Business Trip Next Week - Have to Pump!

Pump anywhere that you can while you are gone. Do not set an alarm and wake up in the middle of the night to pump. Throw the milk away instead of stressing about whether or not it is staying cold enough. Supplement with formula while you are gone.

I pumped exclusively with my little guy. If there is anywhere besides a bathroom that you can pump, it would be better. We dont force people to eat their lunch in bathrooms and our little ones should be given the same respect. If there is an office or anything like that available, take it. :)

the weaning depends on how old he is. it is possible that he may wean, but he'll probably remember the good stuff when you get back. As long as you pump regularly, your supply won't go down. It may actually go up. Since I ONLY pumped, my supply was incredible. I was able to donate over 1400 Oz to the milk bank and that didn't include the milk i threw away. If your supply does dwindle, you can take MilkTHistle and Fenugreek. They are natural herbs that stimulate milk supply. I had to take them after my milk deminished due to mastitis (OUCH!)

If you have a way to freeze the milk, you can put that in bottles, freeze it and that will keep in a cooler. We used to freeze the milk in the small bottles that came with the pump and put them in an insulated cooler for long trips and it's stayed great.

Don't stress out about it. Stressin just lessens your production. It will all work out. You're a great mommy and a smart mommy and whatever happens, you'll figure it out :)

Good luck and safe travel!

First, you MUST relax! Nothing affects milk supply like stress! Make sure that you have a hospital grade pump. These generally need to be rented. If you don't, GET ONE! Even the best one you can buy at the store is not as good as a hospital grade. Plus, they pump much faster. Don't stress about baby weaning. If baby has had bottles before you should be fine. And I hate to say it, but if baby weans, baby weans. Worrying about it won't change it. Don't stress over things that you have no control over.

Hey, Dear~
Your 'worrying' is your worst worry! LOL Worrying stops the let-down reflex, so just do whatever you can convince yourself to be comfortable with. Think, 'What CAN I do?' and 'just do it'! instead of rehearsing 'what if (this)?', 'And what if (that)??' Even if you have to pump some and pour it out, that'll help keep up your milk supply. Relaxing and enjoying breastfeeding is the best 'medicine' for doing it successfully.

And it really sounds (even according to your own admission) as if you are trying to do too much at once with your life. Probably the best thing you could do is to seriously choose your priorities right now and let something go for the time being. Hate to be a 'negative Nellie', but the world won't stop if you do (stop). Take time for YOU and for what's most important to YOU right now, because this parenting thing is over before you realize. I stayed home with our 4 until the last 2 were adolescents, and I still can't believe that they're ALREADY adults . . .

Add some extra pumping before you go! Then you can leave it frozen for use at home and you will increase supply. You should still pump while you're away, but maybe only try to keep the milk from the last part of the trip.

I hated using formula, but kept some at home. A couple of formula feedings if the milk runs out won't cause the baby to switch -- baby will be glad to get back to touching mom when she returns.

As far as bathroom stalls, will you have a hotel room available? Or an office you can borrow?

Good luck.

I have pumped on trips several times before, and while it's not easy, it's doable. There are outlets in most airport and hotel bathrooms...you'll just have very little privacy. Back before liquid restrictions on flights, I just carried my milk on in a soft-sided cooler. Since then, I've just pumped and dumped on trips that required flights so I could keep up my supply. I hated throwing all of that milk away, but I guess the only other option would be packing it in a cooler with dry ice and shipping it or checking it on a flight. Of course, after pumping in an airport bathroom, you don't always feel like your bottles and milk are super sanitary anyway. You may find that your baby is resistant to nursing when you return, but if you're persistent, he should nurse as usual in a few days. Also, be careful with your pump and don't check it on a flight. Make sure if it's in an overhead compartment that someone can't stuff a bag on top of it. I had one get broken on a trip and was so engorged waiting to get off the plane, only to find my pump was broken. Finding a replacement part on a weekend in another city is not very easy! Good luck!

L. - I had to do the same when my baby was 9 mos old. I just pumped a ton before I left (enough for her to use the entire trip out of a bottle), then continued pumping throughout the trip (it was a week long). I requested a refrigerator for my hotel room and took an insulated bag and some ice with me to the meeting site and transferred it to the fridge at the end of the day. Then I put all the milk into the bag with ice for the plane ride home. Oh, you can take breast milk ON the plane with you. It stayed good and my supply did not go down. Or if it did, baby got it back up when i returned home. don't fret. it can be done.

If at all possible you need to keep to your normal feeding/pumping schedule this will keep your supply up. I am sure he will not wean himself while you are gone unless he is old enough or ready to wean. I would contact the HR department and see if they have a lactation room available or see if you can book an office or meeting room if you are concerned about the conditions of the bathroom. They have great wipes for cleaning the pump parts when you do not have access to water. Take a cooler or lunchbox and put the milk on icepacks to transport your milk home. If you are flying and brining your pump with you as carry on luggage you will want to tell them during screening, they may want to check your bags. I hope this helps.

