Official Breast Feeding Support Thread for WDW Parks

[disneydreamin247]

Good luck!

May I ask how old your first is? Mine is six.

Mine is 7. I think it's harder with him being older. I'd love another squishy, though!

I got ya! I know everyone's different and some moms don't feel comfortable...it's unfortunate but that's how it is. I'm all about doing what's easiest, lol....I know it's not easy covering up a 10 month old. They ARE so curious and pull the blanket down, pop off with no notice to turn completely around, etc etc. I'm pregnant now and this time unfortunately won't be a SAHM, so I'll have to deal with the pumping....whole new experience for me. I'm scared, lol.

I love to just whip it out and feed her when she needs it. IMO it's the absolute most liberating experience. I really do fail at pumping, though. 8 weeks in and my stash is a whopping 10 oz lol.

Well, if you have any questions regarding pumping, feel free to ask. I did it exclusively for nine months with my first. This one, because I'm staying at home, I tried to pump for a while just to have a bottle to give him but discovered it just wasn't worth it. Giving up pumping in that case was really freeing.

I give you mucho credit for EP. I could never. I slack on it so much.

 

[december]

I know what you're saying is true, I know it is the simplest solution, I'm just not there yet!

You never know though, I may be bold. I think actually, it might be easier to not cover up there than at home. Quite frankly, when am I ever going to see people on vacation again? I currently stay home with the kids, but I used to be a bank teller, so everyone within a three town radius knows me. It's impossible to go certain places without running into former customers. And there are some people I'd just rather not show them to.

I make sure I cover up at home. I'm a high school teacher, so I have to be really careful! But at WDW.......as you said, you'll never see them again! It didn't phase me a bit to NIP there!

 

[Jilian]

I think it is more discreet when you don't use a cover. I was really shy about NIP with my first (he's 8 now) and by the time my 3rd was born I'd nurse anywhere and everywhere. No one ever knew that I was nursing. I'd wear a belly band to cover my belly and just wear a losse fitting shirt and lift it up a little. It just looked like I was holding my baby in the cradle position. I practiced at home a lot with my second before getting brave enough to venture out. They also have the kid care stations at MK and I think AK? They are air conditioned with Disney movies on for the little ones and rocking chairs. They also have changing tables, high chairs and a shop to purchase baby-related items. I was just there @ the end of March and we went there to change my daughter's diaper and cool off.

I pumped for a while with my second son, he was born with a heart defect and couldn't nurse for a week after heart surgery (when he was 2 weeks old) so I pumped full time for him. I used a Medela Symphony (provided by the hospital) and it was AWESOME. If you will be pumping full time you'll really need a double electric pump. I'm partial to medela pumps. I purchased a pump in style advance after my guy came come from surgery and it was really easy to use. You can get them used on ebay sometimes and just buy new tubing and bottles so it is sterile. You pump as often as possible (but not more frequently than every 3-4 hours) and nurse as much as humanly possible to keep your milk production up. Don't pump for more than 20-30 mins per session or you can do tissue damage. Milk can be stored in a deep freeze for up to 6 mos or a regular freezer for up to 3 mos. I used the ziplock storage bags by gerber and to reheat I'd run them under hot tap water and squish them in my hand to break up ice chunks. They'd be heated within a minute or two.

I hope some of this helps! BTW When I was in Disney in March I saw 3 nursing moms @ MK in one day!

 

[belle&beast]

Thanks! I am very nervous about it. I know some moms aren't good pumpers...I tried out of curiosity when my daughter was about 10 months old and only got a few drops! I had a crappy manual one the hospital gave out, so that may have been part of the issue. I plan on buying an expensive one that I know will work wonders. What kind did you use? Also, heating and all that...I know you're not suppose to heat in the microwave, so do you just boil some water? This is all info I'll have to educate the babysitter on because I'll nurse when I'm with the baby. It's going to be a hard experience...I'm sure will work out.

I had a similar pumping experience with my first and it was a little better with my second because I had a better pump, but I still could never get enough not to supplement with formula when I was away. With our third I was determined to exclusively use breast milk which required a really great pump because I work outside the home. I am so lucky- a friend loaned me her Medela Pump in Style that was brand new because she was unable to nurse her babies. The right pump plus my determination to make it work made all the difference.

Pumping is a huge commitment- to me it was so much more difficult than just latching the baby on, that always came easy for me. I started pumping once my milk came in. If he didn't nurse from both sides, then I pumped the side he didn't eat from. In the beginning I also pumped when he didn't eat "on time." Meaning during the day I nursed my son and if he didn't eat again in two hours, I pumped that milk. This helped me to have a stash to freeze or use if I would be away from him. I was always able to nurse him again when he was hungry.

When I went back to work, he was 12 weeks old. I had plenty of frozen milk and pumped every three hours while I was away. I work part time, so on the days I was home and in the mornings and evenings, I nursed him. He switched back and forth beautifully between bottle and breast- all three of my kids did.

