Travelling with frozen breast milk and expressing while travelling

[MissSaoPaulo]

I live in Brazil and this week we're taking my 4-month-old daughter to England to spend the holidays there She's on 100% breast milk but for various reasons for a while now I express and she takes it in a bottle. I've just tried to see if she'll take my breast, and I'll try again a few more times before we travel, but it's looking like my plan to just breastfeed her on the flight is a no go, she's chomping away on my nipple and we're getting nowhere except sore nips

I can express with a manual pump no problem, and I also have enough milk frozen for 1 day's supply but, practically, I'm not sure what will be the best way - how to sterilize the pump between sessions, storing and defrosting frozen milk etc. Door to door we're talking over 24 hours travelling

Any experience or tips?

[Tugsgirl]

We went to Brighton a couple of weeks ago for a concert (only a 4 hour trip there) but as we were staying overnight I had to pump n’ dump 😕 Just my luck that I seemed to produce more than I usually pump too! I filled the bottle to the top. But like you, I had no idea how to sterilise my pump so I didn’t feel like I had any alternative to dumping it along the road.

I bought a little zip up insulated bag especially from Amazon for storing breast milk on the go (we use it for when my Auntie babysits rather than sending her off with formula) it’s great when used with a couple of ice packs and stays nice and cold. I put frozen milk in it though and my auntie defrosts it as and when she needs it xx

[MissSaoPaulo in reply to Tugsgirl]

I think I'm going to have to do that too, I have enough frozen for the duration of the journey. It's so heartbreaking to express and throw it away though!!

[Tugsgirl in reply to MissSaoPaulo]

I actually cried with the first bottle as I wound down the car window (and subsequently sprayed both passenger doors and windows with it 😂😂) xx

[Seb9]

Could take sterilising tablets and on the plane and just cold water sterlise? Maybe speak to your airline and see if they have a way that they can sterilise your equipment in board, they're must be other parents who have the same issue so they may have a solution for you.

Would your little one take formula for the flight? You could buy some ready made bottles, just enough for the flight and pump and dump?

Could you try feeding her with nipple shields? It might be a more similar texture for her than nipple and might save you some pain. I've never used them so I can't say what they are like.

Best of luck

[MissSaoPaulo in reply to Seb9]

Thanks for your reply and suggestions hon. I think I'm going to take the frozen milk and just express with the manual pump to avoid getting engorged.

They don't sell the pre-made formula here. There's quite a lot legislation here around marketing of products that could disincentivize breastfeeding, I assume it's something to do with that. It's a shame, they sound really handy.

I actually used the silicone nipple shields in the beginning. You're right in thinking they would make it less painful but the problem now is she's not latching on properly, just sucking at the tip of the nipple, and I don't think they would help correct that.

I've got enough frozen milk for the journey, but it would have been so much easier just to stick her on the boob!!

[Seb9 in reply to MissSaoPaulo]

Best of luck, hope you have a great journey 😁😁

[Annalieseonline]

Keep putting her to the boob, not just to feed but even in between at play time eventually she will latch properly, you can try with a nipple shield for the pain and also to help her if she is getting nipple confusion and gradually without one.

She could just be playing with your nipple coz she is teething? My lo did this a lot and would clamp down on it around 4 months too.

I would ask your airline about the tablet sterilisers and if you could use cold water, otherwise me personally I would still pump and not dump for the journey.

I didn’t know that you had to sterilise the pump after each session and I used to use my pump all day then sterilise it at the end of the night until someone mentioned it at 2 months.

I honestly thought it wasn’t necessary as it wouldn’t have bacteria like formula.

I mean if you are comfortable to do that as it would only be a few times (you could sterilise the pump right before you leave the house and then again first thing when you land/reach your destination ) it wouldn’t harm your baby especially now that she is 4 months with a stronger immune system compared to a baby just a week old when I did it.