I found this thread last night googling "breastfeeding in Disney World", and I'm so glad I did! I must have read 30 pages and the support just emanates from this group. I was all teary-eyed!
I just had my 3rd baby last month. My other kids are 11 and 13, so it's been a while since I've done this baby thing.
I lived in NC and was a WDW AP holder for several years, then moved to California and was a
Disneyland AP holder for several more years, and then we just moved to Florida over the summer, and now I'm a WDW AP holder again. So I'm a pro at touring the parks, but I have NEVER done it with a nursing baby before. My first 2 babies were formula fed. I am TERRIFIED!
We are taking our first post-baby trip next week and I'm having so much anxiety about it. My baby will be 7 weeks old, and she nurses around the clock. I'm not very coordinated at the nursing in public thing yet. I am one of those breastfeeding newbies who packs a bottle of expressed milk when we go out in public, or I run to the car and "hide". I think a lot of my problem is that my baby can be a very "fussy" nurser sometimes. If she has a gas bubble, she'll start wailing and going absolutely frantic, latching on and off, leaving me totally exposed to the world (and of course, her screaming causes everyone to stare, which makes it worse).
So I'm trying to figure out how to manage this trip next week. Should I attempt to tote around frozen breastmilk in a cooler? We have a portable bottle warmer so I could warm it up as needed, but I have no idea how long I could keep it frozen in the Florida heat. I think I'd just die if it all came defrosted during the day and I had to dump it. The other problem, of course, is I can't miss more than 1 feeding in a row or I'll be in a lot of pain. I definitely don't feel like carrying a pump around with me. I'm hoping that between the dark rides, shows, and restaurants, I can get enough nursing sessions in that she won't end up hungry in an awkward spot where I'd need to use a bottle, but I'd like to have a couple on hand just in case.
My other worry is how I'm supposed to lug this baby around when the stroller is parked. She's a newborn, but she's still heavy (over 10 pounds). She likes being in the mei tai carrier at home, but even in the A/C, we both end up completely drenched in sweat within minutes. I know I would not be able to wear her around Disney without dying. Even when I'm carrying her in my arms, I get so overheated.
I feel like this is going to be a very challenging trip, so I'm open to any advice on how to do Disney with a newborn in the heat. Thankfully, we go so frequently it doesn't really matter how much of the parks we actually end up seeing. Just a couple rides a day is fine.