Question for Mothers with Infants

[WeLuvBuzz]

This is definitely a question only for Mommys....
I'm wondering how many more of you will be pumping breast milk while in Disney? If so, which pump are you using? How often will you be pumping? And, where? I pumped last time we were in Disney as well, but my supply was seriously diminished by the time I got home. I'm using the Avent Isis this time (instead of the big electric I used last time) and I'm going to try to pump more often to keep up my supply. If any of you have any tips, I would love to hear them!

 

[Familymoon]

Will you be pumping exclusively because you'll be away from your baby? (i'm going to assume so since it sounds like that)

If so, definitely try to pump whenever the baby usually nurses to keep your production at the same level and not change the composition of the milk.

You made a GREAT choice in pumps - the Avent has shown to be *more* effective (yields more milk in a shorter amount of time) than the hospital quality medela pumps and pump in style!! I used the Avent with my last two and it is wonderful. The only tricky part is getting the milk to let down away from baby. Especially if you are in a crowded place, it might be a little harder than at home.

If your supply diminishes, you can always rebuild it with fenugreek (or Mother's Milk tea) and with frequent nursings at home...but I'm sure you know that

So - as for the "where" - I think the nursing rooms down there are not private, so I'd skip that...although, the mothers would certainly be supportive if you think you can pump discreetly (at least you'd have the moral support of like-minded individuals...and now that I say that - it may be easier to get letdown to happen if there are fussing/nursing babies nearby)

If it were me - and there was no way I could bring the babe - I'd pump first thing in the morning as much as I could...maybe go back to the resort for lunch and another pump in privacy...and then again in the evening either at dinner time or at parks' close depending on how late you'll be out. (and before bed) Then, be sure you pack the pumping components and freezer packs for milk storage (like the kind the formula companies give out for free - or the Avent breastmilk storage kit backpack thing). You never know when you'll have spontaneous letdown in the parks.

Then again - a lot of this depends on the age of your baby and how often they nurse. If the baby is a newborn, clearly you'll need more than 4 pumping sessions a day before you're leaking like a sieve. But, if the baby is at least, say 4 months...4 a day would be adequate...if the baby is older you might get away with pumping at the beginning of the day and mid-afternoon.

Good for you, mama!!!!

 

[tammie33]

I am leaving on Saturday (YEAH). I have the Medela Pump In Style and will leave it at the Condo. My plan is to pump enough milk so that daddy can watch the baby on Thursday night when I go to MVMCP with the rest of my family. Other than that, I'll BF her at the parks. I wish I had bought a sling, but I'm getting the hang of BF her discretely (but I have to stop and sit to do it). I usually pump one bottle a day at home so daddy can feed her, so she is used to the bottle and my body is used to pumping.

I do recommend pumping as close to nursing times as possible to help keep your supply up. Maybe even more often if you know you may have supply issues. Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[WeLuvBuzz]

Thank you so much for such an informative and supportive reply!!!

I agree, the Isis is the best!! I've only had it for one day and I LOVE it!!! I think I got double the amount of milk with it!

Yes, I will be pumping exclusively for 8 days. I'll probably be pumping every three hours, which makes for a lot of time. I'm hoping to find places other than the bathroom to pump.

Maybe you can help me with another question. You mentioned freezer packs that the formula companies give out.... We will be staying at ASMo, so although we will have a fridge, no freezer. Is there anyway to keep the milk cold while in the parks without a freezer? I do have those little pack things that came with my electric pump, but I need to put them in the freezer for them to work. I've read that breast milk is fine at room temp for 24 hours, but I'd like to be able to keep it cooler if possible.

Again, thank you so much!!! I never expected to receive such a sweet response! Have a great Familymoon!!

 

[JennsBabySky]

Good luck with your trip!

