Family Vacation While Breastfeeding

No way I'd want to mess with bringing formula and bottles along on vacation, especially to another country! I'd just nurse her as normal- I think you'll find the attitude towards nursing in Guatemala is a lot more normal than it is here.

Just breastfeed her. Anyone who finds it awkward can look away.

I would nurse as normal. I lived in Central America and have been to Guatemala several times. Their view of breastfeeding is much more open than ours in the US. You can pump and give her a bottle it probably won't mess with your supply too much but if you do make sure you know how to use the pump and have an adequate water supply to clean everything. Depending on where you would be in Guatemala the drinking water is not always clean.

Continue breastfeeding. Dealing with formula and bottles on vacation sounds like a nightmare!

If you are going to Guatemala I am going to assume that they are like MOST Latino countries and think it's weird if you don't breastfeed.
I say feed her the whole time you are there and don't even think about it.
(if you are uncomfortable you could certainly pump and feed at dinner, but it may be more hassle than throwing a shawl over the baby to feed her)
L.

I really hope you don't wean at three months. I have both breast and bottle fed. And I can tell you that bottles are a pain. Most especially they are a pain when you are traveling (obviously nursing is the bigger burden because no one can give you a break, but it does afford easy travel and no washing bottles). I nursed in public all the time. My thoughts are that people have come a long way. Never once did someone give me a look or comment. I used a nursing cover. And yes, I nursed in restaurants! I can see where you may not want to have baby in a meeting, you may want to bottle feed a time or two, but otherwise, keep nursing as long as you can. Put your baby's needs first (above those you fear you will make uncomfortable). People who are uncomfortable will need to deal with their feelings, but you are your babies only advocate for what is best. And we all know whats best for baby- BF.

Absolutely keep breastfeeding. It will be so much easier than dragging bottles and formula. I got pretty good at finding places to nurse in public without feeling like I was making anyone uncomfortable. Although I was comfortable finding a bench in a quieter place in an amusement park (or any park), Disneyland has a Baby Care Center with rocking chairs for nursing moms. At restaurants, I didn't usually nurse the baby at the table. I would go out to the front where people wait for tables and find a spot that wasn't in full view of the front door. I used a blanket for modest, and never had a word said to me, or even got a funny look. And if you nurse the baby just before you go to dinner, you can make it most of the way through dinner without a problem, and then just excuse yourself to nurse while others are having some dessert if you need to (and get your dessert to go :).

You can pump before dinner and give her a bottle there, your supply would be fine as long as you were nursing as normal the rest of the time. I just never felt like I needed to do that.

My wife nursed everywhere we went. You don't have to worry about the quality of the water or formula in foreign countries.

My wife says that if you pump the same amount you nurse then your milk will not be affected.

Good luck to you and yours.

By all means continue to breastfeed. You will find it much more convenient than hauling around everything you need for formula feeding, your baby will be happier, and you won't have to worry about your milk supply.

If people (family members) are uncomfortable they don't have to look. If YOU are uncomfortable, then bring something to cover up with while you're nursing. Seriously, I think you're really sweet to consider how others will feel, but in this case do what's best for you and your daughter. You are feeding your baby... no one would ask you to go to the bathroom if you were bottle feeding so don't feel like you have to hide because you're breastfeeding.

Good luck!

I was never really comfortable with nursing in public. I don't have anything against mothers who do, but it just wasn't for me. If I went somewhere and needed to feed my DD, but didn't have a bottle of expressed milk handy, I would usually try to find a changing room (if we were at a mall or whatever) or a mother's lounge. (I drew the line at taking her to the restroom though... ick.) If we were out and about, like at dinner or whatever, I would go sit in the car and nurse her. Once she was done, I rejoined the family. :)

Before you leave the house for an extended period of time, or if you know there won't be anywhere to go for privacy, I would give your baby a chance to nurse at home. Then yes, I would pump as well and take that along for back-up.

Pumping a few times a day won't bring your supply down noticeably. Especially as long as you are still putting her to breast once in a while.

I agree with Meredith & Julie; I would totally keep it up. You'd have to hassle with bottled water, etc. just to make the formula in Guatemala. Do you have some of those super cute breastfeeding cover-ups? That's what I'd bring along. Family members feeling uncomfortable with me nursing would never be a consideration for me to end breastfeeding, I must say. And why pump before dinner when you could just nurse before dinner? Make it simple! And enjoy your trip! :)

Continue breastfeeding. You won't have to worry about water quality in the formula.

See if your baby will nurse before you leave for meals - top her off so she's not hungry when you're with company. I was a modest breastfeeder (I nursed till my son was 2.5 years old), so I did my best to not make others uncomfortable - BUT - my child was my first priority so I would cover up and nurse where I needed to. At a restaurant, if it wasn't crowded, I just found an out of the way table or booth and took care of business. I sat toward the inside so I had the wall to one side and could turn a bit away from the main area.

It's so much easier to nurse a baby than to drag along formula and more. Assuming you stay hydrated it's SOOOO much easier to feed baby! I've not been to Guatemala - but I imagine they're a whole lot more accustomed to nursing moms than here in the US where people look like a deer in the headlights when they realize you're nursing your baby. If you have a portable pump that's easy to bring along I'd do that to give you more flexibility - but I would never try to wean my baby if she's coming along. As for the meetings (waht kind of vacation has meetings?) I'd step to the back of the room or the lobby, or quiet back room when needed to nurse baby. If you have a small light-weight blanket to cover yourself with it'll all be fine.

