As a nursing mom, there will undoubtedly be times when you will have to be away from your baby. Perhaps it will only be for a short period of time, such as when you go on a date with your husband. Sometimes you might have to be away from baby for a longer period, such as if  you have to travel on business and cannot take your baby along. Or there is a medical procedure that you must have, that will make it impossible for you to breastfeed for awhile.

This doesn’t have to mean weaning, however.

If you are a nursing mom, there are some extra steps you can take to ensure you and your baby cope well with this change in schedule.

This means stocking up on milk to nourish your baby while you’re away, keeping up your milk supply and remembering a few comfort techniques for yourself.

Here are a few tips for moms who have to leave their nursing baby.

1) Store Milk for Baby

Depending on how long you’ll be gone, you’ll want to begin pumping extra milk a few times a day to be stored and used to feed your baby while you’re away. This might take a couple of weeks, depending on how much your baby eats, how often you pump and how accustomed you are to pumping. Pumping is definitely a learned art. Don’t be discouraged if you get little or no milk at first.

Many moms find that it’s easiest to pump extra milk in the morning when their supply is higher, or after a nap. (Typically a woman has more milk after a period of sleep.) You could also nurse baby on one side and pump on the other with a high quality hand held pump. The familiar sensation of baby’s nursing makes the milk flow more easily, and you’ll often get more milk.

Store your milk in freezer-safe containers that the babysitter or another family member can pull out and warm for baby when he or she is hungry.

If your baby is not used to bottle feeding, it’s a good idea to introduce the bottle to him or her before leaving. It usually works best if someone else offers the bottle, not you, as baby will often reject a bottle when your breasts are nearby. Some babies are so sensitive, they won’t bottle feed if mom is in the house, so consider running an errand the first time your baby’s caregiver attempts this.

You can also leave behind an article of clothing of yours, such as a shirt or nightgown, to remind baby of your smell while feeding.

2) Keep Up Your Milk Supply

While away, it is important to keep up your milk supply if you plan on nursing your baby when you get back. To do this, you’ll need to find a pump that works well for you. It may be a hand pump, electric pump or by hand expressing your milk. You’ll want to pump as often as your baby usually nurses, if possible. (If you can’t manage this, shoot for every 4 hours and once at night.)

As long as milk is being taken out of your breasts, your body will believe it is still nursing and continue to produce milk on a regular basis.

Many women find it helpful to take along a picture of their baby to look at while pumping or a blanket that has their smell. It is a good idea to use the same blanket during a couple of feedings before leaving and take this with you. You might want to wear nursing pads throughout the day to catch any leaking that may occur.

3) Comfort Techniques

Not being able to nurse as frequently can cause painful engorgement for some women. The breasts feel sore, tender and hard in some areas.

Pumping the milk out can help out tremendously, but you may still want to employ some comfort techniques for your own benefit.

Take a warm compress, such as a hand towel moist with warm water and place on your breasts. After a few minutes of direct heat, gently massage the lumps in your breasts. This will help the milk flow easier and is a good time to pump some milk out.

After massaging the breasts, a cold pack might help reduce discomfort and pain. A hot or cold shower can replace the hot or cold packs if you wish.

It may not be easy when a mom has to leave her nursing baby, but hopefully with these tips you’ll be as comfortable as possible and resume a happy breastfeeding relationship once you and baby are reunited!

photo credit: Daquella manera

Road Trip With a Breastfed Baby:

If your baby or toddler is already eating solids, this can be an option for feeding him on the road. However, if he only drinks milk, you might want to pump milk ahead of time into bottles to feed him along the way. If you are the passenger, you can even pump into a bottle and feed him during the drive, if need be. Some babies do not take bottles at all and only drink from the breast. In this case, you’ll want to schedule in regular meals and snacks for your child by visiting rest stops to nurse him. Do not remove the baby from his car seat as you travel on the road, as this is both illegal and potentially dangerous.

Breastfeeding On An Airplane:

While it may be frowned upon by some people, it is perfectly legal to breastfeed your baby in public, and this includes during a flight. As a breastfeeding mother, you even have an advantage over those who use bottles, due to the strict liquid regulations. While bottles of formula and milk are now allowed onto planes, the milk in your breasts are not subject to search and are quite portable, making traveling easier for you. One tip you’ll want to try is breastfeeding your baby during takeoff and landing. This can reduce his fears of flying and reduces the chance of his ears popping, which can feel painful for a baby. While many people aren’t thrilled about having a baby near them in flight, breastfed babies typically make wonderful flying companions!

Taking along a baby sling can be a huge help when traveling with a baby, especially when going through busy airports. You can even nurse discreetly in the sling and noone will be the wiser. The sling also helps to comfort baby and reduce fussiness, as well as helping him nap when he’s tired.