On other trips, I've brought empty baggies and asked them to fill with ice. Also, most hotels can be surprisingly nice about special requests for storing breastmilk. You could probably ask the front desk to have the freezer packs frozen in the hotel freezer (I would place in large plastic baggies first). I've heard of others having success with this. How are you planning on transporting all 8 days worth of milk home? Will you be shipping on dry ice or waiting until the trip is over to bring milk home? If you are waiting until the trip is over, your best bet may be to have the hotel freeze the milk for you (at least the milk pumped early in the trip) then transport it home frozen. Everyone has there own preference for storing milk, I personally liked the Bailey bags (you can write on these and they include clips to close), but I've also heard good things about the Gerber bags. The nice thing about storing milk in bags is that it is easier to transport to the hotel and you don't need to stock up on lots of bottles. I've used the avent liners, but I had problems with the liners leaking while thawing (but that is just me).

I also loved the Avent Isis pump for pumping, but I had trouble maintaining my supply with it. Personally, I needed a hospital grade rental for supply maintenance. If you do decide to rent a pump, it is usually only $25-$40 a month, so it shouldn't cost too much for one trip. Obviously, this is a personal decision based on what will work best for you! One big con to this is that the rental pump I had was very HEAVY!!! I flew with it once and it was very taxing. Although, I was happy to have it once I got to the hotel. After 8 days you could become really engorged (even with pumping -- if the pump is not as effective as your baby). A hot shower is great for relieving pressure if all else fails!

Here are the storage guidelines from breastfeeding.com:

Breastmilk can be stored at room temperature (66-72
degrees Fahrenheit) for up to 10 hours

Breastmilk can be stored in the refrigerator that maintains
a temperature of between 32 and 29 degrees Fahrenheit
for up to 8 days.

Breastmillk can be stored in the freezer section of your
refrigerator that has a separate door for up to 3 months.

Breastmilk can be stored in an upright or chest freezer at
a constant temperature of 0 degrees (Fahrenheit) for 6
to 12 months.

I don't think you can freeze the breastmilk if it has been refrigerated for more than one day.

I hope this helps (and sorry for the short book, I just found it required a lot of coordination to leave my baby behind while breastfeeding).

Take care,
Jennifer

 

[Familymoon]

The above poster had some great ideas!!!!

I'm not sure if (where) you could find some dry ice down there, but you should be able to pack your milk containers into a cooler with ice. Just keep the lid closed and replace the ice every day.

The freezer packs won't work without a freezer (sorry - I completely forgot abou the fact that it would be 8 days)
But, if you bring a bunch of sandwich ziplock bags (double bag them, too) you shouldn't have too much trouble bringing stuff to the parks.

And, like I said - the baby care rooms should be fine for nursing in

 

[tinaluis]

Another thumbs up for the Avent Isis -- it was such a lifesaver. I'm sorry they didn't come out with it sooner. I was able to use it with my third DD exclusively even though I already had a hospital grade electric pump. The Isis was much easier to handle and clean compared to my electric pump. It also made it much easier to pump in the bathrooms at WDW (or anywhere else for that matter) because it's so easy to use. I realize that I could have used the nursing rooms but always seemed closer to a bathroom than a nursing room. BTW, I pumped exclusively with all three of my DDs because I could never quite get the latch on without a whole lot of pain, and the Isis kept up with my youngest baby's demand until I decided to stop at about 7 months. Perhaps the hotel will give you a small refrigerator/freezer free of charge because it's a medical necessity. A friend travels with insulin and the hotels provide a refrigerator free of charge because she has to store her insulin. Just a thought.

 

[ahutton]

One of the biggest reasons my production slowed down on a trip was because I got very dehydrated, so please make sure to keep your supply up you are drinking more than you normally would. Even on a cool day you can become dehydrated with the increased activity.

Also - if you are not planning to use the milk until home and are worried you won't be able to freeze it... Another option some would consider is donating it to a local mother's milk bank. They use donated milk to help ill children whose mother's can't produce or can't produce enough to help them survive. True, your own little one will miss the extra supply on hand, but it would be better than letting it go bad or letting your supply decrease. If you have trouble finding one contact the closest hospital, they will know where to find one.