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Expert: - 4/16/2011


Question
My son is still nursing strong after 17 months. My husband and I have decided we need a vacation, just us. I don't think that my son is ready to wean yet (or maybe it's me). We are going to Las Vegas for three nights. Will I lose my milk supply- or will I be able to nurse when I return? I was thinking of bringing a handheld pump to use once a day. This will be the first time we have been apart overnight.

Thanks for your help!

Answer
Dear Erin,

First, congratulations for giving your son the best start in life by breastfeeding  him! A three-day "second honeymoon" vacation with your husband sounds like fun and should be good for your marriage. I write about the marital relationship during nursing in my book (see below).

Here's the story: You may be able to keep up your milk supply by using your pump at the same times that you would ordinarily be nursing. Once a day doesn't sound like enough -- unless you have been nursing only once a day. If you have been using the pump you're taking before, you stand a good chance of getting good results from it.

You may find that when you return your son is not as interested in nursing -- possibly because you have less milk, possibly because he's angry with you for going away. But neither of these reasons should prevent you from taking the trip. At 17 months he has gotten a wonderful start, no longer needs breast milk for nutritional purposes, and may use this short break to wean.

I would make one suggestion to make the separation a little easier for him. If you can, before you leave on your trip you might want to leave your son for one night with whoever will be taking care of him while you're away (I hope this is someone he knows and feels comfortable with). When you come back to him the next morning, he'll see that he's not being abandoned, that even if you leave you will come back to him.

Good luck!

Sally
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Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Olds & Marks, 4th edition, September 2010, published by Workman Publishing, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters.  

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Sally Wendkos Olds

Expertise

What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

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