Pumping While Away

[lifeguard]

I am going to be away from ds for 2 weeks in July. We've discussed it over & over & have decided to not try to wean him before I leave & see where it goes. I hope he will latch on again as soon as I return but know there is a good chance this will cause him to wean. He does fine without nursing if I'm not around (I've been away for weekends before) so we don't think it will be terribly upsetting for him.

Anyway, I will be bringing my pump with me. I'm just not sure how often/much to pump. If I pump just enough to be comfortable will my milk supply dramatically drop in 2 weeks? Or should I be pumping frequently to try to maintain supply? If it does drop when/if he starts nursing again will it be able to increase?

I'm just trying to think of logistics & want to make sure I'm prepared ahead of time.

Thanks!

[pbjmama]

If you only pump for comfort over 2 weeks your supply will decrease. When you get back it could increase back to normal but I think you may be able to find a middle ground. I think it depends on how often you are nursing now. For example, if you are nursing all day I would say you need to pump at least 4 times, morning, after lunch, around dinner and before bed. Not sure what the trip is for, if you can set the pumping or if you only have certain times you will be able to pump.

[Altair]

It really depends on how often he nurses. I agree with a PP that at that age I'd pump 4 times a day if he nurses often. I pumped SO MUCH when my son was a baby and now that he's a toddler I don't get more than an oz pumping, but I know he's nursing much more than that... so my theory is that toddlers are very efficient nursers and we need to pump more than they would be nursing to get a similar amount.

[lifeguard]

Thanks. Wow - 4 times. I guess that makes sense but it'll be interesting fitting it into my schedule. Luckily it'll be all women where I'm going so should be very supportive - in fact my friend who is also along will have her newborn with her.

[aylaanne]

nak

how often does your son nurse? he's about a year younger than my DS and I went on a 3 day vacation around the same time last year. I pumped twice a day, and when I got back DS went back to nursing with no hesitation, and is still nursing now. I even had a snafu where I got held up overnight without my pump, so I had to hand-express in a bathroom at the airport.

If you're used to nursing at least 4x/day, then pumping less than that will cause a dip in your supply, but as long as you're telling your boobs "we still do this" then when your son starts nursing again your supply should return.

[D_McG]

I think it depends on a few things.

How often he nurses now.
How you'd feel if he weaned

I know I've left both of mine for a weekend and have been fine to just pump when I had to (about 2x day).

If you really want to keep going after a 2 week break I'd try to pump at least 4x/day. Just b/c you likely won't get that much while pumping. I know when I pumped recently while apart from DD it was pretty dismal.

[lifeguard]

I think I am going to try to do the 4x a day - he nurses at least that often right now.

I know it is a possibility that he may wean. I don't really want him to but as this is something I committed to while still pregnant & he is not able to come with me (or be geographically close) it's something I've come to accept.

[D_McG]

Originally Posted by lifeguard

I think I am going to try to do the 4x a day - he nurses at least that often right now.

I know it is a possibility that he may wean. I don't really want him to but as this is something I committed to while still pregnant & he is not able to come with me (or be geographically close) it's something I've come to accept.

just to clarify, I personally would be 110% fine with my child (same age) weaning. TBH I would pump at all. So I just asked the question b/c if you would be devastated at him weaning then I'd say well definitely pump >4x day. If you're just nursing b/c he wants to then I'd be more relaxed about it.