breastfeeding without baby.

[vballnic3]

We are going to Disney in about 2 months and my 4 month old daughter will be staying home with grandma and grandpa. I am planning on pumping while we are there to keep up my supply. I'm looking for suggestions on where people pump besides baby centers. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[AFwifelife]

Like in the park? You may want to opt to pump in the baby care centers because they are located next to first aid which will store your pump for you.

 

[melificent]

The Baby Care Centers are going to be your best bet for locations with privacy, power, and that are (relatively) clean.

 

[rosedolph]

I have nursed babies at Disney but never pumped. For me personally it was easier to take a baby then to try to figure out pumping for the baby while I was gone, and then pumping while there. My body didn't respond well to pumping and I was concerned that the baby wouldn't want to nurse once I got home.

You might of thought of all of this, but you'll need to keep the breast milk cool while in the parks. And what about getting it home? Flying or driving?

Here's some more info on storing breast milk.
How long can I store my breast milk?
The following are some general breast milk storage guidelines:

• At room temperature (less than 77°F) for up to 6 hours
• Cooler bags with ice packs for up to 24 hours
• At the back of a refrigerator for 3 to 8 days
• At the back of a freezer for up to 6 months

 

[EPCOTgrl1]

At 4 months your supply will have evened its self out, so you won't feel as full as you might now. I would get a hand pump and medulla bags, the ones that you can pump straight into the bag. If you want you can go on some of the darker rides, carousel of progress, spaceship earth etc. that you can pump with on the ride. There are also out coves thought the parks that have shade that you can pump as well. If you are bringing your pump that needs to be plugged in then the baby care center will be the best.
Don't forget a cooler or lunch box and ice packs that you can store the pump and milk. Also if your Disney room doesn't have a refrigerator you can ask for one for the milk. I would freeze it ever night.
Lastly if the TSA tells you since you don't have a baby you can't carry milk on the plane, know your rights. You are allowed to do this with our without your baby!!!

 

[100AcreWood]

This might sound shocking but I would pump and dump personally. I wouldn't bother bringing back all the milk.

 

[sprousehouse]

Seriously? Dump it? As a former milk donor that makes me really, really sad! If you don't want to take it home then find a local La Leche league - I can almost guarentee they will have a mama in need of donor milk who would come pick it up. I did that a few times of business trips (I had oversupply and at home donated to a bank at the hospital) and the parents were so thrilled. The recipents were always happy to work around my schedule and location so no imposition for me at all.

 

[100AcreWood]

I also donated but it may be a challenge for her to keep the milk at a proper temperature and safely bring it back with her.

 

[andiraye]

I also donated but it may be a challenge for her to keep the milk at a proper temperature and safely bring it back with her.

That was my thought, too. With all the time the milk will be spent out of a refrigerator, I'd worry about it spoiling. Without meaning to be glib, we put our refrigerated water in a cooler bag and by the end of a long day in the park it was warm.

 

[Disneylover99]

The OP never said she was saving her milk. I assumed she was just looking for a place to pump and dump. That's what I would do.

 

[Baklava]

Seriously? Dump it? As a former milk donor that makes me really, really sad! If you don't want to take it home then find a local La Leche league - I can almost guarentee they will have a mama in need of donor milk who would come pick it up. I did that a few times of business trips (I had oversupply and at home donated to a bank at the hospital) and the parents were so thrilled. The recipents were always happy to work around my schedule and location so no imposition for me at all.

She asked for advice, not judgment. If the stress of trying to find and co-ordinate a donation while on vacation is not in her plans, that's her decision. Let's not pressure a mama to do more than she can. The very fact that she's not letting her supply dry up is awesome. Let's just support her choices.

 

[sullyfam]

I would recommend a Medela manual pump. The great thing about the manual pump is that you can use it anywhere and don't need to worry about a place to plug in etc. You can utilize the baby centers if you want but also, can use the pump pretty much any quiet place you can find. I've pumped in many a bathroom stall ... good luck!

 

[vballnic3]

Thank you all for your comments I have some decisions to make

 

[leebee]

If you want you can go on some of the darker rides, carousel of progress, spaceship earth etc. that you can pump with on the ride. There are also out coves thought the parks that have shade that you can pump as well. If you are bringing your pump that needs to be plugged in then the baby care center will be the best.
Don't forget a cooler or lunch box and ice packs that you can store the pump and milk. Also if your Disney room doesn't have a refrigerator you can ask for one for the milk. I would freeze it ever night.

Are you sure there aren't cameras inside the darker rides? I'm not sure I'd take that chance!

 

[ipuffyheartdisney]

My experience with pumping at Disney worked out really well. I only used the baby centers because I wanted to keep my milk (liquid gold!) My DD was 6 months at the time and my mother convinced me to leave her home with her. It was really hard on me to leave her, but after seeing multiple sunburned and exhausted babies, I knew I made the correct decision. (we had the trip paid for with DS2 before I knew I was pregnant and decided not to cancel).

I pumped at the hotel in the early AM and made our touring plans coincide to start and end at the baby centers, which was every 4 hours. It was so hot the AC in the rooms were a godsend! By the end of the week I didn't even bring my pump to the parks because we would come back to the room midday. I used my Medela pump and stored the milk in the cooler compartment in the bag. The first aid would fill up the cooler with ice for me. I stored my pump under my DS's stroller. We stayed at AKV and I brought the biggest Pack It lunch box. The bag itself freezes. I asked bell services if I could put the Pack It bag in there freezer for the week and they agreed. I was allowed to bring my milk (in medela milk bags) to bell services and they would let me into the back area to place the bags in the freezer myself. The hotel was so accommodating I couldn't praise them enough.

