EPing During an International Move- WWYD (long)

AllieAGame · July 2013

Hi guys! Good news! We are moving back to the States from Germany in 4 weeks (AUGH!). We were planning to move soon, but not quite this soon, but it's for the best and I'm excited. I've been EPing, and am not sure what to do about this transition. I would LOVE any advice anyone has on either how to stop pumping and switch to formula, how to continue EPing or a mix of both.

Sometimes it seems impossible and sometimes not. I told Husband we may want to start giving her some formula to make sure we find a kind that digests well and doesn't give her gas. He thinks it's too soon to mess with that (meaning if we are going to give her formula, we can just start right before the flight, not slowly introduce it). I know I have an unrealistically pessimistic view of the effects of formula on LO after breastmilk, even though I'm really pro-FF. I get way sucked into the "breast is best" hype sometimes (I need to stop reading Kelly Mom), and I know formula is great too (I was raised on formula!). In my head, though, I imagine her fussy, jet lagged, ear popping, spitting up formula because she's not used to it while I try to pump my boobs on an international flight.

Here's my other concern- how am I going to keep my supply up through 3 days of movers being in the apartment packing and moving our stuff (I can't pump in front of a bunch of strange men and they will be here all day for 2-3 days)? Also, how am I to keep my supply up through a 20+ hour travel situation (3 airports, 2 flights- I have a Medela PISA backpack with battery option, so I could take that with me, but then I have to take ALL the supplies that go with it) and THEN, I have to keep pumping while I visit family who I haven't seen in months/years and THEN live in a hotel for at least a month while we look for permanent housing (we get this paid for, so Husband wants to milk it...bad word choice).

I presented these concerns to Husband this morning and his response was (lovingly, though it will sound snarky) that it sounds like I'm just trying to come up with an excuse to not pump anymore. Which is true to an extent, because I don't think it will work during the move- or at least, I think it will be a really unnecessary stress. Just trying to wash all the pump stuff seems daunting on a plane then in an airport and then a hotel.

So what do you guys think? If this is possible, I would like to keep pumping at least occasionally. But how do I go about it? Should I just give up? If I can't pump as much as I would like during this time, how quickly would my supply diminish? Could I get my supply back up if I'm off schedule for a week or so? If we do go formula when should we start? How long does it take to dry up so I can be comfortable on the flight if we go exclusive formula? What if I just started pumping once in the morning and once before bed- is this possible or is that too much time in between? Would my body adjust to just provide milk during those times or would I be ridiculously engorged all day?

Tons of questions, I know. Any advice on any of it is definitely appreciated! I may repost in the BFing board.

Pinksparkle28 · July 2013

Just wanted to say good luck on the move. I don't have experience with pumping while moving internationally but even pumping when going back to work was hard. I can't imagine trying to do it while your flying and getting everything settled. Does she breast feed? That might be better option if you can rather then dealing with set up and clean up of pumping.

snowgirl427 · July 2013

I would personally try bfing if possible. When I was 6 weeks old my mom and I moved from Germany to the US. She bf me the entire time.

As for pumping around family, not sure why it would be a big deal. Just throw a cover over yourself. I was bfing when all I our family came to see us.. Even when we weren't in a house yet.

It just depends what is impt to you. If you want bm then you can def make it work.. If not, then start the formula!

jenb1205 · July 2013

I weaned at 8.5 weeks. In retrospect, there are times that I think I probably could have kept going and maybe done a couple of breastfeeding sessions a day. However, I had such a low supply that I don't know if it would have worked. Because my supply was low, your experience might be completely different but I still had a little milk after a shower up to 10 days later. I imagine you could supplement and make enough for one bottle a day or so for awhile.

If you're going to go exclusively FF, I would start now just so your body could make the adjustment slowly. If you want to just pump a couple of times a day, that works for some people. I had to pump on a pretty strict schedule just to make one bottle every two days. Some people completely dry up quickly and others take months to make the adjustment.

I breastfed my son the morning of our 2 month pediatrician appointment. The last time I had pumped was before bed the night before (I dropped MOTN pumping that week and it was uncomfortable at first). From that afternoon on, I just quit cold turkey. My supply was crazy low so I was very uncomfortable all weekend and would hand express to relieve pressure if I needed it but by Monday/Tuesday I felt functional again.

So, that was my experience so hopefully it'll give you a little more insight. Most of the questions you asked will just be things you'd have to play with. I don't know enough about bfing to know if you can get your supply back up once you drop a bunch of pumping sessions. I assume that some people might be able to but from what I've heard from others, once your supply drops it's extremely hard to get it back up if you can at all. Ultimately, the decision is a REALLY tough one. I kept that log and a pros and cons list for 10 days before I made a final decision and that was after talking to our pediatrician. I still struggle with pangs of regret at times because, while it was very hard, I had settled into a decent routine with it. Part of my decision to quit revolved around wanting to have freedom to travel more easily to see O's grandparents, etc. We did two trips while breastfeeding/pumping and one without and I can completely identify with your feelings about pumping during your transition. It will be complicated so it's a matter of weighing whether or not it's worth it for you. I was also going back to part-time work so I know that our new routine is much less complicated and is working for us now.

