Spending time away from your breastfed baby
Spending time away from your baby can feel really daunting, especially the first time! And if they’re exclusively breastfed, it’s a big deal that they’ll be fed from something other than your breasts. Whether it’s out of necessity or choice, there’s a number of reasons that can separate you from your baby temporarily. I’ve put together some tips about what to consider to help you feel more prepared and less stressed ahead of your time apart
This isn’t an article for returning to work/starting childcare and permanently being apart more - this is for the odd time away from your baby. I have articles for both returning to work and childcare here:
How, when & where you’re going to remove milk from your breasts
If you’re only missing 1-2 feeds, hand expressing may be all you need to do until you’re back with your baby and able to feed them. But if you’re spending longer apart or you simply don’t get on with hand expressing, you’ll need a pump to remove milk from your breasts. I still highly recommend learning/reminding yourself how to hand express just in case your pump stopped working/got lost etc. as you’ll still need to remove milk.
Think about when and where you can take yourself off to pump and find out what private areas are available at your destination so you’re not running around searching once you’re there.
Always listen to your body and respond to engorgement
If you’ll be very busy during your time apart from your baby, it can be easy to ignore engorgement if you’re distracted, but this is your sign to remove some milk ASAP so don’t ignore your body’s signals.
Removing milk frequently will support your milk supply and also keep you feeling comfortable during your time away. It’s important not to leave long periods between milk removal to avoid developing blocked ducts and mastitis and to maintain a good supply for when you’re reunited with your baby.
Gradually increase your freezer stash
If you’d like your baby to be fed your expressed milk whilst you’re apart, make sure you have enough stored for your time away, but build this stash up slowly. Frozen breastmilk can be used up to six months later so you can plan well in advance!
If you leave yourself too little time and pump excessively before you go, you’ll end up over-stimulating your milk production and may spend most of your time away dealing with uncomfortable engorgement as your breasts replenish the large amount of milk that you removed int the days prior to your separation.
This would also increase the risk of developing blocked ducts/mastitis so try to build your freezer stash slowly and well in advance.
Communicate clearly to whoever is feeding your baby
It’s a big thing leaving your baby with someone else for a prolonged period of time, even if that someone is your trusted partner or a close family member.
There’s no doubt you’ll worry whilst you’re away, but making sure your wishes are listened to and understood before you leave can help to reassure you whilst you’re apart from your baby.
If your baby is taking a bottle, ensure that person knows how to pace the feed and correctly position your baby whilst feeding them.
Let them know how much you’d like to be communicated with whilst you’re away. Although it’s well meaning, sometimes people don’t want you to worry so don’t update you as much as you’d like. But if you want constant updates, that’s okay and make sure they know!
Bottle just not happening? Consider other feeding methods
It can be stressful as the date approaches if your baby is still not accepting a bottle. You may start to consider cancelling altogether. But it doesn’t have to be bottle or nothing! Other feeding methods such as a cup or sterile teaspoon can also work and are worth a try if the bottle isn’t going down well. It’s important to do so safely to ensure milk isn’t being poured into your baby’s mouth, so learning how to do this before trying is crucial – and make sure the person feeding them in your absence also knows how to do it correctly.
If you need any further support ahead of time away from your breastfed baby, view my full list of services to see how I can help you.
