I'll be leaving for a 3 night, 4 day business trip next month when my DS is 12.5 months old. I am a WAHM and he has been EBF the past year. I only pump 2oz a day towards my freezer stash and will only have about 60oz by the time of my trip. DS still BF 5 times a day. One day a week I go to an office and he takes 3 5oz bottles for the 3 feedings I'm gone for so I really would need 100ish oz while I am away on my trip. Any advice on what to do? I plan to BF for a while yet and didn't want to have to give him cows milk but given that I won't have enough of a stash, not sure I have another option while I'm gone.
-
@chai728: How often are you pumping? Maybe try pumping after EVERY feeding. That should get you a little extra each day. And is your DS sleeping through the night? Are you engorged in the morning? Maybe get up in the middle of the night to pump? Won't be fun, but you might get an extra 2-4 oz (or something) in the middle of the night. If you can just get an extra 2oz a day, you'll have plenty for your trip I think!
-
@adria: I've been pumping every night in the middle of the night at 2 am for the entire past year. I used to get 4oz but now that LO is STTN as of 9 months, I only get 2oz. My supply has decreased since LO is eating more solids so I doubt I'd get much of anything if I pumped after daytime feedings. I guess I could try pumping after feedings for the next few weeks and see what I get, I'm just thinking it won't be enough to make a difference.
-
You could look into donor milk for the time that you are gone? That's rough though, I'm lucky that I have a great freezer stash so when I've gone on two trips of similar length I've been able to cover LO's needs while I am gone.
Oh, or could you possibly overnight back milk from your first day or two of pumping?
-
Try overnighting frozen milk while you are away. Other than that, perhaps mixing a little cow's milk in with the breastmilk you leave for him is your next best option if you can't get donor milk. I made a week long trip overseas when my LO was 10 months old, and I pretty much had to accept that she might have a little formula mixed in with her breastmilk while I was away even though I didn't want her to have any. It was fine in the end.
-
@mamabolt: Thanks, both are great ideas. I'm going to try to pump as much as I can. I'm also wondering if I can get by just giving him 20oz on the days I'm gone, which would mean only needing 80oz. Does anyone know how many ounces 12 month olds typically need?
-
Since LO is a year, you could easily supplement with cow's milk. LO was EBF until just before her first birthday when we introduced cow's milk. She had no problem with cows milk. We didn't mix and gave her one sippy of cow's milk a day.
-
In the morning can you only feed on one side and then pump the other? I offer my LO my less productive boob since she's more efficient than the pump and let her drain that. Then I pump my more productive boob to go towards my stash/daycare bottles.
-
At 9 months old I went away for a few days. I pumped while there but he did formula while I was away. He jumped off that wagon really quickly when I got back. We breastfed until he was 2 years old. Just a possibly re assuring story that all is not lost if he gets cows milk or something else (water, juice, etc).
-
@bluebonnet: I know, I was just trying to avoid this if possible. Good to know though that she took the cow's milk no problem!!! @lemonlong: Yes I could try this, I know my LO just removes milk more effectively than the pump so I think longer term this would actually cause my supply to decrease. I'm wondering how long it would take for my supply to increase if I start pumping after every feeding. @brownie: thank you, that makes me feel much better. I'm worried if he gets something other than my breast milk that he will forget all about it when I return
-
@chai728: We weaned at the end of April and it now the end of June and he still asks for it. A few days won't make him forget. Great luck and have a little fun while you are on your own.
-
@chai728: I think that even if in the beginning, pumping after feedings doesn't give you much, it will help boost your supply, so maybe by the time you go, you'll be able to produce more and hopefully have enough.
And I agree with the suggestion that you could supplement with cow's milk, since he's over a year.
-
If I decide to ship milk back, someone told me I may be able to expense this through my company. Does anyone have insight on this?
Reply
Subscribe to our newsletter
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
12 comments