When did you first leave your baby?

Does he drink from a bottle ok? If not then I would be offering him a drink or 2 a week of expressed milk so you can both get used to it and it won't be something to worry about.
Perhaps you could go and stay with DS at grandmother's place but get gran to mostly look after him when you do your 'trial run'? It will make you feel a lot better about leaving him if you have seen gran with him and know she will be fine.
I think it's a lot scarier for mums to leave their baby than it is for the baby!

The first time I left Jody she was only 2 weeks so TBH I wasn't really attached to her. It was only for a couple of hours.

I would definatly have a trial run, then u will be more relaxed to enjoy the wedding. Like Chickoin said- its much harder for you than for baby, he will no doubt have a great time with grandma!
I went to a wedding with DS was 9 weeks old. It was only 15 mins from home, so after the ceremony I went home and bf him, then went back to the wedding. I was then there from 4pm-midnight and OMG my boobs were sooooo sore by then that I could not stay a min longer!!
You should start expressing at the same time once a day from now- you will most likely only get around 40mls total after feeding baby, so can take a while to have enough for one bottle. I use the swisspers breastmilk collector bags from woolworths.
The kellymom website has great info on expressing, ebm storage, heating , and how much baby will need.
how much ebm? Kellymom.com

i left him with DH the day after he was born to go do groceries and stuff as DH cant drive. i just timed it strait after a feed so i had at least a couple hours. he wasnt left for a full day till he was a few weeks old though and normally only with DH, my sis or close really close friends who the baby is already used to. my kids were on anti reflux formula though so they were already used to DH feeding them.

i dont have family either so we have to rely on friends but they are pretty good. they can also text every 2 mins if your worried. lol

Lily was 11-12 weeks when I left her, not that long only 2 hours but can't remember her exact age.

I had expressed milk but she didn't want it, waited for me.

I recently went to a funeral in Auckland and had no choice but to take her. She didn't cry or anything but we did have to leave within first 5 mins to feed her as we were late (trying to find the place!) but came back in and she started cooing!

ETA: Definitely do a trial run!

Edited by Lil_Nic9

Ooh DD was 3weeks, I had so much EBM that wasn't a problem I could express anytime of the day and get 100ml as supply was still establishing. We went to Cirque so didn't have much of a chance to miss her although I did. At interval I checked my phone and mum had txt and thats when I started on the I miss my baby buzz but then back into the show. We got home 11ish and DD had just had her second bottle but by then I was SORE!! So went home and expressed.

Mum and SIL looked after her and they LOVED it haha they got to do things and I Wouldn't be able to step in haha. Even now she's got a real special relationship with those two.

Do try the bottle and expressing, even if he only takes 20mls to begin with then thats a start and the more you offer the more he'll get the hang of it. DD had been having EBM and a dummy from 5days old as well as BF so we didn't have issues there.

Go and visit the grandparents HEAPS before you do go out as well, you and your DH go for a coffee, even if its only 10mins so that DS is used to being with them without you. Let them offer him a bottle if your concerned. But seriously he will be ALRIGHT. I'm sure they won't mind if you call or text through out the evening either.

I still miss Isla too, and shes almost 4!

I left my DS when he was 2 months old to go to Miss Saigon. I lasted till intermission then was a blubbering mess so had to go home :-) However since then I have left him with my DH numerous times for a few hours, and even once with the MIL :-) I am still not comfortable leaving him with people when he needs a feed, so am going to have to get over that! :-)

Ditto all the above advice. Enjoy the wedding!

Thank you so much everyone for all your comments/stories -- it's making me feel so much better. I think that it will probably be me that will have a much harder time of it than DS.

I haven't given him a bottle at all yet, or tried expressing milk -- I will get onto that sooner rather than later. Kellz, thanks for that website link -- it's great -- I didn't realise that babies actually got that much fluid each day! No wonder I get dehydrated! lol

Thanks for your advice, mammaE -- I will try to get him used to a bottle now, and might aim for a trial in about a month, so that will give us another month before the wedding.

We do see both grandmothers very regularly (at least once a week), so he is very comfortable with them, but I am usually there as well.

We don't know where the ceremony/reception are yet -- have just been told to "save the date". But hopefully it will be nearby -- good point, kiwisj, I think I at least would feel better if I pop in and see him in between (even if he doesn't notice).

We live a bit out of town so it would probably be closer to the venue to stay at one of the grandmother's houses rather than ours -- we have yet to pick up a second hand portacot offered by my aunt -- i must do that and get him used to it.

Thanks heaps everyone

DD was about 5 or 6 weeks, DS was nearly 4 weeks