Breastfeeding
California Blonde 1984
member
Refrigerated breast milk for outings?
California Blonde 1984
member
Hi Everyone,
This might sound like a stupid question, I'm just not sure what people normally do. If I want to bring a bottled of refrigerated (or frozen thawed in the fridge) milk on an outing do I need to store it in a cooler with ice packs and then warm it up under warm water before feeding or can I just take it out of the fridge and keep it at room temp in the bag until feeding? This is assuming that it would warm up a little bt in the bag before the feeding. I know that fresh milk is good a room temp for a few hours but I'm not sure how that applies after the milk has been refrigerated and then thawed. Thanks!
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Re: Refrigerated breast milk for outings?
The problem with using bottles for outings early on is that you need to pump as often as the baby eats, and around the same time. So then you need to figure out where to pump while out, which is much more complicated than just nursing.
If you're initially not comfortable nursing in public, you can find a semi-private place like your car or a mother's room in some stores/malls, or a fitting room.
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Not sure how this at all answers the OP's question.
OP, when my husband and I go to dinner, I breastfeed before we go, but we always bring a bottle just in case. Usually if I know we are going out, I put the milk I pump that morning in a bottle in the fridge. I go by the five hour rule, so I take the milk out right before we leave and keep it at room temp for several hours. Generally LO doesn't wake up for the bottle, so I will have DH give him the bottle when we get home while I pump.
I also don't feel comfortable breastfeeding in most public places, but like a pp said... When LO has a bottle, you need to pump. Otherwise your supply will decrease over time. If it's a short outing, you can pump as soon as you get home. If it's an all day thing, you may want to figure out a way to breastfeed bc it's much more awkward to pump than BF. I have breastfed my son in the back seat of our Jeep (tinted windows) with my nursing cover on day trips. Also, some places have rooms where you can breastfeed, like some shopping malls and the baby stores.
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My DH is a SAHD and he sometimes has to take bottles of BM with him. Tomorrow, he is going to the zoo with some friends of ours and their kids and DH is going to take a bottle in a cooler with an ice pack and heat it up when DS is hungry. He usually just gets a cup of hot water from the cafe and sticks the bottle in it to warm it.
She said, "I'm just not sure what people normally do" regarding taking pumped milk on outings. I was offering an alternative solution to dealing with bottles, a cooler bag, etc. and needing to find a way to heat up refrigerated breast milk. I was answering the OP's question by offering an alternative solution.