EBM for long journey please help

[SilverSixpence]

hi, im taking my 5 week old DS for a long car journey tonight (about 5 hours) and wanted to take some EBM to give on the way. I wanted to know how much approx he would need - i expressed 2.5oz this morning but have another 2oz in the freezer if i need it..also how long will it keep for in room temperature - is 2-3 hours ok? and is he likely to take it without it being warmed up? so far i have given it straight after expressing so its already warm

thanks

[mammyjo]

I don't think I would want to leave EBM at room temp for that long, but could you take it in a cool bag with ice packs so that it stays cold.
As for warming, I used to take a flask of hot water and a jug so that I could sit the bottle in the water and warm it that way.

[mammyjo]

Would you not be able to BF him on the way? Would save you more hassle!

[ruddynorah]

ebm is ok at room temperature for 10 hours.

[GordonTheGopher]

EBM is fine for up to 10 hours at room temp if it's fresh. I always found that frozen ebm didn't last that long once defrosted. Take a flask like mamyjo suggested.

[SilverSixpence]

ok thanks - any ideas for the amount i would need?

[LilRedWG]

Beer fridge plugged into car cigarette lighter.

[LilRedWG]

We had one like this. Friends bought it DH for his birthday for beer and we looked at each other as he opened it and said, "milk". We used it in DD's room to store her overnight bottles.

[LilRedWG]

It is now used for beer

[CantSleepWontSleep]

Why not just feed him when you stop for a break?

[StealthPolarBear]

difficult to tell
a 'feed' at that age i think was about 3oz
maybe 2 or 3 of them at worst
why can't you bf on journey? will you be able to as soon as journey finishes.
might he not sleep for most of that time? does he tend to?

[Milco]

I agree, difficult to tell how much you would need, but if I were in your position I would do the following calculation (based on the milk calculations they used to do for my DS when he was in hospital and receiving EBM):

Times your baby's weight in kg by 150. The answer is a guide to how many millilitres of milk your baby might have in a 24 hour period. Suppose your baby is 5kg (about 11 pounds) - then your answer would be 750ml. Then divide this by the number of feeds he has in the average 24hours. The answer is the (again, guide, and very approximate) amount in mls he has in an average feed. Then estimate how many feeds he would typically have during the period of time you are travelling for to work out the total amount of milk needed. Then I would round up!

Note that some babies might be given as much as 200ml per kg in weight - my DS was to fatten him up - so it is possible your DS might take more. But then if you are able to feed as soon as you arrive, he would probably manage on less for the period of the drive.

Agree with the posts about sleeping and BF en route - in my experience BF in the car is pretty straightforward (as long as you are able to stop the journey to do so of course!)

[SilverSixpence]

thanks for calculation i think 2.5oz should be ok. we were planning to do one stop for a bf if we need to anyway so think will give the bottle and stop later to bf if needed before we get there.

[StealthPolarBear]

You will need to stop to give the bottle won't you?
If you are planning to stop for a bf, and also bf at the other end I would imagine 2.5oz will be more than enough - would be prepared to throw it out

[SilverSixpence]

oh i'm not driving so can sit in the back and give it. I'll give the ebm first and then might not need to stop - will give my boobs a break

[AlexanderPandasmum]

Hi,

I exclusively expressed for nearly 7 months. If you're really set on feeding in the car, my DS (2 months premature) would take about 3oz per ordinary feed when his corrected age was 5 weeks (if that makes sense?).

I would try and use fresh rather than frozen, and take it out of the fridge just before you start the journey and leave it at room temperature, since your journey is only 5 hours. If you haven't used it you could always put it back in the fridge after that length of time or even freeze it. I am suggesting not trying to cool it down in any way because then your baby should be able to take it without warming. However, I have in the past shoved the bottle down my bra to warm it up when stuck for a means to warm it!

Hope that helps, and good luck!

[CoolYourJets]

teeny babies need a good stretch at least every 2 hours. It is not good for them to be a car seat for a long time.

[Divvy]

EBM can be left at room temp for upto 10 hours???

Really? How come?

Any more info on this please