We made it to 13 months nursing and he lost interest, so I will not be nursing in WDW. But I am so thankful that I had the right pump and made the effort to only offer breast milk the first year of life- third time was a charm for me!

 

[aripantaloon]

My middle daughter was addicted to nursing ("B") until she was almost 3. *I* had enough when she was almost 2, but thought that she would self-wean soon enough. Anyway, the trip we took when she was almost 1.5 was the "nursing around the World" trip. That kid nursed pretty much everywhere but in a restaurant. I did draw the line at that. Every time we went in a show, she took that as a cue to nurse. It was dark and no one was paying attention, so I didn't have a problem with it. I was comfortable nursing in public as long as I was just another anonymous person out there in the crowd.

Well, we went to the Laugh Floor show and they were putting the camera on the audience before the start of the show and she was nursing. I didn't realize that this part was live with the current audience until I saw the guy who was sitting directly 2 rows in front of me. Of course I started to freak out because I didn't want to be NIP on the tv screen. DH thought it was hilarious, of course.

I didn't have any favorite nursing spot since pretty much any bench or edge of a planter was good enough for us. I wore regular bras and shirts, too. I just pushed up the bottom of the bra and lifted my shirt a little since I really hated almost all the nursing bras I've ever had. They either didn't provide enough support, were scratchy, or were so supportive that they were like my grandmother's bra (great at the beginning, but not so great after you have to wear one for years on end).

 

[Meshell2002]

Hey ladies....I've nursed 2 @ WDW....and i would have to say....unless u r there in Dec its too hot to cover up! As long as your tummy is covered and shirt reaches LO nose u rn't really showing much unless someone happens to glance at u during latch on....but with an older baby that doesn't take very long. Most people wll assme your kid is asleep. Dark rides are your friend, especially if you are shy about it also Mickey's Philharmonic is a favorite on this thread.

 

[disneydreamin247]

I'm really jealous of you girls that can cover up with your shirts. My ****s are way too big and...saggy to do it. My girls are OUT when we NIP.

 

[TarzansKat]

My two boys were the same way, they wouldn't tolerate ANY sort of cover or hat. They best thing I ever wore were nursing tanks with a button down shirt over them... that way I had tummy coverage for myself and my shirt helped with side coverage for the baby.

I love the nursing tanks for sleeping but they don't offer me enough support for during the day time. Although you do bring up a good point. If I'm wearing a tank top, and carry around my short sleeve hoodie, I can always pop that on and have the extra coverage over my skin while nursing.

 

[TarzansKat]

Thanks! I am very nervous about it. I know some moms aren't good pumpers...I tried out of curiosity when my daughter was about 10 months old and only got a few drops! I had a crappy manual one the hospital gave out, so that may have been part of the issue. I plan on buying an expensive one that I know will work wonders. What kind did you use? Also, heating and all that...I know you're not suppose to heat in the microwave, so do you just boil some water? This is all info I'll have to educate the babysitter on because I'll nurse when I'm with the baby. It's going to be a hard experience...I'm sure will work out.

Oh, I do not like those manual pumps. I know some women have really good luck with them, but not me. Like the other posters, I highly recommend a double electric pump, it's going to be your most efficient. This time around I think I used an Ameda pump, and I think it was okay. I'm not sure if I'm comparing it to the hospital grade and judging it unfairly or if it really wasn't as good as a Medela, which my girlfriend has used and raves about.

I used a hospital grade pump for my first (I rented it fairly inexpensively) and it was wonderful. When you're pumping exclusively, you need a pump like that to keep your supply up. I think for your purposes, though, going with the double electric you can get regularly will work fine. I actually was able to leave my breast milk out, because it's good out for up to ten hours. And honestly, with my first, it never lasted that long. He was a chunk! But as far as heating it up, I did use a bottle warmer if it came straight from the fridge, and that worked fine. I am actually pretty much done with mine, so if you'd like to PM me your address, I'd be happy to send it to you.

 

[TarzansKat]

I give you mucho credit for EP. I could never. I slack on it so much.

I'm glad I did it, but by nine months, I was so done. He was so active by then, I was sticking him in the exersaucer just to be able to pump, and I thought, this just isn't worth it anymore. We switched to formula for those few months, but I'm proud that I was able to give him breastmilk for as long as I did. It was a really (ha ha) draining experience.

With this one, I'm trying really hard to make it to a year. It's not so much the nursing during the day that bothers me, because that's quite a bit less than it used to be, it's that at night when he wakes up and I'm exhausted and I'm the only one that can feed him...ugh.

 

[TarzansKat]

I make sure I cover up at home. I'm a high school teacher, so I have to be really careful! But at WDW.......as you said, you'll never see them again! It didn't phase me a bit to NIP there!

Glad to know I'm not the only one that thinks this way.

 

[TarzansKat]

Well, we went to the Laugh Floor show and they were putting the camera on the audience before the start of the show and she was nursing. I didn't realize that this part was live with the current audience until I saw the guy who was sitting directly 2 rows in front of me. Of course I started to freak out because I didn't want to be NIP on the tv screen. DH thought it was hilarious, of course.

