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  1. #1
    ♥ms.pacman♥ is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Question BF'ing baby @ wedding?

    so in about a month DH & I (along with DS, who will be 4 mo old then) are going to an out-of-state wedding. the wedding will be from like 3pm to i'm guessing 10 or 11pm, so about 8 hours total.

    the thing is, i exclusively breastfeed. DS does great with bottles of pumped milk (i use Medela Pump-in-Style & dr. brown's bottles), but the problem is, we will staying at a hotel the night before and the night of the wedding. soo, no fridge to store pumped breastmilk, and no freezer to store an icepack. eek! i do have a nursing cover, but i'm not sure how comfortable i will feel NIP at a wedding. i have found a dress that is compatible with nursing though (a maternity dress, ugh).

    soo, just wondering if anyone has any BTDT advice/tips? so far i'm thinking to pump right before the ceremony and also before the reception, leave the pump in the car and bring bottles, and hope that will be enough and that the milk won't go bad. i don't want to have to deal with bringing my pump (a backpack) to the ceremony or reception since i will already have to deal with bringing a diaper bag, camera bag etc..and plus not sure if there will be a private area i could pump in.

  2. #2
    Andi98989 is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    Most hotels have mini fridges available; I would call and ask for one ahead of time - definitely explain that you need to keep breastmilk refrigerated. If they don't have a fridge for your room, they likely have one for employee use that you might be able to at least keep your cooler ice packs in. Otherwise, you could make a make-shift fridge using the ice bucket and just keeping it filled with ice. I EP and that was my plan for while DH and I were gone last weekend without DS. We ended up having a fridge in our room, so it ended up not being an issue.

    There should be plenty of places where you could go to nurse LO, though. Most reception venues will have rooms where the bridal party is able to store things; you may be able to use that room. If nothing else, there should be a quiet corner that you could go to. What about in your car?

    When we were gone, I just stepped away from the party and went to pump in the car.
    DS1 - Oct. '09

  3. #3
    ehf is offline Silver level (200+ posts)
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    Will your baby be with you? If so, I would just plan to breastfeed there. It's usually easy to find a discreet corner if you are feeling like you want a bit of privacy.

    I have used the ice-in-the-ice-bucket method of keeping milk. You need to replace the ice twice a day or so, but it worked very well for me.

  4. #4
    MamaMolly is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Where is the reception? If it is a hotel or something like that, even a reception hall they will likely have a lounge area or private area you can nurse in. I found it so much easier to just nurse than to go through all the rigamarole with bottles and pumps while traveling. I'd bring it, but wouldn't make myself too crazy with trying to keep the milk fresh, given that you'll have fresh right on hand. And congrats on finding a BF friendly dress! I'm on the look out for one for summer events we have coming up.
    Molly
    Lula '06 outgrew her allergy to milk & eggs, still allergic to peanuts and cats
    Dolly '10

  5. #5
    SnuggleBuggles is offline Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
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    I went to a wedding when my nursing ds2 was 7mo. I took him to the car to nurse not because I don't like NIP but my dress wasn't perfect for it. I probably would have been ok there in hindsight though. It didn't even cross my mind to pump and bottle feed. Even though my ds2 was older than your lo will be, I was still worried about engorgement and leaking if I went a long time w/o nursing. I'd just look for a quiet spot and plan on nursing rather than all that logistical pumping stuff but that's my comfort zone.

    Beth

  6. #6
    ♥ms.pacman♥ is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    thx for the responses. i will definitely try calling ahead and asking about a mini-fridge. that would make things easier. when i looked up the hotel online it didn't list a mini-fridge as one of the amenities but maybe if i ask about it they may be able to accommodate somehow...if not, i'll use the ice bucket.

    and i don't think i could really nurse in the car during the reception since our car is likely going to be in a parking garage a few blocks away (and at night, it's not in the safest part of town). the only time we'll have easy access to the car is before the reception (since we have to drive from ceremony to reception).

    and the reception is at a university reception hall. i think there likely will be a semi-private area that i could sneak off to and nurse, but i guess i figured i wanted to have bottles too in case baby got hungry at some point during reception that i didn't want to miss (cake cutting, etc)
    Last edited by ♥ms.pacman♥; 04-04-2010 at 09:02 PM.

  7. #7
    SnuggleBuggles is offline Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
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    I bet there is somewhere good on site to nurse. Many reception sites have lounge style bathrooms. Maybe do a bit of recon online and see what the facilities are like. If it has an outside area you could likely find a quiet chair out of the way there too. Otherwise, sit with supportive people and just do your thing. Babies need to eat.

    Beth

  8. #8
    Dr C is offline Gold level (500+ posts)
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    I like your idea of pumping before the ceremony because I personally would feel a little uncomfortable nursing during the wedding ceremony itself... though I'll freely nurse just about anywhere if I don't have a bottle handy and the kid is hungry. Fresh pumped milk keeps for 8 hrs at room temp so you don't need to worry about refrigerating it if it's just for the ceremony.

    For the reception, I wouldn't bother with pumped milk (once the bottle you pumped for the ceremony is gone). There has GOT to be a place to nurse somewhere... depending on your comfort level, you could nurse discretely right in the middle of the reception (that's what I would do), or if not that, there is probably a small room you could duck into somewhere (kitchen, library, lounge, etc), a bench in the hall, a closet, a phone booth, or if all else fails, there's always the bathroom... not pretty but it gets the job done (though I will warn you that I have had both of my kids de-latch and scream when a toilet flushes LOL). Many nicer hotels have chairs in the ladies room or even a lounge/powder your nose area that is perfect for nursing.
    Good luck!
    Where did you find your dress?
    My sweet boy 8/06
    My beautiful girl 10/09

  9. #9
    ♥ms.pacman♥ is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    thx again for replies...as for the dress, it's totally informal, its a summer dress i got at Motherhood Maternity last year when i was preggo. totally NOT what i would want to wear to a wedding, but whatever...thing is, the top of it is very nursing-friendly so i could nurse or even pump both sides with it on. there's other maternity dresses i have that i like way more that are more formal and more appropriate for a wedding, but aren't nursing friendly, so they're out..i don't want to have to undress & change every time i want to nurse. i hope it's ok that i'm going to such a formal event in a cotton summer dress.. i guess i could try and find something nicer but i don't really have the time, plus with all the extra baby weight the last thing i want to do is go dress shopping! lol

    anyway i think nursing at the reception would be much easier than at the ceremony. so i'll probably just pump before i leave and bring a bottle for the ceremony. after that, if i can i'll try to pump before the reception if i can..if not (or if it's not enough) i'll just find a room or lounge to nurse. i would nurse at the table @ reception but i just don't want to risk offending anyone by doing so...

  10. #10
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    wellyes is offline Blue Diamond level (20,000+ posts)
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    I've nursed at a wedding and several receptions (and a funeral) before. Every single time, the on-site staff have a place I can go for privacy. Once it was a staff training room, once an unused bridal suites, once it was a ladies lounge (a nicely decorated seating room in front of the ladies restroom). It always seems to work out.

    i would nurse at the table @ reception but i just don't want to risk offending anyone by doing so...
    FWIW I do think it's completely OK to nurse with a cover in public. I know that etiquette-wise it's perfectly acceptable (I am an advice-column junkie). It's *possible* that someone will be offended, but it's even more likely the presence of 4 month old at a reception will irritate at least one person. To which I say: too bad for them. It's good to look for an alternative if it makes you uncomfortable, but don't stress about doing it if it ends up being your best option!
    DD - 8
    DS - 5

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