Dear L.-

I have learned that usually the things that I worry about usually do not turn out to be as bad as I worried that they would be. Just do the best that you can. I used the Avent pump when my children were babies. It is a moderately priced manual pump. For a manual pump I was able to comfortably get my milk with it. Pumping in the bathroom is not ideal - but, I think that most nursing mothers have had to do it from time to time. As for storing the milk you could take a small lunchbox cooler and some ice packs. I have heard that breastmilk has so many antibacterial components (not sure this is correct terminology) that it is good for several hours even when it is not cold and can last much longer when it is cold or frozen. Also, have you looked into the possibility that a trusted family member or friend could go with you and watch the baby while you are in meetings? If you ask - you might just find that it is doable for the baby and a caregiver go with you.

Don't be too hard on yourself. If you find that you are too stressed by all your roles - find ways that you can let some of them go. I know that you probably enjoy your work, but sometimes that is the easiest one to let go. Admittedly it takes some changes in how we live, but in the long run you will probably be a healthier and better mom and wife for doing so and you can always go back to work when your children are older. Babies are not babies forever.

My advice is don't worry!!! I was able to work full time and pump for 13 months. You will be fine and your child will be fine. If you get stressed out about it it will make it harder to pump. Even if you can't pupm enough as soon as you return things will get right back to normal. My milk supply took a year to dry up completely so No WORRIES!!! I love starbucks chai too!!!! You know you can buy it at Kroger now.

You are definitely going to have to make up for the little one not feeding. When I would work, I would pump every 3 hours for at least 15 minutes. The hard part is relaxing enough to allow for a good let down. I always felt frantic because I always had that underlying feeling that it was an inconvenience for my co-workers. I finally let that go and decided this was more important and that it was only for a short while (in the scheme of things). Anyway, at your hotel, ask for a fridge with a small freezer compartment. Take a small cooler with one or two of those ice packets that you can re-freeze ... can't think of what they are called. That will get your milk home, at least. Try integrating green tea in with that chai so that you limit your caffeine and, of course, tons of water! Road trips tend to mean crappy eating so try to keep that in check, as well. Anything that you can do to de-stress is extremely helpful. Good luck with your week and your little one.

Go to the yahoo group pumpmoms. (search for pumpmoms and I'm sure you will find it). They have a ton of information and can answer all questions.

Relax!!! Drink plenty of water so you can stay hydrated. Try to not get so stressed. Some places have special areas for mothers who need to nurse or pump. Check into that. Are you planning on freezing the milk? How long is your travel time? You have to be careful of the milk spoiling. Your supply might go down. The best thing to get supply back up is nursing.

You'll be fine, although when I travelled when my son was an infant I had the same worries. I did have to pump in a bathroom stall at the airport, which was not fun, but I survived :)

For me the hardest parts were lugging the breast pump with me everywhere and having to go back to my hotel often to pump. My supply probably did decline some, but it went back up when I got home. And my son still wanted to nurse--I think most babies do.

Good luck,
J.

Start pumping frequently now to leave a supply at home. Switch off during feeding nurse&bottle to get him used to a bottle w/ your milk. When you are away pump then dump to keep your supply up.Try to stick to your normal feeding schedule,this will help w/engorgement. I would only save milk from the day before your return home( freeze, ice or refrigerate).That's only if you want a backup supply at home.Rest assured he will be getting your milk while you are gone he knows where that taste comes from mom.Have a good trip!

Your other respondents have listed excellent ideas and brilliant insights. I breastfed 3 babies for a total of 5 years while working 12 hour shifts in an emergency room, I have nothing to add to the suggestions that you've already received. "Ya do what ya gotta do."

BUT, you must allow yourself to relax and not be so worried. Worry/stress reduces milk supply. Babies pick up on the stress around them, especially in their moms.

You're probably worried about all of these things because you are leaving the baby. We moms are built with a genetic protective component that makes it extremely difficult for us to leave our babies - especially for a whole week.
As the child gets older, it doesn't get any easier, either. The focus of the fear changes. When we leave them and they're babies, we're afraid of everything from diaper rashes to SIDS in our absence. We never completely trust our caregivers, not even our husbands/the babies' fathers to provide the care and the sensitivity as we would.
When we leave our babies and they're 21 years old, we're afraid of all sorts of other terrors. It's a mom's job - to sense the dangers and prevent them.

You can't allow yourself to be controlled by your fears, though. Learn to find the feelings in your gut - the difference between real danger and over-protection. Being overly-protective or controlling can dominate you (ruin your trip next week), destroy your family, and, can ultimately be disabling to the child.

Good luck and let us know how it went when you return!!