KIT day WWYD?
Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2020 2:12 pm
Brace yourselves for a massive essay!
A while back I agreed to do a KIT day at the end of the month, because there's a planning/strategy away day type thing, as my manager has started to manage some other people in my department with slightly different roles so it's based around understanding what each other so, if we can work together more in the future, if we might change the way we do things etc. I feel like it would be really good to be there to have some input into any decisions that are made etc. Plus it will just be really nice to think about my job again, have a day where I'm using my brain and focusing on different things etc.
However, when I was initially asked about it, I didn't really know how feeding would be going so I wasn't sure I'd still be breastfeeding at this stage. I'm currently expressing and freezing so they'll have milk, which isn't too much of an issue, but as I have a long commute and the day is going to be 10-4 plus drinks afterwards I'm going to have to also express during the day so I don't end up in pain/leaking everywhere. I feel a bit awkward about asking for breaks to do this plus the meeting is on campus, but in a different building from the only place I can imagine that I could express in (the occupational health room which is also available for pregnant women to rest in). It will take about five- ten mins each way to get between the buildings, plus time to set myself up and do the expressing (maybe about fifteen mins each time) and then if I want to save the milk I think I'd have to use the fridge in my office kitchen, which is in yet another building. I think I could possibly get away with only doing it twice maybe, but it still seems quite a hassle.
The longest I've been away from them so far is about three hours when I went to a hen do, and P was also out nearby so just messaged me when they were getting hungry and I went and fed them. This will end up being over ten hours even if I skip the drinks. We're trying them out with bottles - the first few times they were both fine, then we had one time that both refused completely, and at the weekend P fed them while I was upstairs and Topsy was fine but there was quite a bit of crying with Tim and he didn't have much. So I'm a bit worried about how they will get on - I'm sure they will take a bottle /cup/syringe or whatever if they get really hungry but obviously I don't want them to have to get really upset, especially as if they there's no quick way to bring them to me (if they pick the wrong time when the trains are infrequent during the day it could take a good couple of hours). P could come into London with me, but then it'll be difficult for him to entertain them etc on his own when out and about.
So I guess what I'm asking is, did anyone do KIT days when their baby was still quite little (mine will be not quite five months at the end of the month)? I can't tell whether I'm being totally ridiculous as obviously loads of people might be back in full time work at this point. Or alternatively, is it silly to do a KIT day this early on? I guess a lot of the feeding stuff will be much easier when they're on solids and feeding a lot less so I don't know if I should just wait until they're older. So I want to do it, but I just don't know if logistically it's all too much of a headache. Any thoughts?
Oh, and unless things change ( ie if P gets made redundant) I won't be back until October if that makes a difference - so not sure if the planning etc might change before then anyway.
A while back I agreed to do a KIT day at the end of the month, because there's a planning/strategy away day type thing, as my manager has started to manage some other people in my department with slightly different roles so it's based around understanding what each other so, if we can work together more in the future, if we might change the way we do things etc. I feel like it would be really good to be there to have some input into any decisions that are made etc. Plus it will just be really nice to think about my job again, have a day where I'm using my brain and focusing on different things etc.
However, when I was initially asked about it, I didn't really know how feeding would be going so I wasn't sure I'd still be breastfeeding at this stage. I'm currently expressing and freezing so they'll have milk, which isn't too much of an issue, but as I have a long commute and the day is going to be 10-4 plus drinks afterwards I'm going to have to also express during the day so I don't end up in pain/leaking everywhere. I feel a bit awkward about asking for breaks to do this plus the meeting is on campus, but in a different building from the only place I can imagine that I could express in (the occupational health room which is also available for pregnant women to rest in). It will take about five- ten mins each way to get between the buildings, plus time to set myself up and do the expressing (maybe about fifteen mins each time) and then if I want to save the milk I think I'd have to use the fridge in my office kitchen, which is in yet another building. I think I could possibly get away with only doing it twice maybe, but it still seems quite a hassle.
The longest I've been away from them so far is about three hours when I went to a hen do, and P was also out nearby so just messaged me when they were getting hungry and I went and fed them. This will end up being over ten hours even if I skip the drinks. We're trying them out with bottles - the first few times they were both fine, then we had one time that both refused completely, and at the weekend P fed them while I was upstairs and Topsy was fine but there was quite a bit of crying with Tim and he didn't have much. So I'm a bit worried about how they will get on - I'm sure they will take a bottle /cup/syringe or whatever if they get really hungry but obviously I don't want them to have to get really upset, especially as if they there's no quick way to bring them to me (if they pick the wrong time when the trains are infrequent during the day it could take a good couple of hours). P could come into London with me, but then it'll be difficult for him to entertain them etc on his own when out and about.
So I guess what I'm asking is, did anyone do KIT days when their baby was still quite little (mine will be not quite five months at the end of the month)? I can't tell whether I'm being totally ridiculous as obviously loads of people might be back in full time work at this point. Or alternatively, is it silly to do a KIT day this early on? I guess a lot of the feeding stuff will be much easier when they're on solids and feeding a lot less so I don't know if I should just wait until they're older. So I want to do it, but I just don't know if logistically it's all too much of a headache. Any thoughts?
Oh, and unless things change ( ie if P gets made redundant) I won't be back until October if that makes a difference - so not sure if the planning etc might change before then anyway.