that we found the bottle that we like, we began getting him use to the feeling of it. I would stick my pinky in the nipple and just let him play with it in his mouth, he never latched this way but I think it helped. The bf would give him the warmed expressed milk bottle and tried every position, sitting, standing, facing each other, in the car seat, in the swing on the couch. What it turns out that he likes is being walked around and bounced. Now… James is a big boy… 14 pounds and walking, bouncing and feeding him like this is hard! I was holding the BF’s arm up at one point following them around the house. But he eventually latched and when he did a huge load was lifted off my back… I can go to work! I can leave the house for more than a couple of hours! He is not going to starve!
Although I prefer breastfeeding, like everything else, its best to always have a backup and I am so proud of the Bubs for taking a bottle.
I’d like to hear about stories of when you first left your little one or if you haven’t. Any advice for me before I leave? I have been pumping like I’m BP oil and have over 100 ounces already (more than enough for 2.5 days, but better safe than sorry).
On a side note… Down 3 pounds! Running 3 miles in the am in 27 mins…. I haven’t been doing it regularly but plan on doing it more when we get back from the trip.
Life In Turn 
Yeah keep up with the pumping…like a locked up cow in a moo’ery. (i’m tired and it’s late) Kudos to you guys. Ugh I’d be a mess and wouldn’t be able to get excited either. They make nipple guards I forgot to suggest earlier; you place over your own and they take in bm that way. But if he’s finally getting the hang of it then awesome!
We left her for a couple of hours and that was enough. The trip though will be good for you so instead of being a blubbering mess at work you can do it while on vacay! Maybe bring his fav blankie with you so you can smell him- that would also help pump while you are away from him.
Good luck to you runnin mama! My lo is fussing at 2am..ug she took a too long nap today now i pay.
peas out.