Business trip will bring breastfeeding to an end?

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lisa88

Registered User
I have a business trip to the US coming up in six weeks time and am worried that this will bring my breastfeeding to an end. The trip will be for 7-10 days. Am breastfeeding my 11 week old girl exclusively. I went back to work in early May when she was 8 weeks old. I have been pumping milk at work, twice a day. In a 24 hour cycle, I breastfeed her 4X and she has my expressed breast milk in a bottle 2X whilst I am out at work. On weekends I feed her 6X and pump 3X every 24 hours. My stash of frozen milk will last for 2 days, that's it. I don't see how I can increase that stash of milk to cover the 10-day trip that I am away, plus I am gonna be really engorged during the trip. Pumping & storing milk during the trip is not an option as I will be in looooong meetings. What to do? should I just start weaning now? It is such a pity coz I worked really really hard to get my milk supply up and to pump milk at work. Now that the whole breastfeeding thing is stabilized, I have to give it up!! Even my husband is disappointed. He has been very supportive. Suggestions welcome!
 
You can pump and dump. Sounds like such a waste, I know, but it's one way of trying to keep up your supply. I had a couple of business trips when I was nursing my first one: The first trip was when he was around 4 months old. I brought the pump with me and pumped and dumped, except for the supply I got right before flying back. I brought along gel coolants and a Medela bag with me for that purpose. I had a trip to the US when he was around 15 months old and I didn't even bring my pump then. Managed to get back to breastfeeding (fenugreek capsules, Korean seaweed soup) and kept at it until he was 18 months. With our 2nd one, I was hospitalized for almost a week when she was around 9 months old. Pumped and dumped. When I got back home, I breastfed directly as much as I could, on demand... took fenugreek capsules and Korean seaweek soup again, and was able to get my supply back. Still breastfeeding now at 25 months. Planning (hoping, really!) to stop soon...

It can be done. :) Good luck.
 
As for not having enough breastmilk stored up now to feed your little one while you are gone - have you considered started your little one on formula for one or two meals a day so you can pump more during the day and freeze? That way even while you are gone, your little one can have a few meals of expressed breastmilk a day and a few of formula. Then when you come back you can work on going back to exclusively breastfeeding if you want or continue to supplement with some formula during the day.

Buckeroo - what is Korean seaweed soup and do you make that yourself or buy it? Thanks.
 
FutureHKmom - You can make Korean seaweed soup yourself. Here is a very basic recipe.

You can basically use chicken, beef, oxtail, clams (!) or pork as a soup base. All my Korean friends take this after giving birth and ALL of them had lots of milk, so I thought I'd try it. It worked for me as well, but best of all, I really love the soup. :)
 
Hubby gets it when he goes on biz trips to Korea, but you should be able to get them here at Korean stores here in HK. I'll ask my friend if she knows of anywhere here in HK that sells these and will post here once I find out.
 
Hi Buckeroo, thanks for the suggestion. Will have to figure out how to pump during the working days on the business trip. I will be with my boss (70 y.o. man!) much of the time.

Hi FutureHKmom, have been trying to avoid formula all this time, but I guess there is good justification this time.
 
anyway you can take baby and helper (to care for the baby when you are working or in the evening when you need to recover from jetlag) with you? then you could still bf in the morning and at night, and pump during the day?

for a baby, you wouldn't need a seat. i'm assuming that you'll be flying business class if it is a business trip. you could buy an economy class ticket for your helper and share duty while on the plane. tickets to the USA are relatively cheap and infant fare is only 10% of original price...

that might be a possibility. it is what i would try to do....i couldn't bear to be away from my baby when they are so little.
 
lisa88 - I wouldn't feel bad about giving your baby one or two meals of formula. I too was in the beginning very against giving any formula at all, but because by the time my baby was 6 weeks old, my husband and I was so tired at nights my husband and I started giving our baby a bottle of formula at his last feed at night. He's been doing very well with the formula and starting at 6 weeks, he sleeps 6-8 hours a night. So really I was worried about the formula for nothing. Plus, as you said now, you have a good reason to start formula, so no need to feel bad. The majority of your feeds, as mine are too, will still be breast milk!
 
Hi Carang, thanks for the suggestion but I am not too keen to take baby on a plane these days. Seems like the prime place to pick up the swine flu is on board a plane! In other times, I might consider but it is still a long trip to New York.
 
if that's the case, then continue to pump while you are gone. dump the milk. have your helper use the stored breastmilk on ration (maybe one feed per day) to make it last longer and then use formula for the rest.

it wont' kill your baby to have formula and the baby is still getting some breastmilk every day (hopefully). you will be pumping, so your supply shouldn't dwindle too much. when you return, breast feed as much as you possibly can to get supply back up and running.

good luck!
 
You could see if your hotel has a freezer they could put in your room? A good hotel, if given enough notice, would likely sort something out for you.

That way, you'd only have to dump the milk you pump during the day when in your long meetings - the milk you pump in the morning and night, you could freeze. Then transport it home packed in ice on the plane - or use coolants as someone else suggested.

The air stewards were happy to refill ice bags for me in the air and you could have someone waiting at the airport for you with a freezer bag. I seem to remember looking into dry ice but it was too difficult.
 
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