maybe i'm doing this wrong

[jennlin]

dd is almost 6 months, and ebf. other than going to work, i've never left her for more than 2 hours at a time. at work, i pump every 2-3 hours.

tonight, i'm going to a "dinner and a show"..i'll be away from her prob about 5 hours. how/when do i pump? i can get to my car after dinner and before the show..that just seems pretty inconvenient. i just don't feel like this is something other people do....is it? what do you do when you go out for extended periods of time? do you just skip a pumping?

i'm going with a group of friends..and i'm afraid that the women (all are someday-moms-but-not-yet) i'm going with will be discouraged about breastfeeding bc if i disappear for 20 mins to pump, it's not as fun/convenient.

any tips, advice, experience, or just sympathy is welcome!

[Ashley&Scott]

Since it's only one time & your DD is almost 6 months I wouldn't actually pump while you're gone. I would make sure to feed (or pump) from both sides right before you leave & again right when you get home. I've done this with success & no impact on my supply, you might be a little engorged when you get home but it shouldn't be unbearable. (if you don't normally wear breast pads I would that night)

ETA: And no you're not doing anything incorrectly. My day to day routine is very similar to yours.

[jennlin]

thank you.

i will probably be bringing my pump just in case i don't get home within that 5 hours...and maybe if i'm getting close to being out too late, i'll pump. i don't know....i wish babies came with instruction manuals.

so i'm "normal", right? other bf mommas don't leave their babies for very long/often also? i've declined a lot of friends asking us to go out (on a boat, rock climbing, etc) where we can't bring baby, and/or can't pump. that's normal right?

[Ashley&Scott]

I think it's normal, especially at this age.. Is someone telling you it isn't?

I rarely leave him on weeknights because I'm away from him all day. On weekends I only leave for a few hours tops. I would rather bf than pump & of course I want to spend more time with him

In the summer I get off early one afternoon every week & I usually go pick him up early. (unless I have errands that I can't bring DS along)

[jennlin]

No, nobody is telling me it's not normal. Just wondering cause I feel bad denying people all the time. Like I said earlier, I'm pretty much the only one with a baby, so I don't really know what to expect either. I have no idea if other moms leave their babies, etc. My friends that do have kids FF, so they don't have the hassle of pumping if they go anywhere.

Oh well, this is the path I chose, and the health benefits are worth it, even if pumping is a pain.

[curbsideprophet]

How did it go last night? I hope you had a good time.

I would not have pumped while out. I might have pumped before and or after though depending on the timing.

I think as LO gets older it will be easier to say yes to more things.

[jennlin]

It went well and I had a really good time. I did almost-cry twice when my friends were talking about how cute and well behaved my DD is. But overall, it was a really-really fun night.

I nursed her at 4:30pm, and got home and nursed at about 9:45. After she ate, I pumped anything extra that was left (since MIL fed her once at 6 and once at 9). When I was done pumping she wanted to nurse again and I felt really bad, but we got through it! We probably dry-nursed, but she went to sleep and everything was back to normal.

When I was gone MIL fed her 6oz, but I was only able to pump 3oz after she ate....that's "bad" right? I generally have a very good supply (I freeze about 10-20% of what I pump at work). One night won't start a downward spiral right? I feel like these are stupid questions, but reassurance is always nice .

[curbsideprophet]

I would not worry about the extra oz. one night should not have negative long term impacts. Glad you had a good time!

[Ashley&Scott]

Glad to hear it went well! I agree with curbside, no need to worry it's just one night.

(If this were a weekly event you would want to pump once while you were out but 1 night shouldn't have a negative impact.)

[ohiowan]

This is too late, but next time, I'd pump. For the some-day moms it might be an encouraging memory when they face a similar dilemma down the road. I hope you enjoyed your night out!