Bottom line is that you are the one that hooks your boobs up to a machine several times a day so the decision you make is pretty much completely yours and has to work for you. My son continues to thrive so I know that in the grand scheme of things that I made the right decision for my sanity. It may have been a selfish decision in some respects but I think I am a better mom to him since I don't have to hook myself to the pump and ignore him several times a day. Kellymom is an awesome resource but it's your life. Good luck to you whatever way you decide to go!

surpriseaddition · July 2013

We just finished a vacation/visit family trip that spanned 1 week and began with a 12 hour car ride and ended with a 14 hour one. Because of the distance involved I brought my pump even though I normally EBF. I wasn't comfortable nursing her in the car while driving, and it would have made the trip even more ridiculously long to stop and nurse along the way. Mind you I was pumping in a stuffed minivan with DH, LO, my 15 yo DD, 12 yo DS, and 26 yo niece on the way back...less than ideal privacy to say the least! I did talk to the ped before we left and she gave me the 2 oz Similac for supplementation premade formula bottles so in case I didn't have enough BM I could give her that. I didn't try it before hand, but she guzzled that down without a flinch during the trip. It's meant for use by BF moms who choose to supplement so maybe it's really similar to BM? Not sure if you could get that liquid on an international flight though. However, if you have the baby, and the bottles are sealed I would hope you could get them on the plane. I didn't pump quite enough BM as she needed so these came in handy. I had also received in the mail single serve packs of Enfamil, and thought that could also work. I made 4 oz bottles of water, and then just shook the formula into them. She hated these, but disgruntled, she did take 1.5 oz because she was hungry. Mind you this is a EBF who really isn't used to a bottle at all. We had several 2-3 hour drives in between as we travelled. I did get engorged a lot using the formula which meant I needed to pump at friends' and family's homes in addition to BF but everyone was very understanding and were just glad to see us and the family. So, I really think it could be done if you want to stick with EP. Now we're home and my supply is fine even though she ended up taking about 16 oz of formula last week. GL!

CNJ4EVA · July 2013

This is a tough situation and decision. If you do decide to continue to pump, I agree with PP's suggestion of looking into a manual. It seems a manual would be a little easier to manage on the go. Also, I would get some of those "quick clean" wipes for cleaning pump parts in a pinch.

Honestly, and this may be a UO, but IMO it certainly would be easier to switch to FF. Whatever your decision, good luck with your move!

doctabroccoli · July 2013

I've been back at work for almost a month now, and I'm finally calling it quits. We've been supplementing the end of some feeds with 1-2 oz of formula since about 4 weeks cause my supply was never really all there even after constant cluster feeding, so it might be more effort for you to all out quit. But for me, I started back at work with 2 pumps per day. Even with that, I noticed a drop in my supply, especially in the evening. After my meeting schedule ramped back up, I dropped to one pump at work. My evening supply has since really tanked, so I had to drop to only one evening feed. This weekend I officially decided to call it quits, so my next goal is to drop the daytime pump and just have a morning and evening feed. The evening feed is next to go, and so on.... I think when all is said and done, it will probably be a month for me to completely ramp down, so if that ends up being your decision, you should probably start now to avoid major discomfort. If you decide to just supplement, I would start introducing formula now as well since you don't know what will work for you! Good luck!

AllieAGame · July 2013

Thanks everyone for your input. Sorry I didn't respond throughout the day as I intended- I had a chance to leave the house today (we only have one car that H takes to work, so I'm usually stuck), so I jumped on it! After reading all of this and thinking about it all day, I do think I will be able to pump, but we will take some pre-measured formula with us as well.

My concerns are really about supply and being too busy to pump, even when I need/want to. I'm not so concerned about modesty (except with the movers since I will be alone in the house with them and it just seems weird, but like others said, I can go into a separate room for a while and TCOB).

Also, thanks to my fellow pumpers who realize that EPing usually means BFing isn't an option. I wish we could BF, but that ship has sailed.

AllieAGame · July 2013

cesmiley said:

I love how people say to just breastfeed her. Most people don't choose to EP if they can breastfeed.
FWIW, I thought I remembered OP had been doing both bf and pumping at one point which was the only reason I suggested trying to just bf during the trip. Yes, switching to formula is A-OK...but don't wait til the last minute to do it. Being on a plane is the last place you want to be with a baby refusing a bottle b/c it tastes different. I'm fairly sure you can take ready to use formula without any issues or your own water for mixing on a plane. They just send you thru a specific line for different security deals. Best of luck any way you decide to go! Do what's best for you.

Thanks! And you are right (good memory!) I was trying to BF and pump (actually, I was trying to get LO to just BF exclusively/at all), but it didn't work after a week of a "nursing vacation" and I couldn't deal with it anymore. That's a vacation I never want to take again! So I went back to EPing and LO went back to lazily sucking away at her bottles.

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