Expressing whilst away from home.

[sharond101]

I am exclusively expressing breastmilk for my 13wk old son who could not suckle. We are going away for four nights and Iam anxious about sterilising my pumping equipment and bottles and also storing my expressed milk. We are staying in an apartment for two nights which will have a fridge and access to warm water and the other two nights we are in a hotel and may not have theses things. I express in excess of what son consumes so always end up refrigerating or freezing some milk. Would you ask for help with this from the hotel and would you take your steriliser with you?

I'm doing the same, now past five months. If you don't have a fridge in your room at the hotel I'd ask them for help, I don't see how you'd keep the milk fresh otherwise, unless your timing is good enough that you express then feed each time, throwing away any excess after a short time. My timing, or the baby's, isn't that precise and she feeds more often than I express, though from a few weeks in until recently I have been producing more than she consumes so the fridge is always stocked and freezing a bag a day.

Also with the sterilising if necessary (I do that once a day, washing quickly by hand and air-drying after each use) and just boil everything but you'll need a cooker or microwave.

Well I suppose you could use a cold water steriliser and a mini-bar fridge, if there is one. In your position I'd decide how I wanted to do things and ask in advance for help with that. Maybe you need access to the hotel kitchen fridge at odd hours, or a little fridge in your room. Forewarning will help them come up with the best solution. It's their job to be hospitable.

Tupperware container
Milton
Water from a tap are ur friends in regards to sterilising

The freezing bit I'm not too sure

It depends on if you're travelling by car or public transport. If you have an electric sterilisers and going by car I would take that cos you can plug it in anywhere. If its a microwave one I would prob do Tupperware and milton as getting a hotel to do it would be a faff. As for the fridge a big hotel chain will have a minibar I should think if a travelodge or similar you'll need to ask them to store I guess. I would think freezing is out.