Get Away!

Breastfeeding your child has some distinct advantages. You never have to get up and fix a bottle, because the food is already made and just the right temperature. You never have to worry about forgetting the supplies at home, because you carry them with you and you get plenty of mini breaks during the day where you can put your feet up and relax while the baby is feeding ... it's almost like meditation.

The disadvantage becomes clear when you wish to leave your breastfeeding baby overnight. But getting away for a short weekend isn't impossible while you are still breastfeeding – it just takes some planning.

The most obvious thing you have to consider is your body's milk production. When Teri Patty, of McMinnville, Ore., left her twins, she was surprised by her body's ability to produce. "When they were about 2 1/2, I went away for a long weekend," says Patty, who thought her twins were almost weaned. "I realized the first day I was gone that I'd been nursing more than I'd thought, because I ended up getting engorged."

Patty's experience is a common one. Wendy Haldeman, registered nurse and co-founder of The Pump Station, a company that specializes in providing support and breastfeeding products to breastfeeding mothers, believes the No. 1 thing to remember when traveling without your breastfeeding baby is a breast pump. "Engorgement can be very painful for the mother and [can] result in plugged ducts and a possible drop in milk supply," she says.

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