On our flight home I carried on a huge Pack It bag full of frozen milk! I told security as soon as I approached that I had a bag of breast milk and they let me right on through! The TA at security even praised me for letting them know asap, because they really do not like to be surprised when it goes through the scanner.

The top bags of milk defrosted a little bit, so I used those for my daughter and pumped for a couple more days when we got home. The rest I stored in my freezer.

 

[ipuffyheartdisney]

The baby care centers were so nice. They all have AC and separate rooms for your needs. The room where you feed/pump has outlets and rocking chairs, it is also dim lighted so it is more private. They have a room with a sink and they let me wash out all of my pump parts. Anything that you need, they really try to accommodate you. My DS had a major diaper explosion that week and it was so nice to go to the diaper changing area to change him. They have tv's on with Disney shows to keep their attention. I also was able to buy more diapers and a onesie because we used up everything we had on hand.

 

[andiraye]

That is an AMAZING effort. I nursed both of my kids until they were about 7-9 months old and have it up at that point because as much as I loved breastfeeding I DESPISED pumping, especially at work.

So kudos to you for the effort! (And I do not think less of any mom that does anything different).

My experience with pumping at Disney worked out really well. I only used the baby centers because I wanted to keep my milk (liquid gold!) My DD was 6 months at the time and my mother convinced me to leave her home with her. It was really hard on me to leave her, but after seeing multiple sunburned and exhausted babies, I knew I made the correct decision. (we had the trip paid for with DS2 before I knew I was pregnant and decided not to cancel).

I pumped at the hotel in the early AM and made our touring plans coincide to start and end at the baby centers, which was every 4 hours. It was so hot the AC in the rooms were a godsend! By the end of the week I didn't even bring my pump to the parks because we would come back to the room midday. I used my Medela pump and stored the milk in the cooler compartment in the bag. The first aid would fill up the cooler with ice for me. I stored my pump under my DS's stroller. We stayed at AKV and I brought the biggest Pack It lunch box. The bag itself freezes. I asked bell services if I could put the Pack It bag in there freezer for the week and they agreed. I was allowed to bring my milk (in medela milk bags) to bell services and they would let me into the back area to place the bags in the freezer myself. The hotel was so accommodating I couldn't praise them enough.

On our flight home I carried on a huge Pack It bag full of frozen milk! I told security as soon as I approached that I had a bag of breast milk and they let me right on through! The TA at security even praised me for letting them know asap, because they really do not like to be surprised when it goes through the scanner.

The top bags of milk defrosted a little bit, so I used those for my daughter and pumped for a couple more days when we got home. The rest I stored in my freezer.

 

[Angel Ariel]

We are going to Disney in about 2 months and my 4 month old daughter will be staying home with grandma and grandpa. I am planning on pumping while we are there to keep up my supply. I'm looking for suggestions on where people pump besides baby centers. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I had to exclusively pump (EP) for DD for various reasons, and we took her to Disney during that time. I wrote out a bunch of tips on pumping at WDW when I got back. Here are links to my story and top tips for pumping at WDW:

My experience EPing @ WDW
My top tips for EPing at WDW

Since I had a pump that could work on battery power (Ameda Purely Yours), I didn't need to be tied down to the baby care centers or any places with power outlets. It was incredibly helpful to have that freedom. There's still a lot of good tips in there, though, if your pump won't function on batteries and you do need to go to the baby care centers

The most important tip, though I know it wasn't what you were asking about, stay hydrated! Drink more water than you usually do! I didn't do this, and it affected my supply and took me a bit to recover from. Counter Service restaurants will give you water for free...drink as much as you can stand to drink

 

[vballnic3]

T

I had to exclusively pump (EP) for DD for various reasons, and we took her to Disney during that time. I wrote out a bunch of tips on pumping at WDW when I got back. Here are links to my story and top tips for pumping at WDW:

My experience EPing @ WDW
My top tips for EPing at WDW

Since I had a pump that could work on battery power (Ameda Purely Yours), I didn't need to be tied down to the baby care centers or any places with power outlets. It was incredibly helpful to have that freedom. There's still a lot of good tips in there, though, if your pump won't function on batteries and you do need to go to the baby care centers

The most important tip, though I know it wasn't what you were asking about, stay hydrated! Drink more water than you usually do! I didn't do this, and it affected my supply and took me a bit to recover from. Counter Service restaurants will give you water for free...drink as much as you can stand to drink

Thank you very much those are great tips. I pump at home because of excessive amount of milk so I would be ok if it drops. I'm planning on pumping 3 times in the hotel a day and bringing a hand pump to the parks for a mid day pump. Its nice to know that pumping on a bench was not obvious to what you are doing

 

[EPCOTgrl1]

Are you sure there aren't cameras inside the darker rides? I'm not sure I'd take that chance!

There are cameras all over the parks so really unless you are in a bathroom or (I am guessing) in the breast feeding room you are on camera. I am bringing my baby with me in a month and my plan is to BF her in the darker rides. I personally don't take issue with it and trust I am sure disney has seen worse then someone pumping or BFing. Lets be real honest I know they have seen worse.