With my first child I was so nervous about nursing in public - but with my second (who was a hungry baby) I was alot more relaxed and just made sure to have some kind of lightweight drape (cotton receiving blankets work). I didn't smother baby, I'd hold up my hand to keep the blanket off his face - and it all worked out beautifully. I nursed him on a bench at Hershey Park (it was too far to walk to their nursing station on a blistering hot day), in a quiet side room at a big birthday party, in the back of a large conference room, off to the side (women's conference but some men were there), park benches, etc. It's all about being discreet. As long as you don't hang your boob out there you'll be fine - and no one will object. And if they do - too bad!

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I would keep breastfeeding for sure, especially if you at leaving the country, what if the water there is not clean? Most people would much rather have a mother nursing at the table than a screaming baby. Perhaps you could invest in a nursing sling so baby can nurse while you sightsee and vacation? Or some lightweight long cotton scarves, thats what I used instead of a nursing cover, people never even knew what I was doing. 3 months is really young to be weaned, especially when you are about to go to a new place where baby will be exposed to new germs.

Also I just thought, sometimes only very small amounts of formula are allowed on the plane, and then you would be stuck buying formula in a foriegn country where they dont have the FDA.

Just be discreet, get a nice cover-up so you can be comfortable at all times. In the airports, on the plane, in line waiting...so many times you'll want the privacy. I know that it's not anything to be embarrassed about, that's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that not letting some horny teenage boy sneak a peek, or some pervert stare from behind dark glasses...you know what I mean. There is a good way to be natural and a not so comfortable way.

I think breastfeeding her would be find all the way.

No, do not stop breastfeeding. Getting your boobs through security is easier then getting a pump and/or bottles of formula through security.

I once was worried about breastfeeding. I worked at a daycare center and they needed me to cover breaks in the infant room where my daughter was. But that was my normal nursing time, during MY lunch. I could take my lunch later but 4 month old Tara sure couldn't. My boss said something I will never forget and that has helped me in all these type situation - "You would have to feed that baby no matter what, you are just feeding her in a different way. Either way you would have to hold the baby, pay attention to the baby you are feeding and do the feeding. So, go right ahead and nurse her, it's just feeding the baby."

I do believe that in Guatemala you will find the breastfeeding is more then norm then it is here.

When my babies were that young, I wasn't comfortable breastfeeding at dinner in restaurants, but since they were so light, I would take them into the restroom and into the handicap stall or if the restroom had a chair or bench I would use that. By 3 months I could feed them in 10-15 mins no problem...my family and friends understood why I was away from the table and had no issue with it. You could also try to time it so you are feeding right before dinner - then hopefully you'll have a sleeping angel for most of the meal :)
Pumping is also the perfect options and I did that too. Keep up the breastfeeding - I have a feeling you would regret it if you stopped before you were really ready.

I would definitely not stop breastfeeding simply because your on vacation. In fact, it is even better to continue, as it will help keep her immune system up and prevent against disease in a foreign country. Travel is stressful enough; don't make it harder on her by taking away breastfeeding. It will help calm her in a new place. You don't want to try formula somewhere new in case she has bad reactions to it and you don't want to deal with bringing it all, washing bottles, finding clean water, etc when you are away. Continue to breastfeed and you will both be so much happier.

As for dinner, why don't you nurse her right before you go to the restaurant? At three months, she should be able to go 3-4 hours between feedings, so that will be plenty of time for dinner and your meeting. If you absolutely MUST feed while at dinner, and aren't comfortable doing it at the table, excuse yourself and find a private place to do it. Pumping will not drastically hurt your supply if you must do that, but I don't think it's necessary at all.

I'm so glad you decided to keep nursing! As a doula, I've seen and talked to so many women who weren't able to overcome many of the obstacles breastfeeding moms typically face in the first few weeks. To make it to 3 months is an accomplishment, and to end it over a vacation seems crazy to me. I stopped nursing my daughter at 7 months over my extended family's negative attitudes toward breastfeeding, and it's been a deep, painful regret of mine ever since. If I could go back in time and shake myself for allowing anyone's opinion to take precedence over my baby's health, I would in a heartbeat. My point is that if you're lucky enough to have overcome the first few months, please keep going. Breastfeeding is so rewarding, and it gets easier as your baby gets older. I was able to nurse my son until he self-weaned at 2 1/2, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. We were (and still are) so in love with each other, and he's so healthy, and still has that baby-soft skin, even now at 3 1/2. It really is a bonding and enriching experience, and you've only seen the beginning of it. Please keep going! Don't have any regrets! You're doing a great job.

I just got back from a family vacation with my 10 month old, and I took my nursing cover and I nursed him the whole time. At dinner if he was hungrey I fed him at the table. We asked for one on the corner and I sat in the corner, for a little more privicy. On the airplane, we bought the window and asile seat so we had some extra room for feeding and for him to lay down.

Have fun and keep nursing! It is best food for you baby!

Please don't wean your baby because of a two week trip! Especially because you never know, even of you're extra careful, about her getting sick from the germs there. Making formula with water=risky. Yeah, don't compromise your baby's immune system. You can handle it. Get one of those drape things. I think you will find Guatemalan people are very child and baby friendly (and most people breastfeed). If you have to, yes, pump and bottle feed her for a feeding here or there. Your supply will be fine. Baby will just nurse more later or at night. Please don't give up. You've been through the hardest part of nursing, take full advantage of all the benefits!

I agree, keep nursing for all the reasons stated below. It will be easier in so many ways. I agree to get yourself a good nursing cover up--but just check and make sure it's all cotton. The style of the one I had made me feel secure that I would stay covered, but it was polyester or something and was so hot for my baby in there. He would be completely wet with sweat after nursing. Just a tip! Have a great trip!