Bottle Feeding

Breastfeeding while traveling and doing activities is certainly different than feeding at home. For many breastfeeding mothers, bottle feeding is a new concept. If you do plan on bottle-feeding your pumped milk on outings, be sure you have a cooler that can keep milk fresh as you are traveling and be sure to abide by the guidelines of how long milk should be kept. If you are planning on being away from the baby for a period of time, such as a day at the spa, then be sure to pump ahead of time for baby as well. This can also be an adjustment for baby as well and should be introduced to him days before your departure.

Taking care of yourself

Although vacation is designed to be fun, it can also be physically and mentally exhausting. There is a lot of moving around from place to place that occurs, as well as eating at new places and experiencing new things. It is also possible you will be nursing on a different schedule, which can be uncomfortable for you. To counteract this, be sure you are getting plenty of rest, fluids and nutrition. If you are breastfeeding at odd hours or less than usual, you might need to carry along a small pump with you (or pump by hand) to release some milk and give you some comfort. Take along breastfeeding items you may need, such as breast pads, lanolin or hot packs if your breast get sore. Vitamin B6 can also assist in tenderness. Vacations are a common time for moms to experience plugged ducts or mastitis. Baby is distracted and you may be nursing less. Be sure to take care of yourself so your vacation is relaxing.

Some mothers choose to wean their babies at a predetermined time (perhaps at one year of age), or when life circumstances seem to warrant it (such as a new pregnancy).

But most of the time, weaning can be a gradual, natural process where a baby or young child grows away from the need to breastfeed. It is more comfortable this way for mom and baby. Technically, weaning begins when the first solid food is offered.

In this series of posts, we’re going to talk about why weaning your baby gradually is the best advice, for both baby and mom.

Why Sudden Weaning is a Bad Idea—for Mom

Is sudden weaning really the solution to your problems? Moms who’ve “had it” with breastfeeding often think the best way to wean is by stopping “cold turkey.”

But, unless it’s absolutely medically necessary, this may not be a great idea—at all. Aside from the emotional toll it can take on a child, sudden weaning is, literally, a pain for mom.

Breasts make milk on a supply-and-demand basis. Your breasts won’t have time to adjust if your baby is nursing six times one day and the next day you decide to cut nursing out completely.

Sudden weaning can painfully engorge your breasts, leading to plugged ducts that may result in a breast abscess or infection.

You could even get mastitis.

Sudden weaning also will cause a sudden drop in hormones, making you feel moody or depressed.

Re-consider the desire to suddenly wean your baby. The best way to wean is gradually, with love. Gradual weaning helps your milk flow adjust accordingly and your body adjust to new hormone levels.

Later we’ll talk about why gradual weaning is better for your baby.

This doesn’t have to mean weaning, however.
photo credit: EraPhernalia Vintage (somewhat busy)

If you are a nursing mom, there are some extra steps you can take to ensure you and your baby cope well with this change in schedule.

This means stocking up on milk to nourish your baby while you’re away, keeping up your milk supply and remembering a few comfort techniques for yourself.

Here are a few tips for nursing moms who have to be away from their baby.

1) Store Milk for Baby

Depending on how long you’ll be gone, you’ll want to begin pumping extra milk daily to be stored and used to feed your baby while you’re on your trip. This might take a couple of weeks, depending on how much your baby eats, how often you pump and what your milk supply looks like.

Many moms find that it’s easiest to pump extra milk in the morning when their supply is higher, or after a nap. (Typically a woman has more milk after a period of sleep.)

Store your milk in freezer-safe containers that the babysitter or another family member can pull out and warm for baby when he or she is hungry.

If your baby is not used to bottle feeding, it might be a good idea to briefly introduce the bottle to him or her before leaving. It usually works best if someone else offers the bottle, not you, as baby will often reject a bottle when your breasts are nearby.

You can also leave behind an article of clothing of yours, such as a shirt or nightgown, to remind baby of your smell while feeding.

2) Keep Up Your Milk Supply

While away, it is important to keep up your milk supply if you plan on nursing your baby when you get back. To do this, you’ll need to find a pump that works well for you. It may be a hand pump, electric pump or by hand expressing your milk. You’ll want to pump as often as your baby usually nurses, if possible. The pumping will cause your body to believe it is still nursing and continue to produce milk on a regular basis.

Many women find it helpful to take along a picture of their baby to look at while pumping or a blanket that has their smell. It is a good idea to use the same blanket during a couple of feedings before leaving and take this with you. You might want to wear nursing pads throughout the day to catch any leaking that may occur.

