All day conference when Bfing - any ideas on what can I do?

[cherrybug]

I have some Keeping in touch days for work whilst I'm off on maternity leave and for one of them I'm expected to attend an all day event in a city an hours drive away. It means I'll be away from home from about 7.30am - 5.30pm. DS will be 18 weeks old then. I plan to express enough to get him through the day and already have a few ounces frozen.

But what do I do at the event? I cant go all that time without expressing but the conference is at a hotel so how can I get somewhere to express. Do you think I could ask the hotel to provide me with somewhere or will I just have to sit in a toilet cubicle? What can I do with the expressed milk - will I have to throw it away? Do you think there is a way to store it? Was thinking maybe a cool bag in the car with some of those plastic ice packs in. Also I'd have to express more than once wouldnt I? Argh, worrying about this already and it's not till March!

Just wondered if anyone had any ideas.

it's doable, but i'd also say you're within your rights to demur that early. not all bfed babies will take bottles.

your baby may hold out until you are back and you'll have to feed in the night.

plan on 3-4 ounces a feed with double redundancy, i reckon. and express a few times in a quiet room

I can't help much with the brestfeeding angle (cos I didn't) but didn't want to read and run.

I'd definitely get in contact with the hotel and ask them. Have found that people can be very accommodating at times, you never know they might even be able to offer a fridge to store the expressed stuff in.

I'm pretty sure they have to allow you to have time to express throughout the day.
They also should provide you with somewhere that isn't a toilet to express, maybe a room that they hire for you?
And there's no reason why they shouldn't allow you to bring your DS with you, so that you can feed him rather than having to express.
does the hotel have a creche that you could put him in, and go to him every couple of hours?

btw - it's your employer that should sort out the provisions for this, not you.

I've just done a training course that involved me travelling to another city so I was out 7-7. (DS2 6months) It was held in a hotel and they were fab at sorting something out. I got taken to an unused room at lunch to express and then they stored the milk in the hotel fridge for me until it was time to go home. I used a insulated lunch bag and they just put it in their fridge with my name on. I told the hotel what I needed (private room with a plug and lockable door and somewhere to store the milk) and sorted it. I was dreading it but it worked really well.

Another option might be for someone to come with you and bring the baby to you for a feed. I've done that when I had to go to London for a couple of days. DH took DS2 out in the sling (so he'd sleep more) and I fed just before I went to work, immediately afterwards and during lunch. DH had a sippy cup of milk if DS2 was thirsty (it was during a heatwave) He was about 4 months then.

I have never used a bottle- if you don't have any joy with them then try a sippy cup. They may need a bit of help but my 3 have always found it easier to use a cup. I've used them from 3 months.

The worst part is the thinking about it in advance. It isn't that bad when you actually do it- and it is just a day.

Medela do a great insulated bag that holds four bottles plus ice pack. I used to do a 36 hour round trip commute while BF. Generally I expressed in lavatories (including on the train) if I wasn't in my office - it was no big deal. A room with a fridge is preferable, but if you can't access this, the cool bag works.

Alternatively you could just throw the expressed milk away if you don't need it - though I cried the first time I had to do this (in the baby change facility at Stansted)

I actually think it's your employer who should be sorting this out, we have something in our staff handbook that when mothers return to work they should be supported to provide the best care possible for their child. When we had someone return to work after her mat leave she was still feeding and needed to express twice a day so we booked meeting rooms for her every day twice a day for 3 months. At that same company I used to be a PA and often arranged conferences at hotels. All rooms need to be booked and paif for....usually. I would suggest your first port of call is to ask the person arranging the conference to sort this out for you. You might feel more comfortable approaching the hotel directly but there are at least two options for you. Best of luck, my dd is 9 weeks and last thing I'd want to be doing is what you are.....that said it doesn't need to be difficult and most people (I know I would) will try and help you make this as easy as possible.

Thanks All. I'm not actually returning to work as such - I have Keeping in touch days which means I can do the odd day here and there whilst still technically on mat leave.

It's not my organisation who is organising the conference but I can ask my employer to liaise with them to see if something can be set up.

I wont be able to express more than once though will I as I wouldnt be able to resterilise the pump?

you could ask for them to provide something to allow you to sterlize?

In the instructions for my pump it says you only need to sterilise once in 24 hours, but clean well in between uses, so this might be an option for you. Alternatively if you are able to get access to a fridge, then you could keep the relevant pump parts in the fridge in between uses? If you are not happy with either of those, could you take an ice-cream tub or similar and some milton?

I don't steralize and never have. I wash the pump in hot soapy water just before use and store the bm in sterile storage bags. I figure the baby puts everything he can find in his mouth so a pump that has been washed well should be fine. Never had a problem (3 children- returned to work when each was 6 months and expressed during the day til the older 2 were a year. DS2 is 7months).

I only express once a day anyway, mainly because I hate doing it and only do it if I absolutely have to.

I was back at work when DD was 16 weeks and have been to quite a few hotel. You will be quite surprised that they (usually female staff) are actually very accommodating and kind.

I was back at work 3 days a week and I have my Avent Manual Hand pump which come with its cool bag and bottle. Similar to this website:

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nearly-New-Avent-Manual-Breast-Pump-Cool-Carry-Bag-/330667928497?pt=UK_Baby_Baby_Feeding_Breast_Pads_Pumps_LE&hash=item4cfd582bb1

The great thing about Avent pump is it has covers for the pumps. So I can re-use the pumps for another express. At the beginning, I expressed twice at work (I just use the meeting room) and just keep the express milk within the cool bag with ice pack (just picnic ice pack).

If you are embarassed about storing your expressed milk (even though it is in a cool bag) in the hotel fridge, you can always ask whether they can freeze an ice pack for you (while you have another one in the cool bag). So when your milk always stay cool. I find putting in another frozen ice pack at lunch time is enough to keep the milk cold till 8pm. By the way, expressed milk can keep up to 5 days in a fridge.

If you prefer to sterilise your pump before each expression, I just keep a large freezer bag and a milton tablet in my cool bag. Just put the pump with all parts into the bag, fill with water and tablets (and read a newspaper while waiting). I usually sterilise my bottles and pump before I take them to work.

With hotel, usually I just asked a member of staff is there a meeting room that I could use for expressing and all I need is a chair and privacy for 20 mins. Usually they are very nice about it and even offer to lock the door from the outside so no one ll disturb me

Good luck with going back to work and it's a lot easier than you think. Oh, I hope your baby is happy to take a bottle .

I had a day away from ds when he was about 6 weeks old. The hotel was brilliant, as already described I was given the use of a room, and fridge space for the milk and pump. I got them to refrigerate the pump between uses and it was absolutely fine-I just used clean plastic bags to cover it each time. Because of ds's age at the time I think I expressed about 3 times through the day