Breastfeeding mom going on cruise without baby
 

So my Dh and I are going on a cruise Feb. 20. We have a 3 month old who is going to be staying home with his grandma. The problem is that he is still nursing and I have no idea how to store the milk I pump while I am at sea! Has anyone ever done this?

Any ideas or suggestions are welcome!

Re: Breastfeeding mom going on cruise without baby
 

Congrats on the baby and the cruise :) This is a tough question and I haven't been in this situation with such a young baby but when my current youngest was a year old my husband and I took a cruise and left her home with the grandparents, I was still nursing and I pumped extra feedings for the month before the cruise and while I was away I pumped and dumped rather than trying to store it and transport it, especially in light of the current liquid limitations on airlines. She picked right up where she left off and all was well. Be aware though that there are risks to this and I am not trying to dissuade you in any way but many of my friends went away while their babies were nursing and when they returned their babies were totally not interested in returning to breast feeding. One of my friends was completely devestated, the others took it in stride but all have said if they had it to do over they'd make different choices. Every baby is different, mine couldn't care less than I left her for a week, she was happy to see me and happy to return to the normal feedings.

Good luck and have a great time!

OOOPS I forgot to add the most important point- If you contact guest relations they can help you with a fridge if it is not standard issue in your cabin category. Packing a cooler and some icepacks may help as well.

Thanks for your reply! I admit, I am a little worried that the baby won't easily breastfeed after the cruise. I already have plenty of milk pumped so I'm not worried about the milk while I'm gone. I just hate to pump and dump all that milk! The baby is used to both breast and bottle though because I'm back at work so hopefully he won't have a problem.

Just wanted to update those who may be interested.

I packed a soft sided cooler and some ice and had my cabin steward fill it each morning with fresh ice. The milk stayed nice and cold and some was even frozen! I didn't even have to pump and dump! We did drive to the port though, so I don't know how big of a hassle it would have been to fly with nearly 5 days and nights worth of breastmilk. LOL

I purchased some Medela brand wipes to clean my pump pieces in the absence of a sterilizer. They say the parts don't have to be rinsed after use, so you can use them in places without access to water. (think Mexico, etc.) They were very convenient.

The best news though is that my son went right back to nursing when I returned. He never missed a beat!

Next up we are taking another 3 nights Bahamas cruise on the Monarch of the Seas with both of our boys, ages 7 and 6 months. Wish us luck!

Glad to hear it all worked out well...

and that you're up for a future family cruise!


Smooth sailing,
Luisa Frey
Family Cruise Editor

I am so glad that it worked out for you and especially glad that you posted to let us know. I had wondered.

Cruising with the kids is so much fun. I just love to share the experience with them and see their expressions as they take it all in. Have an awesome upcoming cruise : )

Glad to hear that it all went well. I have a 6 month old baby who I'm still breastfeeding although weaning off and he's coming with us and my parents on the cruise (which we haven't yet book but we're planning to do in the next day or so). We are planning to book a suite so that there is a fridge available on the cabin. I will just use the cabin for feeding. He's currently getting breastfed twice a day, morning and night. Hopefully this will not disrupt his routine too much. I'm a little worried because he's teething though. I hope this rough patch will pass soon because the poor little thing has been crying a fair bit.

Please keep in mind that most of the "fridges" on cruise ships are actually "cooling boxes" -- so while they'll keep beverages cool, they are not necessarily as cold as a refrigerator. I also keep water and juice in them but am a bit leery about milk not being kept cold enough. You may want to ask the cruise line for more details on that.

Smooth sailing,
Luisa Frey
Family Cruise Editor

I also used my cabin to feed when we went on our subsequent cruises with the baby. It worked fine, his routine wasn't disrupted. However, we are pretty flexible and he was also eating solid foods and taking a sippy cup. The refridgerators didn't have thermometers, so it is quite possible that the milk wouldn't have been cold enough. However, none of my milk appeared to have any problems...no wierd smell, no curdling, and the baby tolerated it just fine when he drank it.

My baby also had a very rough time with the first 2 teeth. Tylenol and a cool clean wash cloth helped a lot! Hopefully he/she is feeling better by now and the crying has decreased!

Thanks so muh for this post and the follow up. I will be cruising with my family in April. I will be taking my 8 month old son and I guess I will still be nursing at that time (we are gonna decide after 6 months if I continue). But I'm really nervous about pumping and feedings while on the ship. I need to contact them about getting a fridge in the room... Or bring my own cooler. This was great info. If you have more... I'm listening. How is it to cruise with an infant?

Welcome to Cruisemates...amazing the information you can find.

Several years back, there was a major thread here, on breast feeding. If my memory serves me right, it was about the inapropriate place, this woman was breastfeeding, in the main dining room, at the table. Added outrageous behavior, added to the issue. There was lots more, but you get the gist.

Even in this day and age, there are people who, are simply uncomfortable with the natural process of breastfeeding. My only advice would be to, take the time to feed the baby, in a private & calm environment.

You don't say what ship you are sailing..some ships don't have fridges. If so, just ask your room steward to remove all the goodies inside, so, you can have all the room you need.

I hope you enjoy the cruise, and, oh one more tip...bring a little blow up pool, to keep by your chair, at the pool for your baby to enjoy.