Ling Ling - A Mother who away 2 weeks

My name is Cheah Ling Ling, work in Plexus Penang.

I am a working mother with 2 daughters. Eldest is 4 years old (breastfeed for 1.5 years) and youngest is 10 months old (target to breastfeed for 2 years)Currently, I am working in Plexus and occasionally need to travel overseas as a regional role.

Pass 2 weeks, I received an urgent request from my boss on Friday that I need to travel to China for 2 weeks coming Monday.With this short notification, just wonder how is the reaction of a nursing mother? I am sure every mother will have a same feeling.

Here the story goes…. While preparing the travelling stuff during the weekends, I have 2 worries. Not the “milk” worry as I have stored enough milk for her from my daily expression of the excess milk. (enough safety stock for 2 weeks) I was extremely worry that she will need me during night time and feel not comfortable with total bottle feed. Next, I worried that she might not want me to feed direct after 2 weeks as she might learn that drinking from bottle is more easy than breast. Latching the breast for milk need a lot of energy from baby. But, the response is reverse and I am actually wasting my energy on those worries. I believe all babies are intelligent.As long as she knows I am not with her within the same house, she can accept the bottle feed like other baby. No struggling, no crying……During night time, she did not cried to request for a latch and not even a pacifier. She don’t need that as she knows mommy is away. This is really out of my expectation because this was the 1st time I leave her after the 1st day she was born.

I am happy with her reaction but then, starts to worry that she might not need me anymore when I back, and how to reach my breastfeeding record of 2 years? Again, another surprise from her, the reaction and response change very fast when she saw me back to home. When I carried her, she lied down on my breast for few minutes without moving up her head. After a while, when she completely satisfied by “smelling” and “hugging” her mommy, her movement request a feed from me.

Once she manage to latch her favorite breast, she move one of her hand up to relax, shaking her leg gently, close her eyes…and smile…… This is amazing….and start from that minutes, she don’t want anyone (even the grandma that full time taking care of her for the last 2 weeks) except mommy. So, nursing mom should not worry much when there is a need to leave the baby for a short period of time (either business / holiday). You can still continue when you are back. Baby is intelligent enough to response to surrounding.Furthermore, there is a bond from breastfeeding… and the bond will never get disconnect.

I am so proud of these ...