How Often Should You Pump When Traveling Without Your Baby?

Consistency is key

By: The Willow Editorial Team

Travel while pumping involves a lot of logistics… even if you don’t bring your baby with you!

If you are breastfeeding, it can feel impossible to go to the store without your baby, let alone on a trip or vacation!

As crazy as it may sound, you can absolutely travel without your baby. We know keeping up your supply while you are away from your baby is probably one of the top things you are thinking about. We don’t blame you!

Stress not, mama! We are here to help guide you through pumping while you are away from your baby.

Luckily, this one has an easy answer: You want to aim to pump as many times as your baby would normally eat!

Creating a Pumping Schedule When You’re Traveling

Consistency is key. With breast milk existing in the “supply and demand” realm, you really want to aim to create a schedule and stick to it as soon as possible. In an ideal world, this schedule would match up with the schedule your baby normally follows.

Now, we know that is not always possible, especially depending on the nature of your trip.

If you can’t keep to the schedule you would normally follow at home, do your best to find a schedule that works for you while you are away. Whether that be certain times of the day, time intervals, you name it. Find what works for you and run with it!

While having a schedule is helpful, please do not stress about making sure to pump at the exact same time. Whether you are traveling for work or pleasure, there will always be something that comes up when you are getting ready to sit down and pump. That’s just life!

Ultimately, as long as you are pumping around the same number of sessions you typically have with your baby, you should be good to go!

Now, might we remind you, this is exactly why we created Willow Pump. Instead of having to find a place to pump or make sure you are back to your hotel room, you can discreetly use your Willow pump wherever you go!

Storing Milk While Traveling

What am I going to do with my milk?

Safely storing your milk can be one of the most overwhelming parts of traveling while away from your baby.

While you are en route to your destination a cooler or cooler bag is going to be your best friend!

While you’re at it, may as well get a bag that carries your pump too, right?

Your milk can safely stay in an insulated cooler bag for up to 24 hours.

Once you get to your location, you will want to be sure to transfer your milk to a refrigerator or freezer, depending on how long you will be gone.

Pro tip: You cannot refreeze milk that has been thawed previously! If your milk is in the freezer and begins to thaw, you can only refreeze it if there are still ice crystals

Pump Confidently On-the-Go with Willow Pump

We know the effort and time that goes into planning trips away from your baby. We want to make sure that we are here to support you and make life easier any way we can!

Whether you have the Willow Go or Willow 3.0, you have given yourself the ability to travel while maintaining your pumping – untethered!