EBF and going on a hen do. Advice please!

[Newboots86]

So, I'm EBF and going on a hen do in a month. I'll be staying in a hotel with DH and DD rather than in the hen house 10 mins away. I Will be popping back and forth doing some feeds but will obviously miss some and need advice on what to do re expressing or using formula and how to prepare for it. I am reluctant to bottle feed at all as I love BF so much! DD will be 3 months at the time. Thanks ladies.

Build up a stock pile of your milk by pumping and freezing.

Freeze in small amounts (say 3-4oz) so it doesn't get wasted.

It can be easily done if you plan ahead. I used to play a sport which would have me out for 5 hours some nights an played this from dd being 6 weeks old. Not once was she given formula (although it was in if DP ran out of my milk in the freezer)

I have pumped sporadically (medela swing) and have a bit in the freezer but I'm never quite sure when to pump so as not to interfere with feeds. When did you pump? Also, when should I introduce a bottle so that she can get used to it? I have tried it with a very small amount (1oz) twice before but never a full feed. I suppose I just need to get over it and get on with it don't i?

I went on an overnight hen night when DD (who I was mainly BF) was 5 months.

I expressed milk every other feed, but often found that if I was feeding from one side, I was 'leaking' from the other, so this got bottled up and fed to DD.
I did use formula on occasion - a few of the very very late night feeds (I'd had an EMCS and found it hard to get out of bed quickly enough), or when I was absolutely shattered, and DH could do a feed to give me a break.

I did what Bictoria suggests and froze some ahead of time.

FWIW, when I was out on the hen night, I had to excuse myself twice to go and express milk as I would normally have been feeding at that time. As I'd had a drink, and nowhere to store milk, it went down the sink.

As Bictoria says, pump ahead and freeze. A few oz every day or two gradually builds up.

Best time I pumped was in the morning; from the other boob whilst I fed or just after i fed. I took the sterilised pump to bed with me so it was there in the morning as I could never be arsed to go downstairs to get it

DD was a bottle refuser from about 8 weeks. DP just persisted and ultimately, whilst a stubborn little mule, she would take what she needed eventually.

If she is taking 1oz now, keep persevering with 1 or half a feed a day with a bottle. So what I used to do was have a stash of milk, and rather than the bed-time milk in a bottle, DP would give her a feed at around 5pm / 6pm when I wanted to sort the tea out / tidy up. I was still around but it got her used to taking a bottle and her dad having a bit of time with her when he got in from work. The milk she'd have that evening was normally the milk I'd pumped the morning before.

She'll be fine, I promise. And like MrsCosmop said, you'll just excuse yourself during the night and either hand express or pump it off in the toilets.

I have just left ds ( 4 months ) for the first time. If she is taking 1 oz, that's a great start. Ds wouldn't take much more than that from me, but was fine when dh gave it to him. Still he didn't take a huge amount (approx 5 oz over 6 hours). He did have a massive b feed when I got back.

Express in the morning ideally while feeding. Check your bm. Mine contains a lot of lipase and deteriorates very quickly to a soapy tasting mess. I have had to resort to those little bottles of ready made formula.

Good luck op