Don't Want to Wean...but Going Away for 5 Days Away from Baby...

Yikes. I'm not sure there is much a way to maintain your supply without pumping while you're away. When I went away I would at least pump once in the morning as soon as I got up and then once at night before I went to bed. That way I could try to empty my breasts as much as possible to ease the pain from fullness and keep from getting plugged up.

But you may be ok depending upon how many times a day your 10mo old is nursing. If it's just 3-4 times, you may be okay without pumping...if it's more than that, you may end up feeling more uncomfortable and full than you think and you may actually want to pump.

But 5 days shouldn't be long enough to completely dry you up and normal nursing should be able to resume upon your return.

You can keep ur milk suply up by just drinking a lot of fluids while u are away and mothers milk tea which can be found at jewel or walgreens or any health food store. Try pumping in moring so u don't get engorged but as long as u keep drinking by the time u come back baby will make suply come more suply and demand. Enjoy ur time away. If get too much milk just take warm shower and it will come out on its own.

Rory,
I don't think you have to be a "slave" to pumping while you are gone...maybe just once or twice a day to remind your body to make milk. Perhaps you could just bring a small manual pump and use it a bit in the morning and a bit before bed. At 10 months, your nursing relationship has been well established and your supply should not plummet if you miss some feedings. Remember to stay hydrated and relaxed and you should be fine. There are many women out there who stop breastfeeding for a while and end up "re-lactating" when they are able to resume nursing. Talk to a lactation consultant if you are really unsure what to do.
Best,
T.

You really need to pump the 4x a day if you're going away without your baby. If you were to abruptly stop, you risk developing mastitis, and that would really put a crimp in your trip. Plus, any missed feedings/pumpings tell your breasts to stop producing milk, and that would impact your son's future feedings at the breast. I would consider contacting Le Leche League [ http://www.llli.org/nb.html ] for assistance as well.