You may have noticed that it’s been almost a week since we’ve posted anything. If you are a frequent visitor, we thank you for that! Both of us have had a lot going on the past week. For anyone who is a blogger, I’m sure you can relate that blogging takes a lot of work! It’s not that we aren’t making this a priority, but I guess you could say that life just got in the way. On that note, as the sister who is a first time mom, I wanted to share my first time being away from our little guy and my travel experience with you.
Luckily I was away celebrating an event for one of my best friends so this made it a little bit easier, but still hard none of the less. After I left work last week I stopped by my sons daycare to feed him and say my last goodbye. It was one of the hardest moments I have encountered since being a mom. I knew this day would come eventually but it just felt so soon. When I got in my car I ended up crying halfway through my drive. It was tears of sadness, feeling like my little boy was getting too big too fast, tears that I won’t be able to kiss him good night for a few days or see his bright big smile every morning, and tears of knowing I need to be able to let go a little. Once I got that out of my system I tried to give myself a pep talk and reassure myself that it’s ok to take time for myself.
Since I am still breastfeeding this was one of my main concerns about being away. I heard stories from friends who had issues when they returned from trips. They saw a decrease in their milk supply and their children having to readjust to feeding again. I was just hoping and praying I wouldn’t have any issues. I made a promise to myself that no matter what was going on, or where we were at on this trip, I would do my best to make sure I pumped when I needed to. I have to say, I think I did a very good job at making that a priority without interfering with anyone else’s time.
If you’ve every felt out of place pumping at work, pumping on an airplane is a whole new experience. Our flight there was later at night so it was dark and majority of passengers were sleeping. This made it a little easier to do what needed to be done (5 and a half hour flight, there was no way of getting around it) but it was still awkward. Don’t worry I was covered up! The flight home was even more of a challenge. It was first thing in the morning, the plane was bright, and I felt like all eyes were on me. I know they weren’t and it was all in my head, but it still felt odd. Regardless, my own personal insecurities needed to take a back seat to the success of me continuing to breastfeed.
While it was nice to be away for a few days and celebrate with great friends, my longing to give my little guy a big hug and a kiss never went away. Although, I did surprise myself at how I handled things and really did enjoy myself. At first, I thought I would be the one to spend half of the time crying in the bathroom and being upset, but it was just the opposite. Modern technology made it a little easier to be able to video call and still see my little guy. I also had this peace about me. I knew that he was in great hands and that my husband was taking the best care of him. Some people couldn’t believe that he didn’t have “help” there with him. I trust my husband a 100% with him and never had a thought or worry that he wouldn’t know what to do in a situation with him. My husband has always been a very hands on dad, and for that I am truly blessed.
After returning home and sitting in over 2 hours of traffic to make it back to our house, my reuniting with my little family was amazing. My husband was waiting at the front door with our little guy and our dog. As I got out of my car I was greeted with the biggest smiles, hugs and kisses, and yes even doggy kisses. It was a great feeling to be with them again and it gives a whole new meaning to the saying…there’s no place like home 🙂
