Stockpiling Milk

okay, just wean him! You're driving yourself nuts with the angst you're feeling with this issue. Do it when it feels comfortable, quit agonizing.....& chose to make your life easier. I truly wish you Peace.

It's admirable to try to plan to stockpile that breastmilk. BUT, all it takes is one dropped/spilled bottle & your caretaker is OUT OF LUCK.....& you will not be available. Another option would be to do 1/2 & 1/2 with breast milk & formula. Quite a few of my babysitting moms have gone that route, with the baby switching to full formula usually by 8-10 months.....& then to milk at 12 months.

Please, just make a choice that creates simplicity and ease for both yourself and your caretaker. Life will be so much happier then. On another note, enjoy that vacation!

There ARE ways you can increase your milk production and pump to gain a surplus supply. I would contact a local breastfeeding consultant or La Leche league. They can give you the in depth of it better than I could on here. Basically what you can do is a combination of herbal supplements that boost production and extra pumpings at the right times each day. I actually had so much milk frozen that my daughter didn't go through it all before she weaned and I had to throw it out. :( (lol) but anyway, it is possible. Call a lactation consultant and get started now. You may want to invest or rent an electric pump too - it would make it much easier!

I breastfed my son until he was exactly one year old, and gave him straight whole milk on his birthday. At that point I was down to one feeding, at bedtime, so it wasn't too hard to cut the one feeding out. Anyways...he loved regular milk, and had absolutely no problem switching right to it. I'm not saying you will have it that easy, but it is a possibility that it could be that easy. I would suggest having him try a couple ounces of regular milk maybe a couple weeks before his birthday, see how he reacts to it. If it doesn't go well that gives you a few weeks to mix some of it with breastmilk like others mentioned earlier. I would definitely try to wean him before you go, seems like a lot of stress before and during your trip.

I don't know what the response to the first inquiry was but you are going to have a lousy time on your vacation (Lucky girl) and he probably won't be interested in going back to the breast after such a long time. A bottle is much easier so they get a little lazy... Wean him as you planned and enjoy yourself.

If you're not planning to breastfeed much longer (after he turns 1), you could start planning the weaning part by reducing the number of "at-breast" feedings (only once at night) and stick to the bottle the rest of the time (even when you're home with him). That will make it easier for him to not have you around during those 17 days. Also, cow's milk is okay after 1 (we started serving ~2oz about 2 weeks before my girl's 1st birthday)--talk to your pediatrician. That gives you time to find out if he has sensitivities to milk (it took us almost a month before she could handle drinking a whole serving (>4oz) without getting an upset stomach (gas & constipation).

If you plan to breastfeed for a while (after he turns 1), try the bottle feedings (only do one at-breast feeding a day) to find out how much he actually needs. Then, you can do the herbals and increased pumping schedule to increase your supply. Out of curiosity, do you have any milk already in the freezer? In a standard freezer, it's good for 3 months, in a deep freezer, it's good for 6 months.

Either way, I know this sounds bad, but you could always use formula during the transition... Good Luck!

I breastfed till my boy was 12 months, then started weaning. I'd say to also call and ask the experts (lactation consultant with your local hospital will answer questions for free. I used to call them with any small question. They are there because they want to help you!). If you plan to wean soon, then if you pump more to stockpile, then your body will start producing more and you'll have to spend half of your vacation time pumping! Not fun! Not to mention that the breastpump takes up a large part of your suitcase. I'd say to start weaning him now (or soon) and freeze what you can. He can start on whole milk after one year, so he'll have a whole month to get used to whole milk before you leave him in June. So when you're gone he could drink some breastmlik, some wholemilk, plus the food he'll be eating. Herbal remedy's to boost your supply don't sound good, as I would think it would affect the taste of your milk and he may not drink it anyways. But like I said - do you really want to boost your supply and tell your body to make lots more, if you just plan to wean him soon? Good luck!

I had a similar situation, and knew I wouldn't have enough stockpiled before I left. My daughter was only 10 mo, not old enough for cow milk yet, so I started my daughter on formula when she was at the sitter (twice a day) and she had breast milk anytime she was with me. When I left, there was a good supply of breast milk frozen, and she was supplemented with the formula. In your case, you could use cow's milk instead of formula. At first, I was VERY reluctant to give her formula at all, but in the long run, it GREATLY reduced the stress of it on me, so it was the healthier option for us. Good luck to you. You'll do what's right for you and your little guy.

I had absolutely no trouble weaning either of my kids. I would say do it. You have a few months to pick the right time. I think your vacation will be more enjoyable if you're not pumping and dumping and/or worrying your son is getting enough milk at home.

With my older son, I had to quit cold-turkey. I went to see my doctor (he was about 7 months), and he actually told me to stop because I was having trouble maintaining my weight (I'm petite and he was eating more from me than I was eating for myself). Anyways, I just quit. My breasts were fine and he finally got hungry enough for formula after about 12 hours.

I think the kiddos that have the most trouble are the ones who never have a bottle (even if it's breast milk). You've already introduced the bottle, so that's half the battle!

Hi M., Please take a deep breath, all will be OK. I understand after reading a response from your first post why you are starting to stress, but don't it will be OK. First it is only February; you have 4 good months before your trip, good for you planning so early. First I just wanted to say our dr told us that baby's need formula or breast milk up to 12 months, after that cow’s milk is good, so your first plan is right on target, he will be 12 months so a normal time to make the switch to cow milk. I did things completely different between my two girls, but either way worked. With my 1st I gave her cow milk at her 1st birthday party, and never turned back... with my second it took a little longer as it took her a good month to start liking the taste of the cow's milk, so we continue to supplement one bottle at night just to make sure she was getting enough nutrition.
Really only you can make the right decision for you & your son, but since you asked "our" opinion, do you really want to spend your whole vacation pumping? Then to have your son off the breast for 17 days while you’re gone just to come home & try to reintroduce it just to wean at that point? I know for me the vacation would be a lot more enjoyable if I didn't have to worry about keeping up my supply & pumping the whole time. It sounds like if you were not taking this trip you would have weaned him at this time, so why not continue with your original plan?
So I know I’m not answering your question about stockpiling, but I did want to tell you not to worry so much, you have plenty of time, it's only February, if you decide to go with the weaning idea before your trip, you don't even have to worry about starting that process for 3 more months. Continue the joy of feeding your son for the next three months, then in April you can start the transition slow. I agree with the original posts about 1 feeding at a time for a week, then the next week remove two feeds a day for a week, ect…, my dr recommended that and it works well. If you feed 6 times a day then it may take 6 weeks. About a month before my daughters 1st b-day I gradually gave her a little cow’s milk ONLY in a sippy cup, just to get her used to the taste & the cup. By his 1st birthday he should be fine & you will be all set for your trip. Also, I know now at what 9 months old all these seems like a lot and he’s not ready, but the close he gets to his first birthday the easier it will be, he will be eating more table food, he will start drinking from a sippy cup more, he may even wean himself…
I was also just thinking from reading your question, if you don't want to ask your mother because she already thinks your off breast milk, how will she react to your bring over 17 days worth of milk while you’re gone?? Good luck and great job on breast feeding your son so long! Oh and I’m so jealous about your trip, have fun!

If you are wanting to keep him nursing and want to stockpile some milk for when you are gone, then I suggest the following...

While he is nursing on one side pump the other side and when you swap him, swap then pump the other side.

But also remember, If you decide to keep him nursing while you are gone, are you going to be able to continue pumping as often you need to and to properly storing your milk and transport it home while you are gone? If not, then I would suggest weaning and drying yourself up before leaving...