I'm sorry. I laugh at your expense, I would hate to get caught on camera!!!

I didn't have any favorite nursing spot since pretty much any bench or edge of a planter was good enough for us. I wore regular bras and shirts, too. I just pushed up the bottom of the bra and lifted my shirt a little since I really hated almost all the nursing bras I've ever had. They either didn't provide enough support, were scratchy, or were so supportive that they were like my grandmother's bra (great at the beginning, but not so great after you have to wear one for years on end).

I would have never thought of actually pushing up the bra to nurse and wearing a semi normal one. And I just ordered more nursing bras that I'm not entirely in love with. Hmm...good food for thought, I'll have to rummage around and see if I can find some in the size I currently am.

 

[TarzansKat]

I'm really jealous of you girls that can cover up with your shirts. My ****s are way too big and...saggy to do it. My girls are OUT when we NIP.

Ditto that, my friend. And you know what I find to be frustrating? Sometimes when he gets distracted he'll do this on, off, on, off, on, off thing, and I'm looking at him thinking, hey! These are my goods you're flashing here!

 

[disneydreamin247]

Ditto that, my friend. And you know what I find to be frustrating? Sometimes when he gets distracted he'll do this on, off, on, off, on, off thing, and I'm looking at him thinking, hey! These are my goods you're flashing here!

Yes! My LO does that also. Usually when she's not getting anything anymore or she's trying to keep herself from falling asleep. It's funny because I'm a VERY modest person. I don't wear anything above the knee, I hardly ever show cleavage. I'm always covered. However, I will NIP anywhere, anytime. I don't care who can see or how much. I love it!!! Keep at it mama, your comfort level will get there eventually.

 

[jkstewart1800]

I love the nursing tanks for sleeping but they don't offer me enough support for during the day time. Although you do bring up a good point. If I'm wearing a tank top, and carry around my short sleeve hoodie, I can always pop that on and have the extra coverage over my skin while nursing.

I wore a regular nursing bra under the nursing tank... my girls were 38 DDD at their biggest. While I nursed into the later months I settled in around a 36DD....

 

[jkstewart1800]

The best ones I found were Wacoal underwire - and I got them at Nordstrom's in St Louis - they were pricey though... but worth it. I bought 2 and they lasted me a year.

Here is a link to something similar.... http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/anita-i...kingCode=AC9ECD69-1968-DF11-9DA0-002219319097

They were cute, thin straps, and comfortable ..... sometimes you gotta put the money into things.....

 

[disneydreamin247]

i just have to say...the rest of me may be flabby as all heck but my arms are diesel! Between nursing and lifting that stupid infant seat in and out of the pickup truck I'll at least have nice arms. The rest of me will be jello but I'll be able to start my sleeve finally! The joys of motherhood

 

[TarzansKat]

Yes! My LO does that also. Usually when she's not getting anything anymore or she's trying to keep herself from falling asleep. It's funny because I'm a VERY modest person. I don't wear anything above the knee, I hardly ever show cleavage. I'm always covered. However, I will NIP anywhere, anytime. I don't care who can see or how much. I love it!!! Keep at it mama, your comfort level will get there eventually.

That's too funny! See, I'm not opposed to a little skin, which is funny. I'm a tank top and shorts kind of girl, but I just have to get to the point where I can whip 'em out and not care! Honestly, I don't think it'll take much. If you have a fussy baby and you know what's going to fix it, how much will you really hesitate.

I wore a regular nursing bra under the nursing tank... my girls were 38 DDD at their biggest. While I nursed into the later months I settled in around a 36DD....

Oh, hon. I feel your pain. I was a triple D as well, I am now down to a DD, lord knows how small they'll end up when I'm done.

The best ones I found were Wacoal underwire - and I got them at Nordstrom's in St Louis - they were pricey though... but worth it. I bought 2 and they lasted me a year.

Here is a link to something similar.... http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/anita-i...kingCode=AC9ECD69-1968-DF11-9DA0-002219319097

They were cute, thin straps, and comfortable ..... sometimes you gotta put the money into things.....

Oh, you don't have to sell me on good quality bras, a long time ago, I used to work at Victoria's Secret. They had great bras back then and it was awesome to get an employee discount because they're SO pricey. I'll check that link out.

i just have to say...the rest of me may be flabby as all heck but my arms are diesel! Between nursing and lifting that stupid infant seat in and out of the pickup truck I'll at least have nice arms. The rest of me will be jello but I'll be able to start my sleeve finally! The joys of motherhood

 

[jkstewart1800]

bump

 

[TinkWink]

We came home on Friday. I nursed at: entrance to RnR (sat on the landscape wall), inside Innoventions (ahhhh...chairs in a dark, cool spot!), Chef Mickey's, Cosmic Ray's, Tusker House, Beauty and the Beast show, and I think that's it. We went back for naps, and she is 26 months, so only every 4-5 hours max. I didn't notice any dirty looks or anything - if anything, I didn't even see anyone notice at all! So lovely to have a portable beverage and calming device!!