9 hour car trip with infant

[nupe]

I am supposed to embark on a 9 hour car trip (from the US to CANADA!!) with my 3-week old infant who is exclusively BF, over 2 days. Should I be stopping at malls (nordstrom ladies lounge?) or hotels to BF or where? It is summer (HOT) and the car isn't the right place. Have other folks traveled by car this early? I have taken our baby on the plane, but it was just an hour flight and relatively easy. By the way, I have a pump but have been advised by LC not to start pumping until 6 weeks or later.

(Also posted in car seat section)

Thanks,
Nupe

[ALLEYCAT]

I have made several 5 hour road trips beginning when ds was 4 weeks. I nursed before leaving and stopped every 2 hours at a fast food restaurant and nursed while dh filled up the car or walked around the truck stop.How exciting I know for the truckers and high school students that seemed to hang out there. Oh well. A lesson in discression.
The trips take longer while bfing because at that age you will have to change baby with every feeding if not more often so just be prepared to stop often. It will also be good for you to get out and move around and keep things working for you. Be sure to nurse completely to prevent blocked ducts from the seat belt. Always wear belt how it was intended across chest but move it around so it is not always on the same spot on one breast.
They usually don't want you to pump early on because it can affect your supply, negatively. I found it very difficult at first to get any milk anyway and it took alot of practice. Now, at 8 months I pump while dh drives then get in the back and give ds a bottle of milk and we only stop when WE want to. Have fun and be safe.

[octmom]

I saw a reference to pumping in a moving car in another thread a few days ago. I bought the car adaptor when I bought my PiS Advanced, but I have never used it. How the heck does one pump while riding or driving? (The other post mentioned pumping during a morning commute to work, I think.) I'd be so paranoid about someone in another car (or a big truck) seeing something strange going on and doing a major double-take. Do you just drape your top over/ around the pump horns???

We're embarking on a long care trip in about a week and a half and I am wondering if I should give this a shot. Sorry if I am hijacking this thread a bit!

Jerilyn
octmom
DS, October 2003

[ALLEYCAT]

My excursion has tinted back windows so I get in the back with my Ameda PY. I did not discover the window tint untill recently however, so I did pump in the front with dh driving. It is easiest if he will stay in the right hand lane but not always possible. I just wear a button down shirt and pull the sides around the horns. You would be surprized at how unattentive most people are. I never noticed anyone paying any attention to me.

[octmom]

Thanks, Leslie. OUr Highlander has tinted windows in the back. Between that and the roll-down baby sunshades that I added (overdoing it), I probably could be pretty discreet. Will have to see if the cord is long enough to reach from the power source to the backseat. Stupid car doesn't have a plug-in in the backseat.

Jerilyn


octmom
DS, October 2003

[toomanystrollers]

I would just crank up the AC and go park in the shade :) and if possible, do the 9-hr. drive - all in one day.

[mastry]

I agree. We took a 9 hour trip when our daughter was 5 weeks old and I nursed her in the back seat in the parking lots of fast food restaurants, gas stations, etc. It worked fine because we left the car running and the air conditioning on. Have fun!

[Jen in Chicago]

We did this too, we stopped and feed whenever he cried. I fed in the car each time. I think I did it under a tree at a rest area with DH close by.

I was also advised not to pump yet when we did our trip. Our trip was due to a family wedding, and the LC advised me to have Grandma and Grandpa give him formula while I tended to wedding activities (my brother's wedding.) It did not throw anything off.

It was not bad at all! We started after work on a Thursday and arrived late Friday afternoon, with a hotel stay 1/2 way. I think our trip ended up being about 12 hours since we stopped so much to feed.

Happy Travels!

[mom2binsd]

I agree with BFing in the car with the a/c on, but I did pump at three weeks (to give my DH a chance to bottle feed) and never had any issues with it. The LC at our BF support group didn't have any problems with that or the fact that I had to use a nipple guard throughout BFing (some LC say no way on the nipple guard but it worked for me and I had a healthy happy nursing baby).

Good luck, don't forget baby's birth certificate when crossing the border and if babies dad isn't with you you will need a letter of permission to take baby to the Great White North! (I travelled alone with 3 month old from CA to Canada and thankfully knew to have the paperwork).

Beth mom to Maddie 12 months

[houseof3boys]

You've gotten great advice but to reiterate. Stop to nurse every two hours (or whatever your schedule is) and just leave the a/c on. You get used to the stares but people have no idea what you are doing so don't worry about it. You can always put a window shade up to hide it if it makes you uncomfortable.

The other thing I wanted to mention....bring something for your DH to read! Mine had the paper and a book and everytime we stopped to nurse on our 13 hour drive he was content!

When Ryan got older, I pumped while DH drove and then he would give him the bottle when I drove. That really helped speed up the trip but early on this would have been a pain for me.

Best of luck. :)

[nupe]

Thanks to all of you who posted for your advice and encouragement for my car trip.

We broke the trip up into two days, stopping to visit relatives on the way. Even with this break, it was too stressful for me not being able to stop the car when DD was crying, because there were stretches with no exit for 30 minutes in Ontario, or whatever reason! There was only one good stretch when he slept, otherwise he let us know he wasn't happy. I fed in parking lots of McDonalds, grocery stores, and a low point: a casino in the middle of nowhere (casino folks are always going back to their cars and back into the casino--why?). I used a priv-a-see nursing blanket. No one really noticed what I was doing. In any case, it threw his feeding (and my refilling--ouch) off schedule.

DD and I flew back, and DH drove the car back home. He did great during the flight.

I think he will do better in the car when he is a bit older.

I wish I had seen the post about reading material for DH before I left--that would have really helped pass the time!

Thanks,
Nupe

[lampes]

I started pumping as soon as my milk came in per instructions from my LC because I needed to be gone for a day at the 2 week mark. I think that because I started pumping so early that is one of the reasons I have such a good supply. In any event, I have on many occasions pumped and driven. I simply place the cones in my shirt before taking off and then turn them on and just go. I have actually had some of my best output during these drives because I am so unconcerned about the milk. I don't know if people can see what is going on inside the SUV but if they do, oh well. I have worried about getting pulled over by a cop or something.