Working away for three days, how do I keep my milk supply going and not get painful full breasts?

[beckynbump]

Have to be away for three whole days and nights. First time away from dd who is 4 months so I want to make sure that I can still maintain the milk supply but I am worried I will get really full and sore.

Expressing every few hours, either with a pump or by hand if you know how, is your best bet. If you express at roughly the same intervals as she'd normally feed then you should keep things fairly stable.

You'll need to express regularly, maybe every 3 -4 hours. Have you expressed before? Lots of people use breast pumps, but you can express very successfully by hand as well. there is more info here. To maintain a good supply it would be good to express at night too, the link recommends when you wake naturally, especially if you're feeling very full.
Even if your supply diminishes a bit, then it will pick up quickly when you get back to your baby. Can you plan in a day or two when you come back that you have lots of time with your lo and do lots of extra feedign and skin-to-skin?

At that age, I'm afraid to say I'm be inclined to do a night pumping session, when the prolactin levels are highest, as well as every 2 hours during the day (I realise this may well be totally impractical, but If I say what I think's best, then you can modify accordingly!)

Are you practised at expressing? I'd get some practise in before-bizarrely, the ability to let down for the pump can be learned.

I used an ameda lactaline double electric pump, and I heartily recommend it, but others have used other pumps equally successfully. And as others havce said, even iof your supply does dip a bit, you LO will bring it back up. I'd go for lots of biological type nuturing when you get home, to minimise the chance of breast rejection (which I have to say, is always a possibility )