3) Comfort Techniques

Not being able to nurse as frequently can cause painful engorgement for some women. The breasts feel sore, tender and hard in some areas.

Pumping the milk out can help out tremendously, but you may still want to employ some comfort techniques for your own benefit.

Take a warm compress, such as a hand towel moist with warm water and place on your breasts. After a few minutes of direct heat, take some natural oil, such as sweet almond oil and gently massage the lumps in your breasts. This will help the milk flow easier and is a good time to pump some milk out.

After massaging the breasts, a cold pack might help reduce discomfort and pain. A hot or cold shower can replace the hot or cold packs if you wish.

Plugged ducts and mastitis are two of the most common challenges that a breastfeeding mom may face while nursing her baby. Since the two conditions are so similar, we’ll discuss them both here. First we’ll discuss what can lead to a plugged duct (which when untreated often leads to mastitis) and how to prevent it, and what to do if you have symptoms.

A plugged duct is literally that – a milk duct in the breast that becomes “stuck” with milk. It is not being drained properly due to: an ill fitting (too tight or underwire) bra; not nursing often enough; a baby who is not sucking well at the breast; not varying the position of the baby while feeding; baby carriers that put pressure on the breasts; even the mother’s sleeping position.

It may present as a hard, red sore spot on the breast, or mom may not have any external symptoms. She may just have discomfort in an area of her breast. She may also notice a white dot on the end of her nipple with what looks like thickened or hardened milk or a small pimple.

To prevent plugged ducts, it’s important to make sure baby is latching on to the breast well and mom is not uncomfortable during feedings. There shouldn’t be anything pinching or pressuring her breast. Nursing frequently to “empty” the breast well (since the nursing breast is never truly empty) is important to avoid mom getting overly full. Nursing moms should avoid sleeping on their stomachs or in another position that squeezes the breast for a long period of time if they have frequent plugged ducts. The same would be true of underwire bras. Some moms just can’t use them.

If you notice symptoms of a plugged duct, take action immediately. This condition can frequently lead to mastitis, which can make a mom feel as if she’s been hit by a truck! Some steps to take to treat a plugged duct:

* Nurse frequently.
* Before nursing, use warm compresses to soften the breast. During the feeding, try gentle massage (starting at the top of the chest above the sore area and moving down towards the nipple).
* Change the position of the baby so that his/her chin is pointing towards the sore spot. This might take some flexibility! The reason for this is because the baby’s suck is strongest at that point and can drain the plugged duct more effectively.
* Get in the shower and let the hot water run down the chest. Repeat the massage. This one step has been a lifesaver for moms who are in pain with a plugged duct. Often it will open up and mom will notice thickened milk or even “crystals” coming from her nipple. This is a good thing. This thickened milk will not harm the baby either.
* Tylenol and Motrin are safe for nursing moms to use if the pain is bad.
* Get lots of rest. The best course of action is to take baby to bed immediately and encourage him/her to nurse frequently. Take naps and spend the majority of the day in bed if at all possible.

These tips will usually mean the problem will resolve in a day or two, maybe sooner. If you develop fever and chills and the plugged duct doesn’t resolve, it may have turned into mastitis. Mastitis feels like the flu, but it’s not life threatening, neither is weaning necessary or even recommended since it would only make the problem worse.

The same tips listed above will help mastitis. In addition, you can call your Doctor and ask for antibiotics, which may be helpful if you have been exposed to some other illness. For some reason, if other family members are ill with a cold or flu or other infection, the nursing mom will sometimes come down with mastitis. This is especially true if she has been doing too much and denying herself proper rest.

Plugged ducts and mastitis don’t need to be the end of the nursing experience. With the right information and support, it’s just a stepping stone.

Nursing your older baby is different from a tiny one in many ways. First, as your baby grows and discovers his independence, he may have a hard time focusing on the task at hand. Finding a quiet room with few distractions or using a sling is a good idea. It will enable both of you to relax and enjoy your nursing time.

Keep in mind that your nursing older baby may have become quite the efficient eater. While it may have taken her twenty or thirty minutes to get her tummy full in the beginning, she may be able to do so in minutes now. Let her hunger cues guide you. Most of her nutrients are still coming from your milk at this point because other foods are only gradually entering her diet. It’s ok for that to be the case for the first year of her life.

Sometimes the older baby will start biting while nursing. This often happens when they’re starting to cut teeth. This problem can be overcome pretty quickly. Most babies attempt to bite at least once, often just to see how you will react. They’re experimenting.

Sometimes with an older baby moms start expecting too much of themselves. They start thinking that life should be ‘back to normal’, like it was before baby. Life will never be the same after having a baby, so don’t push yourself too much. Doing so can lead to issues like plugged milk ducts.