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[quote=Anonymous]I left for a weekend (domestic) for work when our twins were 4 mths, and my first int'l trip (6 days) when they were about 7 mths.  Have travelled several times since, usually 4-7 day duration (they're 16 mths now).  Travelling while b'feeding is difficult - I found it hard but only did that once.  By my first int'l trip I had stopped and they were on all formula.  The logistics of travelling w/ a pump and frozen milk were actually much, much easier than I expected but finding ways to store/freeze the milk I pumped was tough, and the milk is heavy!  But if you're willing to dump then you can avoid that.  Having to working out pumping breaks during work is always tricky - but you'd have to assess that based on the agenda.

Emotionally I was a basket case leaving for China.  Just a wreck.  I felt like I was going to be on the other side of the world if something happened and that I was a terrible mother, etc...  But the reality was (and still is) that everyone did just fine while I'm away and it turned out in several ways to be good for all of us:
-   I was reminded of my professional life and competence and existence outside motherhood. 
- I felt good knowing that I could still do my job and do it well. 
- My boss (and colleagues) were visibly relieved to see that I was still capable, competent, and committed. 
- My husband HUGELY appreciated the thousand little things it takes to keep the household intact.  (This was major.  Major.  And he's appreciative/supportive anyway - but there is no substitute for actually being in charge in terms of understanding the scope/strain.) 
- It gave grandparents a chance to be incredibly helpful (for me it meant I asked my MIL for help - which was really significant (in a good way) to her.) 
- I come back having had some solid night's sleep (so rare in the first few months).

Anyway, the first trip was the hardest, the ones since have gotten easier.  I think mothers spend a major chunk of time and energy feeling guilty no matter what choices we make, and this certainly falls in that category, but on the whole my work travel has required some adjusting, and some managing (a major part of making it work is feeling like you have sufficient support systems in place for while you're away), but hasn't been too difficult to handle.  It was always something I enjoyed about my job so it has been important for me to be able to continue that.

Good luck!!![/quote]

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