business trip

[Rose-Roget]

I think this officially belongs in this forum.  Dd is 15 months old.  Right now, she nurses 1-4 times per day, depending on the schedule and whether she wakes up at night to nurse.  I have not been able to get any milk pumping since last summer, and while I never feel "full" (even when she only nurses once in a day), I feel a letdown when she nurses and know that she is actually getting milk.  I am not planning to wean her at this time.

My problem is that I have a business trip in April.  With travel days and the conference, I will be gone about 4 days.  Is this amount of time enough to make my body stop producing milk?  I don't hold out hope for actually being able to pump any milk during the trip, but would the stimulation of pumping be enough to trick my body into continuing to produce milk?  I don't have my electric pump anymore, so it would probably need to be with a manual pump.  Should I take fenugreek or drink Mother's Milk tea?  I could really use some advice!  TIA

[PatioGardener]

In that situation, I'd try to pump or hand express with the worry of mastitis if I didn't. I'd want to take my kiddo with me, but if that wasn't possible then I would definitely expect to pump or express - for comfort and supply.

Once I got back I would work to increase my supply - but if pumping is an issue I would not take any teas etc when I was away for fear of engorgement/mastitis.

Good luck!

[Rose-Roget]

Thank you for your reply, PatioGardner!  It's funny - my brain didn't even go to the idea of engorgement or mastitis.  It only went to the idea of completely losing my supply.  Dd had a lot of difficulty gaining weight (you were very supportive and helpful to us at this time last year), and my supply has been sensitive.  Given those issues and some others, I was grateful to make it to a year nursing her.  The fact that I haven't felt engorgement, even after missing a feeding or two in a row, I never even considered that it could still happen.  When I stopped bf'ing my ds 5 years ago, friends would tell me how engorged they got and how they had to express some to avoid the discomfort (even if they'd only been nursing once per day, as I had been), but I never had that problem, and it felt like my body just stopped producing immediately.

Unfortunately, I can't take dd with me.

[Lizbiz]

HI! I would pump - using a pump a couple of times a day is what I would do given your current nursing schedule.  If you want to keep nursing - just try to plan a few days post business trip that are more relaxed and at home if possible - giving you and your baby a little reunion time to power nurse whenever she wants to re-stimulate your supply.  

I went away for 5 days when my daughter was almost 11 months old.  I don't have supply problems, so my issues aren't the same... but I pumped 3x/day (whereas at that time, my daughter was nursing 4-5x/day) to keep it up and then did just that - came home and had a very relaxed weekend with my family.  She latched back on and all went well. 

I would not take teas while you are gone - but maybe have them on hand for when you come back home if you want to stimulate supply at that point.

If you are really intent upon continuing nursing - you could see about renting an electric pump for your trip - it would make the pumping quick and very effective, I'm sure.  

Good luck!

[Rose-Roget]

Thanks, Lizbiz!  I'll make sure to pump a few times a day while I'm gone.  Hopefully the stimulation, at least, will help keep my supply up, even if no actual milk pumps (like I said, I haven't been able to get milk when pumping - electric or manual - since last summer).  Then I'll nurse more frequently and take teas when I return.

While it wouldn't be the end of the world to stop bf'ing at that time, I'd like it to come to a more natural end rather than so abrupt.  Don't think that would be good for either of us.

Thanks again!