Hi! I'll be flying with my family to the West Coast for a work conference and vacation next week. I'll be separated from my 14 month old for 3 days during my conference (family will be w/the grandparents a couple of hours away)and am not sure how often I'll need to pump to avoid discomfort and to keep my supply up. He generally nurses about 3-4 times a day. He loves his soy milk and I think he'll be okay during the time I'm gone so I'm not planning to pump in advance for him to have breastmilk. My biggest concern is, do I need to take my electric pump? I'd rather not given that we'll have LOADS of stuff to haul with us, but since I'm really done pumping I don't want to shell out more money for a decent manual pump. So, my alternative is the freebie manual pump that comes with the electric one. I used it once early on when we traveled and it was so hard (and exhausting) to actually get enough milk for a feeding, but since I'll just be pumping and dumping maybe it would work well enough(?). I'd love advice/experiences from anyone who has done this with an older nursling. Also, did you have any issues with your little one continuing to nurse afterwards? I'm not exactly ready to wean yet. Thanks so much!
I agree-- take the pump unless you want to wean. You could try manually pumping at home and see how much you get, but you'll probably want the electric.
good morning K.,
sounds like you just ' weaned' baby ....
stop the worries .
I nursed my children, my child nursed her child ... in the end it is just
e-m-t-o-na-l ........MOMMA BECOMES THE CRY BABY !!!!
good for you .. the baby will adapt and so will you .
seperation is the best way to wean or introduce sippies /new foods etc ... a baby equates you with food ... out of sight ... out of baby mind ...
you will be leak'n , hurt'n ... wear pads and relax .
Maybe after the trip you will still be ' full' ... let nature decide ... [ wet nurses] every body is different .. you sound like you have ' built to nurse body' .I vote *YES ; you will resume .
a grammy .
Hi K.!
I like you had the same situation when my son was 16ms old. I had to travel to CA and we will still nursing (stopped at 22ms when i was pregnant). I did end up taking my electric pump with me because i didn't want to break any cycles. Since we nursed at night i pumped twice in the evening and twice during hte day. This kept up my supply to at least get me home. If your concerned about your supply dropping off a bit just take some fenugreek when you get home and things should balance back out.
Don't worry about him not wanting to take to you - that is probably the first thing he will do when he sees you - and will be very excited that you are finally back hom and his comfort is around :-)
Enjoy this time. I know i love it!
J.
Yes definitely take it especially if you are going to be away for more than 6 hours. NOt only do you want to keep up your supply but you also don't want to become engorged. Unless you are planning on weaning you really want to take it with you
Good for you for wanting to continue nursing! Years ago, I was able to rent an electric pump through the La Leche League. I wonder if you could rent one for the week when you are on the west coast and thereby avoid having to lug yours to and from your destination. That way, you'd be able to easily and comfortably keep up your supply while you are gone. Also, that will keep your supply strong for when you return and make it more likely that your baby will continue nursing once you get back. Have a wonderful trip!
When my son was 18 mos old we went on a two night trip to NY. I brought my hand pump thinking I wouldn't use it since my breasts never felt full any more. After about 8 hours I was shocked when I became engorged and starting leaking while at a broadway show. So maybe even bring some breast pads along. My pump in style is the kind where the motor comes out of the bag so really it is about the size of a kleenex box. I wish I would have had it since double pumping goes much faster, but my avent hand pump worked okay.
When we went to pick up my son from a friend's house he was happy to see daddy but was mad at me and wouldn't even hug me a hello. It took several hours for him to warm up to me again and nurse. I guess he is used to the daily separation from daddy when he goes to work, but not from me. So don't worry if he doesn't nurse right away.
Enjoy your trip,
S. www.HarrisburgBreastfeeding.com
Hi K.,
If it were me, I would bring the electric pump - otherwise you are going to HATE pumping and be tired and exhausted from doing it. You can check it in your luggage so that you don't have to haul it - I have done this many times.
I would suggest that you pump twice a day. Don't be surprised if you don't get much - your body may not be used to the pump anymore since you don't use it often - so don't worry if you don't get much. I also wouldn't worry about your supply going down. At 14 months you have a very strong supply and even if it dips a little while you are gone, it will bounce back once you return.
Have a great trip!!
J.
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Everyone's body is different, but for me, it would be no sweat to just not nurse or pump for 3 days. I did it a couple of times traveling without my son. I was no longer getting engorged, and my supply would always bounce right back afterwords. My friend went 2 weeks once while she was sick, and still had a supply when she resumed!
If you want to be super safe, bring the pump and use it a little, but I think you'll be fine if you don't! Maybe the manual one will suffice just in case you get engorged, you can "deflate" with it. :)
I actually used the man one all the time i found if i did while in shower it was easier!!good luck,,
