Car travel and breastfeeding

Jakki - posted on 07/23/2009

I don't think it's the breastfeeding which is the issue - it's the 12 hours drive! Any chance of breaking it down to 2 days' driving of 6 hours each day? I can imagine a lot of babies wouldn't want to be trapped in a car seat for 12 hours in one day.



When my daughter was 4 months old I tried to drive 800km in one day by myself. It was fine most of the day, and I stopped every couple of hours for a feed and a cuddle... but in the last 2 hours my normally easy-going little girl just had enough and screamed blue murder without a break. I couldn't stop at that point because it was a big freeway, and driving through busy city traffic - arrrk! This was 8 years ago and I don't know if I ever recovered from that! It was incredibly distressing and I would never recommend anybody do that to themselves or their baby!

Lori - posted on 05/29/2009

We took a 5 hour trip several months ago but it turned out to be more like 7 after stopping twice to nurse. Luckily we didn't have to be there at any set time so we took our time. I feed her right before we left than stopped for lunch around her next feeding. Lastly we stopped at a rest area a few hours later and I nursed her again. She slept a lot in between so that helped.

Candace - posted on 05/27/2009

The drive may help her to sleep longer bevore feedings. I would recomend giving her a bottles with expressed milk or formula on the road so you don't have to stop as often. If she hasn't had a bottle before try introducing it a week or so before you leave. Assuming you are not the one behind the wheel it's easy to pump while you are in motion and give the bottle hot off the tap, otherwise get a bottle warmer for in the car (some have adaptors while others don't need power) or introduce her to cold or room temp bottles ahead of time. If she hates the bottle it will just mean you have to pull over and feed her more often plan extra travel time. Good Luck!

Mindy - posted on 05/26/2009

I travel12 hrs to visit family too and the car helped the baby sleep alot and I just pulled over (in a safe spot) to nurse and get back on the road when they were done. I have done this lots of times never any problems:)

Jen - posted on 05/25/2009

I fed my daughter on the road a few times when I was traveling alone with my daughter. I would pull into a rest stop and pull all the way down away from everyone, cover up with a blankie and just nurse her in the car. I also had some bottles made (my daughter was formula and breast fed simultaneously), but I mostly breast fed her from me.

Jen - posted on 05/25/2009

I fed my daughter on the road a few times when I was traveling alone with my daughter. I would pull into a rest stop and pull all the way down away from everyone, cover up with a blankie and just nurse her in the car. I also had some bottles made (my daughter was formula and breast fed simultaneously), but I mostly breast fed her from me.

Kylie - posted on 05/25/2009

Hi, you could always express some breast milk and give to bub in a bottle. Really its not like they will be turned off the breast because you are giving it to them in the bottle. Otherwise you could always leave just after feeding and then (hopefully) they would sleep for part of the trip till you could stop somewhere to feed again.