i have a business trip to san diego in two weeks (ahh!). thankfully, DH & DS are coming too :D. but i still need to pump while i'm there, because i won't be able to get out to feed DS for a good portion of the day (i'm going to a conference).
so.... what bottles should i bring? right now i'm planning to bring the medela 4-bottle & icepack cooler. should i just bring the nipples for those? at home i use drop-ins and i have a breastflow bottle, but would bringing all of that be too much? or should i look into using bags that you can pump directly into that will fit in the drop-ins? this would mean less to wash, and less to bring cause we'd really only need one or two holders. i just dunno! :headscratch:
also - moms that have traveled with the pump, did you check it or bring it as a carry-on?
and i guess i need to bring dish soap & a bottle brush for cleaning....
anything i'm not thinking of??
CEVmommy
08-19-2009, 08:11 AM
I haven't done a business trip before, but I think I'd just bring the same stuff that we use at home to use. And I'd bring my pump as a carry-on b/c I'd be afraid it would get lost or damaged if checked, and then I'd be SOL without it.
LoriT02
08-20-2009, 11:46 AM
Would renting a pump once you get there be easier or cost effective? You would not have to worry about your personal pump getting damaged. you would still need to take the parts and confirm that your pump's parts will work with the rented one.
I don't know that I could ever check the pump in as luggage.
The gerber bags sold at Target claim to fit most drop in bottles. They do not fit the avent tempo bottles. They do hold 6 oz.
I would take the bottles and stuff that your baby is used to, the trip will be different and have enough distractions without new bottles.
Unless your picky about soap, the hotel usually has little bottles for free. They also have the tiny coffee makers that can be used to get very very hot water for cleaning.
sh0rtchica
08-20-2009, 11:51 AM
I haven't done a business trip before, but I think I'd just bring the same stuff that we use at home to use. And I'd bring my pump as a carry-on b/c I'd be afraid it would get lost or damaged if checked, and then I'd be SOL without it.
Would renting a pump once you get there be easier or cost effective? You would not have to worry about your personal pump getting damaged. you would still need to take the parts and confirm that your pump's parts will work with the rented one.
I don't know that I could ever check the pump in as luggage.
The gerber bags sold at Target claim to fit most drop in bottles. They do not fit the avent tempo bottles. They do hold 6 oz.
I would take the bottles and stuff that your baby is used to, the trip will be different and have enough distractions without new bottles.
Unless your picky about soap, the hotel usually has little bottles for free. They also have the tiny coffee makers that can be used to get very very hot water for cleaning.
i think you're both right - checking the pump = Bad Idea. i think renting might be too much of a hassle, and at least if i bring my own and use it as a purse/carry-on i can make sure it stays with me at all times! less likely to have any issues then....
i didn't even think about the hot water from the coffee pots - that's a great idea! that way i should be able to keep everything relatively clean. i guess i'll also bring my medela disposable wipes too, for when i can't get back to the room. i can't imagine how moms who EP handle this kind of thing!
recorb
08-20-2009, 12:39 PM
I did a business trip while BFing. I refused to check my pump, I was so afraid it would get lost or damaged and I didn't have DD with me, so that was my only release. The one thing you might not have thought of is to call ahead of time to the hotel to make arrangements for a mini-fridge in your room. Some have them anyway, but others are a stocked mini-bar and you'll want an empty one to store your milk in. Also if you're staying at the same hotel as the conference you may be able to arrange for a room close to the conference room so when you do have a break you can quickly take off to your room and pump (most conferences I attend give 20 minute breaks, so I could get 10 minutes of pumping in). Don't be shy about telling the manager or staff that you are a pumping mom.
When I traveled I spoke to the event coordinator at the hotel for the conference I was attending, and even though I was paying for a low rate room she upgraded me for free, because that room was closer to the conference and would allow more space for me to feel comfortable. If I knew I was going to pump during a morning break I made sure to lay out a clean hand towel on the desk and have my pump and empty bottles all hooked up and ready to go before I left my room in the morning, so when I came in I just had to sit down and actually pump. If I had time I washed the items and laid them on the same clean towel to air dry. If time did not allow I rinsed them and wiped quickly with the Medela disposable wipes and then cleaned properly later on.
kt~mommy
08-20-2009, 08:42 PM
i have a business trip to san diego in two weeks (ahh!). thankfully, DH & DS are coming too :D. but i still need to pump while i'm there, because i won't be able to get out to feed DS for a good portion of the day (i'm going to a conference).
so.... what bottles should i bring? right now i'm planning to bring the medela 4-bottle & icepack cooler. should i just bring the nipples for those? at home i use drop-ins and i have a breastflow bottle, but would bringing all of that be too much? or should i look into using bags that you can pump directly into that will fit in the drop-ins? this would mean less to wash, and less to bring cause we'd really only need one or two holders. i just dunno! :headscratch:
also - moms that have traveled with the pump, did you check it or bring it as a carry-on?
and i guess i need to bring dish soap & a bottle brush for cleaning....
anything i'm not thinking of??
dh and i did the exact same thing when ds was 8 months old. mine was a week long all-day training. i took my medela PIS with the bottles that come with it (pump into them and he can eat out of them too). i froze what he would use the first 1 1/2 days, then pumped there what he'd use the rest of the days. i carried on, as no way i was having luggage people toss it around a risk breaking it in transit!! it was pretty easy to check, and the 3oz limit for carrying on liquids doesn't apply to breastmilk. i've heard nightmare stories about women having to drink it to prove it wasn't some dangerous substance, but we had absolutely no trouble at all. the guy just asked me to open the compartments and wanded it. easy peasy. i would bring as little as possible along, as few bottles as you'd need. if your babe is used to a different bottle system now, i'd get him used to the nippes/bottles that you pump into for ease of transition for him. also, i don't know if you'll have a fridge/freezer where you're staying, but i assume so, since you'd need to keep it overnight. i would take along some extra freezer packs to have at your conference in case they don't have a fridge to use. i hated wasting any milk, so i froze what i pumped on the last day and brought it back with us. freezing it helped it to stay okay for future use.
other than that advice, i think you've thought of everything you'll need to have along for it! :thumbsup:
