Advice needed for managing boobs when away from home...

[Cashew]

I need to be away from home and little one for 24 hours next month.... I'm happy about leaving expressed milk in the fridge/freezer for hubbie to give but am really worried about the inevitable leaking and engorgement!! (Especially as it's my sister-in-law to be's hen-do!) Does anyone have any advice or had a similar experience? Will it affect my future milk supply?? (by the way, my little one will be 14 weeks old when I go). Thanks...

take your expressing machine and just express at your usual feeding times...bin the milk and have a fab time

obv you won't want to get the express machine out in a bar, but can you hand express? (not in public of course )

oh, and plenty of spare breast pads, and maybe a black top (sparkly of course!)

I never did time away whilst BF, so think it's great you're doing it, enjoy!

How old is your LO, Cashew?

You should be fine - just make sure you express at around the same times you would have been feeding (I know that's not always possible - especially on a hen night!) and take loads of breastpads. I'd suggest you express a couple of times during the day, then before you go out and (if you're in a fit state!) when you get back in the evening.

I left my exclusively bf DD2 for 3 nights when she was about 14 weeks (DH and I went for a long w/e to venice - oh joy!). At the time she was on about 4 or 5 feeds a day and was sleeping through the night, but while we were away I expressed only 3 times a day (first thing in the morning, lunchtime and evening). When I got home we were straight back into usual bf routine my supply was fine and she didn't turn a hair.

• 12 weeks I did not leak but then I have huge norks

Take plenty of pads and a hand pump for emergencies.

Have fun!

I went away when ds was 3 months, took electric pump and expressed every 4 hour or so. Found waking up in the mornings was v engorged and had to express at about 5/6am, this lessened as the weekend went on so I was scared I'd dried up but was fine. A bit antisocial, and had to ditch all the expressed milk, but ds plugged in the minute I got home and it was fine.
Have a good time!

Def do at night before you go to sleep!

thanks all... Glad you haven't replied with horror at the thought of me leaving ds at 14 weeks! Feel a lot better about it now. Now I just need to find a new outfit and to get stockpiling the milk in preparation!

oh, another thought... has anyone tried Lilypadz?

I've tried lilypadz with new milk explosion- very effective in terms of not leaking, I'm only not using them due to plasticky smell with newborn (we're all organic, SLS free, etc so saving them for when I'm ready for night out!) but expect when she's less new I'll be using them more.

i'll definately try them - with several weddings this year I think they'll be really handy (especially as I'll be a bridesmaid in June ... arrgghh!!)