Advice needed on taking expressed milk out

[bubbles82]

My LO was two weeks old yesterday, and so far I've been a bit reluctant to leave the house due to having such an irregular and unpredictable feeding schedule! I recently started expressing 2.5oz a day so DH can take the 5am feed before he leaves for work, as I was really struggling with lack of sleep due to the amount of time LO feeds.

This weekend we have our first official family outing for a friends christening, and I'm already stressing about how to work everything around the feeds. The christening starts at 2.30 which would normally likely fall in the middle of feed time, and the outfit I plan to wear is not breast feeding friendly, plus I'm not confident about feeding in public yet. So I'm planning to get there early and either breast feed in the car, or more likely take an expressed bottle to quickly feed before the christening starts, as the feeds can sometimes take up to two hours but it only takes 10 minutes for her to guzzle a bottle down. I would probably also need to take a second expressed bottle for the next feed, but have no idea on the logistics of this. How long will the expressed milk be ok for before it's no good to use, and what's the best way to transport it to keep it good for the maximum time? It will probably be taken out of the fridge as we leave the house, so the second one will have to last around 4 hours before it will be needed, is this just not going to be possible, or should I maybe be taking it out of the freezer and defrosting it over the time we're out so it's fresher in a way? Really stumped!

 

[Noo]

LLL state breastmilk can be stored for 6 hours on the side, 6 days in the fridge and 6 weeks in the freezer so I'd guess you'd be good to go for 6 hours if kept in a sealed bottle and expressed before the christening - Perhaps with a little freezer block to keep it more chilled... Though would you have a way of warming it slightly?

 

[seaweed eater]

Frozen is actually less robust so I wouldn't do that. The simplest thing would be if you can pump within 6 hours of when you need the milk. Then you can just leave it out at room temperature and it will be fine. If you can pump as she's taking her bottle right before the christening, and use that as the next bottle, that would be the best because then you'll also be replacing the milk she's taking and emptying your breasts so you don't leak too much (which you may if you miss 2 feeds).

If you can't do that, I would take a cooled bottle with a freezer block or ice pack, assuming you have a way to heat it.

 

[Calibeachbum]

I'm dealing with this issue this weekend. I found a bottle warmer at target that plugs into the car. You can also warm a bottle in a warm cup of water, if you have access. I am going to carry a few bottles in a cooled bottle (good up to 12hrs). The info on the 6 hour rule is new to me and good to know. That's why I love BnB.

 

[zorak]

Is their no way you could nurse, even using something as a cover? My SIL nursed my nephew all the way through my wedding ceremony. She just sat at the back and said she liked it because it had the added benefit of keeping the baby quiet too.

 

[bubbles82]

Is their no way you could nurse, even using something as a cover? My SIL nursed my nephew all the way through my wedding ceremony. She just sat at the back and said she liked it because it had the added benefit of keeping the baby quiet too.

I wish I could but really not confident enough with it to do it in public yet, so not going to use the christening for my first try! The dress I'm planning to wear is awkward to get on and ties up round the neck so I'd have to completely remove my top half to nurse. Still got really sore cracked nipples at the moment so it wouldn't be very discreet or comfortable for me at all!