The husband and I are going on vacation alone whenever our baby is 2-3 months. What do I do about breastmilk?
I'm going to be breastfeeding and have no clue if I can pump a whole weeks worth of milk. Any advice? This is going to be in late October or early November. I'm due September 6th.
2009-06-10T15:27:32Z
Yes this is our 1st baby. The vacation isn't set in stone. That is why I'm asking this question bc its a major part of us going on the vacation. We were just feeling out the pros and cons. We were just curious. There is no reason to get rude saying the baby will think we are dead and that we are bad parents. Jeez...
CMU2009-06-10T14:56:44Z
Favorite Answer
Start pumping immediately! You'll produce PLENTY, I promise! LOL! I had a whole freezer full of breastmilk at any given time! And I could still breastfeed! My son never went hungry, and I always had plenty in the freezer for babysitters and/or vacation! Good luck!
Edit: First of all, Why the thumbs down! I left my son overnight with my sister when he was 3 months old. As long as your little one will drink breastmilk from a bottle, it's ok! Geez, people! He's not going to think mama's dead! Seriously! I know this from experience! Also, She didn't ask you if you think it's a good idea to go... She asked a question that specifically pertained to pumping breastmilk... Why can't people just answer the question and quit inserting their own "opinions"...
Pump and freeze. The more you pump, the more milk you'll have. Here's the dilemma (depending on the kind of vacation you're going to be on)...you'll have to continue to pump (pump and dump) your milk every 3 hours or so, while you're on vacation. If you're baby is feeding every 4 four hours when you leave for your vacation, then you'll have to continue to pump about every 4 hours while on vacation. This may not seem like a big problem, but when you're on vacation, it might become a big problem. If you don't pump and dump while on vacation, then you'll make less milk for the baby when you come back from vacation. If that's the case, then supplement the milk with some formula. You can mix breast milk and formula. It is safe to do that.
I had a baby and adopted a baby at the same time. My adopted son would not latch on so I had to pump enough for him and still have enough for my bio baby. SO, when my baby was done breast feeding I would just pump until no more would come out. I would also pump extra in the morning (since I was full of milk from the night time). I pumped hundreds of extra ounces of milk in 6 months so my son had plenty when he came home from the orphanage! Each person is different but I think that if you work hard at it and are consistant you will be fine with your milk supply.
breast milk stays good for about 3-4 months in a freezer. when you breast feed, pump right after and you'll produce more. you produce more when the breast gets 'emptied' (it never technically is empty, but you get what I mean?), so if you pump after your baby gets their fill, you'll make more. you'll produce enough to pump. make sure you nurse though otherwise, because if you exclusively pump or you pump a lot of the time to feed them in the first 2-3 months, your supply will drop. just nurse and then pump, drink lots of water, and you'll be fine. by the time your baby is that old, they'll be in more of a pattern and you'll be able to tell how often they nurse. good luck!
Can you postpone the vacation until 6 months or so? It's probably going to be rough pumping out that much milk and you're going to have to pump the entire time you're away. I would just pump after every single feeding from the time your baby is born until the time you leave.