How do you breastfeed and have a normal life?

Maybe I'm being overly dramatic but seriously how do you breastfeed and go out without DD or go to dinner and have some drinks? Or if your going our for more than a few hours you can't pump? So you just get engorged? I just am trying to picture going out in a few weeks and I can't imagine being able to relax without thinking about breastfeeding the whole time

Re: How do you breastfeed and have a normal life?

I EBF and we go out all the time. I just make sure to pump or nurse right before I leave so I won't get engorged while we're out. We're generally only gone a few hours so it's fine. There were a few occasions in the early days where I came home feeling like Pam Anderson, but it's much easier now.

How do you breastfeed and have a normal life?

It gets MUCH easier. The first few weeks it feels like they are on your boob 24/7. You can't go out and have a "normal life" for the first few weeks. They will start eating less frequently and quicker and you will get comfortable nursing while you are out. You will need to bring your pump if you are going out for more than a few hours - it's annoying, but you do what you have to do!

Re: How do you breastfeed and have a normal life?

I'm glad you posted this....I was just saying the same thing to DH this morning. I have no idea how I am going to leave the house without thinking of breastfeeding all the time!

Re: How do you breastfeed and have a normal life?

You really can't have a normal life. But it's temporary and then it's over before you know it and you can go back to wearing regular clothes and leaving for long periods of time. I used to have to race home so it wasn't really worth going out. I did here and there but not much

Re: How do you breastfeed and have a normal life?

How do you breastfeed and have a normal life?

At the beginning, you really can't have a "normal" life, BFing really takes center stage. It really does get better/easier though as time goes on. Now at almost 6mo, I go out all the time. Yes, I rarely go out without DD, but I have no issue BFing her anywhere, so going out with her is easy for me. And if I do need to be away for an extended period of time, I just feed/pump beforehand. BFing is a lot of work, but its totally worth it

How do you breastfeed and have a normal life?

At first it may seem like you can't have a normal life, but it gets easier and you learn little things to make it easier and you totally can! Between my 2 kids I made it 3 yrs so feel free to FM me if you have any questions.

Do you pump frequently? I made it a habit to just pump while I nursed with the first feeding. My LOs generally only nursed on one side at a time, so if I was out and I missed a feed because I gave a pumped bottle I would just make it up with pumping when I nursed again. So much easier and I HATED pumping so it helped me relax if and get a better let down if I did both simultaneously anyway.

My little guy was too active to nurse in public so he always got bottles. MY DD I would stick in my Ergo and nurse while wearing her with a sweater or hoodie on and you could not tell. I'm not one that feels comfty not being covered.

Trust me..it gets so much easier! You can have a drink and still nurse (you'll hear varying opinions), but it's totally fine! Good luck :)

Re: How do you breastfeed and have a normal life?

I feel the same way. I am EP and it just down right sucks. I am hooked up to this machine 8-9 times a day! I don't remember this sucking so much the first time I did it.

Re: How do you breastfeed and have a normal life?

I feel the same way!! I give women who don't pump or give formula major props!! I honestly just breastfeed in my car a lot or go to buybuybaby because they have a nursing room.

Re: How do you breastfeed and have a normal life?

It's def a ill tricky in the beginning but it does get easier! My DD is on solids 2x a day and that helps full her up and tide her over a bit!

But anyway here is what I did and still do. We get all ready to go and as soon as DD gets up from a nap I would nurse her and we would head out. I knew she would stay awake an hour or two and fall asleep for a lil catnap. This would give us 3 hours I btw feedings to go to lunch or run errands. Sometimes I will nurse her in the car or in fitting rooms if need be. Like if I knew she was due to eat but wasn't fussing yet I would just feed her in the car and them go run next errand. Sounds annoying but u just get used to it. If DH was with me - he would run into a few stores while I nursed and changed her!

Now if I go out without her I would leave a bottle of frozen or fresh milk. In the beginning I wouldn't be away from her for more than 3-4 hrs unless I had a pump. After 4 mos I stopped leaking so much and now I can go 6 hrs and be fine. I don't make a habit of it though. It is a bit stressful to be away from her but it all works out.

Re: How do you breastfeed and have a normal life?

Re: How do you breastfeed and have a normal life?

There are definitely a range of answers on this. Some women seem to be able to master getting out quickly and easily and others find it much more difficult.

I'm in the camp of never leaving for long and pretty much being with DD all the time. I found it difficult and stressful to leave her. DD nursed every 2 hours for loooong time. If I had to leave her I would feed her right before I left and she'd be up for a while before taking a nap. Then DH (or whoever was with her) would text me once she was sleeping so I'd know I had another hour to get home.

Occasionally DH and I would go out for an early dinner, she would get a bottle in the early evening, and I would just try to get back in time to nurse her once more and put her to bed. I hated pumping, hated missing a feeding, and was always stressed about my supply. DD never got bottles consistently and eventually stopped taking them altogether.

Next time around, I hope to be more relaxed. I plan to give a bottle at least once a week just to keep the baby used to it. I think I'll have more confidence in my body and know that a few missed feedings is nothing to worry about.

I think you're smart to ask this and hopefully you can learn from others who find it easier. Good luck, it does get easier, and it does go by quickly!