Could I Continue to Breastfeed After Being Away from My Baby for a Week?

Try to pump while you are gone at the times when your baby normally nurses. When you get back it will take a couple of days to get back to your normal milk supply. So plan to spend a little extra time nursing the baby and building up your milk supply. Enjoy your trip!

Absoulutly!!! As long as you pump while you're away to keep you're supply and demand milk supply up you'll be fine! And by this point your baby is well established at the breast that he'll pick it right back up!! :)

Pump & Dump, baby! You can do it!!

I had to stop nursing my daughter 2x, once when she was only a week old, and again when she was about 5 months old. I did not have any problems re-starting.

Get one of those hand pumps (I liked the Advent) & empty out as needed. I recommend trying to pump on her normal feeding schedule. You will be fine!

P. : )

I took a week trip without my son while breastfeeding and breastfed after. I pumped and threw it out wile on the trip. If you want to make sure he will still do so, pump milk for him before the ttrip to be given while your gone.

I am glad to see you are thinking about it now. A lot could happen between now and then that could impact this decision. I have been a strong believer that you let the child set the pace for nursing. There is a natural tendency when a child learns to walk that they want to "wean" themselves away from mommy. This establishs independence and its a natural desire to be away. Its the perfect time to let them choose to be done nursing. I have seen many moms push past this natural desire and find that around 18 months they struggle with their children- because it is then that they have entered the anxiety stage and want to cling to mommy again- not the best time to say no to breastfeeding. Not every chld walks at the same time so I hate putting a "age" to end nursing. Just watch for the signs of independence- when he shows you that he wants to be free- let it happen naturaly. Now if you find he still wants nursing and you are going to be gone, you will be fine with missing a week. I would express myself every morning in the shower so that you one don't suffer and two remind the breast they still need to produce. You would want to make sure he has enough breast milk supply at home so that is what he is drinking while you ar gone or he may not want the milk when you return. Good luck and enjoy this time together.

J.,
I believe you're going to have to pump while on your trip to keep up your supply. By then your supply will be pretty low, right? At 15 months, I was down to breastfeeding my son only before bed. If you plan doing the same, you'll have to continue to pump each night to keep your supply up. You don't have to store it if you leave some at home with the baby. Good luck and enjoy your time away!

You'll still be able to resume breastfeeding if you choose to (altho it may take a few days to rebuild your milk supply). After the trip, I'd kind of leave it up to him. If he's interested, let him. If not, let him wean. If a child is ready to wean and a bottle or breast is continually thrust upon him/her, s/he will RE-attach, and then it's usually difficult to wean when YOU choose to.

Have a good trip!

you will have to pump a lot to make sure your milk stays strong. The baby suckling is stronger than pumping so you will have to make sure to keep it up. I bet the little guy will miss you so much that he will be begging you to nurse when you get home. He will get back in the swing of things and if he doesn't, 15 mos is a really good start to a healthy life.

If your son is 15 months and you have been breastfeeding this long then most definetly with some scheduled pumping sessions you two will be just fine. The hardest part will be if your son can go a week without nursing. Make sure now he takes bm, formula, or regular milk before hand. If you haven't already try him with a nuby sippy cup. The large spout makes it ideal for nursing babes.

My girlfriend had to wean her son at 14 months because she was supposed to take seizure medication. She had a horrible experience and found out she didn't have to take the medicine after all. She hadn't nursed in almost 6 weeks and with the help of some mothers milk tea and fenugreek she relactated and went on to nurse her son for a few more months.

I'm glad you are saying you want to continue a bit longer. I nursed my son for 21 months and it was so sad how quickly we dropped nursing and after a month he even forgot how to latch. I still have tiny amounts of milk left and after a bath together his baby instincts kick in and he will smell my breasts like it triggers memories. The nursing time really goes by all to fast, make the most of it. Good Luck!

you should be fine just make sure to pump while you are gone and before you go so dad or whom ever will have some

Hi J....

You should have absolutely no problems with continuing breast feeding after a week. Make sure you pump enough before the trip for him to continue recieving while you are gone and then continue to pump during the week you are gone as well. Even if you didn't pump while you are gone... a week usually does not make a big difference in the supply however if you want to enjoy your week and not be engorged and in pain... continue to pump.

Have a great trip and dont stress over this... nature has made us wonderful mothers and gives us everything we need.

Yes, absolutely! Especially if you pump!

Fwiw, my older son weaned himself in a day when he was 13 m/o -- a nursing strike which turned into complete weaning -- screamed and arched his back when I tried to get him in a nursing position (I was 3-4 months pregnant, which may have altered the taste of the milk and caused him to stop nursing). For a week, I tried to get him to nurse again, and during that week I was still able to express milk, even though he wasn't nursing at all, nor was I pumping. After I weaned my second son (at 22 m/o), I was still able to express milk for a couple of weeks, whenever I checked. Every woman is different, but that should give you hope. :-)

At that age he may decide to wean while you are gone or he may pick up where he left off. Who will be taking care of him while you are gone? How will he handle the not nursing while your gone? If he needs to nurse before he sleeps then you may need to wean him from that feeding so he will be able to sleep while your gone.

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Yes. I did. I was tandem nursing my 1yo & my 3 yo, was away for 7 days, and went right back into sync when I arrived home. Went on to nurse them 2 & 1 more yrs respectively. That week of not nursing was enough that I got pregnant again though, so watch out! I only pumped enough to relieve engorgement, not often at all, maybe 4 times the whole week, but boy when I saw the kids again, did I let down! We had to stop right there in the airport before we could even get my luggage!

J.,

First let me say - Way to go! You are doing a awesome job nursing your baby! As a Mom who has nursed both her babies I know that sometimes it is not the easiest thing to do, so good job.

You have gotten some great advice and I hope that you feel confident that you can do this! The only thing I wanted to add is - if your baby is not currently using a bottle don't introduce one because of your trip.
Someone else mentioned the Nubby sippy cups - we loved these. They where the only sippy cup out there, at the time, with a soft top and a wide spout (most like the breast). I would just be cautious introducing a bottle to a 15 month old.

You will find that you still have milk in those things a full month after nobody has nursed on them!!! Do pump for your own comfort and to keep your supply up. If you don't have anywhere to store the milk- don't feel guilty, just dump it.

Yes, you can pump. I did so for 20 days (due to meds I had to take for my nose), and the baby was 5 weeks. I smile thinking about the stories I have while pumping on the road; they could fill a book. Yes, you can pump and it'll work out fine. Make sure you find the outlets when away, to hook up the pump. Note the battery powered units don't always give enough suction. Also, a double breast pump that's electric would work, but I can't imagine using anything else (for the sake of time and hassle). Happy pumping.