Breastfeeding- Can I drink on my honeymoon?

adventureolive · June 2011

So I'm getting married. Yay! And my baby will be 4 months old at the wedding. Afterward we're going to be leaving her with his parents (they live in a different state, so we're giving them this opportunity to bond with her during that time) and going on a cruise for 6 days. During the cruise, could I drink and just discard the breastmilk? How long will it stay in my milk?

I don't want to get drink or binge drink, maybe 3 drinks the duration of the cruise. I just want a damn mint julep.

RyAnsMoMMy123 · June 2011

So drink one or a few. I think if you are fine to drive you are fine to BF. That's how I roll at least, but I don't ever have more than 2.

LadyB01 · June 2011

you can pump a bunch then have a drink or two before you have to pump again and you should be fine, I think? Check kellymom ( i think thats the website)

but as per your ticker... do you really think you should be drinking?

TakeLuck · June 2011

Are you pregnant? If so, skip the booze and order your cocktails "virgin"....

chary412 · June 2011

So wait, this cruise would be about 10 months from now? I hate to tell you, but leaving your LO for 6 days when they're that age will pretty much end BFing, as far as I understand it. I'm not there yet (lurking! hee...), but even a weekend away from LO would take a heck of a lot of pumping, and I wouldn't want to do it. You might find once your LO arrives that being away from him/her for 6 days would be really hard for you to enjoy, even without the pain/stress of trying to pump enough to keep up your supply of milk.

RyAnsMoMMy123 · June 2011

Wow. I didn't even catch that the first time I read it. I call MUD.

LucyGoosey81 · June 2011

I don't think it's MUD. I think she's planning her wedding for the far future and she's asking us because that's the age group her baby will be in when she goes on this honeymoon. Why would it be MUD?

ETA: Duh, to answer your question...I think going on your honeymoon at that point will probably kill your supply unless you have a fab supply. I know for ME that I'm a sucktastic pumper, so by the time my trip would be done, I'd lose some milk supply because the baby gets the most directly. KWIM? As far as drinking, check out kellymom. I drink one drink (that's my max) without pumping and dumping. I think you should be okay as far as that's concerned. But definitely see kellymom as far as metabolizing the alcohol.

RyAnsMoMMy123 · June 2011

Meh, valid point. I just saw the one post. I can honestly say I don't care enough to even think anymore about it. lol

changingnames · June 2011

It isn't impossible but it is going to be near impossible to pump enough milk to leave for six days and to pump enough during the vacation to maintain your supply is going to be time consuming. I am a huge bf proponent so I'm not trying to scare you, just encourage you to be realistic. Personally I would rather take my baby with me, I couldn't imagine leaving my 3 month old ebf baby for 6 days, it would be rough in so many ways. If it is really what you want then you can do it but it will be a tn of extra pressure on you to bank some 150 oz. I have a good supply and am lucky to pump 5 oz in a session and then sometimes I feed it to him, kwim?

daenikoffre · June 2011

Yeah, you can drink. And you don't have to pump and dump. It leaves your body after 2 hours. And if you want to keep your supply up you'll have to pump multiple times per day on that cruise ship. Good luck if that's what you plan on doing.

Also, it's different for everyone, but I could not imagine being away from my baby for that long, especially at that age when it kind of just starts getting fun and they smile and laugh and roll over... I dunno.. that's just my opinion. Giving birth will change you, so just.. make sure your tickets are refundable.

changingnames · June 2011

Oops I just reread that. At four months it might be a bit easier. I thought he was going to be 2 months. Still going to be rough. As far as drinking goes you will be fine Check kellymom for exact guidelines.

adventureolive · June 2011

I'm not drinking while pregnant. I'm planning my honeymoon and just want to make sure it will be completely safe to drink while I'm away, after giving birth. Because my baby will be 4 months old at the time.

changingnames · June 2011

Refundable tix for sure. The first time I spent a weekend away from ds he was 18 months. Can someone go on the cruise with you and help with the baby so u can have it both ways?

AggieBeth06 · June 2011

changingnames:
Refundable tix for sure. The first time I spent a weekend away from ds he was 18 months. Can someone go on the cruise with you and help with the baby so u can have it both ways?

This! It's not ideal for life as you know it now, but it's a great solution for what it will be like.

bf'ing is tough but worth it. I think it's hard to consider being gone so long without LO. The logistics are just too tough.

Another option could be to take a shorter, less glam honeymoon then and save up for a really awesome time once LO is not so reliant on mommy's milk (like maybe for your first anniversary).

edengrace12710 · June 2011

There is a facebook page called "Dispelling breast feeding myths" that you should like on facebook and ask this Q there. Its full of super supportive bfers and they are always answering stuff like this. Its been a great resource for me. You can probably find someone that was in the same situation and get a lot of tips for pumping and boosting your supply. HTH!

LittleApple · June 2011

Go for it. Just don't over do it. 1-2 drinks is plenty.

As for pumping, you are going to have to pump every 3-4 hours to keep up with the supply. I hope you are up for that.

I just went away for 4 days sans kids and pumped every 5-6 hours and it was such a drag having to go back to the room to pump/plan out the day according to my pump schedule.

erbear · June 2011

Like others have said, you can have a drink or two whilst bfing. For me, leaving baby wasn't the issue (I left Kate with my parents for a weekend to go to a wedding when she was two months old) but the pumping 6-10 times a day to maintain your supply will get old real quick, I think!

mittensonkittens · June 2011

I pump for work all the time, and I think if you're proficient with the pump you can do it, but you will need to pump every 3 hours or so. It's a big PITA. I agree that you should look into a shorter honeymoon (just a weekend maybe) and save the cruise for your first anniversary. You won't know how you feel about leaving your baby until you get close to that point, and a lot of moms don't want to do it at that age. And long trips away from baby while EBF are a PITA, you'll have more fun if you wait a year. And I don't think babies are allowed on cries ships until 6 months, and even then you have to pay full fare. We left DS1 with grandparents to go on a 7 day cruise when he was 15 months, and it was awesome! We were almost weened by that point, so I just had to pump 2x/day to keep up my supply.

AggieBeth06 · June 2011

kdodge423:
changingnames:
Refundable tix for sure. The first time I spent a weekend away from ds he was 18 months. Can someone go on the cruise with you and help with the baby so u can have it both ways?

So because that's what you did, that's what everyone else has to do? I ditched DS last weekend. Oh noes!

And a baby on a cruise- yeah, that's going to be a blast. Not to mention the massive amount of added cost that would add. Dumb idea.

You also FF, and it's easier to ditch the LO for a little while because they're not dependent on you being there for their nutrition. It's logistically tough to ebf and do it unless you respond well to the pump. And even then, you have to worry about bm storage on your trip. Im not able to get a good pump yield, and it doesn't seen like a blast or romantic in the least to pump every 2-4 hours either. Ive not considered leaving DS until he is older. It'd be more stress and work than enjoyable.

It is wise to either consider a creative solution or get refundable tickets. I'd hate to have to decide between breastfeeding and being out the cash for the trip.

mamabrof · June 2011

I EBF, and I just left my 4 and a half month old for 5 days this past month. I pumped every 3 to 4 hours while gone, and while it was a pain, it was totally worth it to me to maintain our breastfeeding relationship when I got home. I would drink right after pumping. I am assuming you are planning on bringing home all of the milk you pump? Just make sure you have a place to store it while you're on the cruise ship.

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