BREAST MILK ON THE RUN…
Getting out and about after your baby is born…
Written by Noelle Sadinsky
You haven’t even had the baby and you’re hearing so much advice about what you’re going to need to do and why. It can be really overwhelming and you have enough going on at the moment. First, take a breath and let us help you plan ahead and be informed.
It’s vital for your mental health for you to be able to get out of the house in the lead up to the birth and once you’ve had your beautiful baby. It’s so necessary to connect with other mums to share stories and gain valuable insight on the journey of parenthood to help maintain your sanity. This is a time to connect, not stay locked away inside with fear of the unknown if you take your baby out.
Firstly, you really should join your local mother’s group. This group will prove invaluable and also be a great source of friendship for you and your baby. It’s good to start with short trips with your baby in tow outside of the house to the shops to pick up a few items, a short drive, a walk along the beach or a nearby cafe for coffee chats. As your baby grows, you’ll find you’ll be able to get out more and more with confidence as you and your baby get used to each other together.
It goes without saying that keeping your baby nourished and hydrated is a priority especially in the early years. Navigating your way around this means you need to be as prepared as possible to keep life simple. For those who are able to breastfeed you may be comfortable feeding your baby in public or prefer to express at home and have a bottle on hand when you need it quickly. Did you know that breast milk can last outside the fridge up to 4 hours but after that it isn’t safe and needs to be thrown away? Carrying breast milk with you when you’re out and about can be challenging, and you don’t want to waste a precious drop.
You might need to go back to work sooner than expected and will need to express your breast milk regularly during the day. You might have an important wedding or party to attend that will be longer than the usual dash out the door, so you’ll need to be prepared especially if you need to express or carry bottles with you. It’s worthwhile being one step ahead as it’s important to keep this liquid gold cool and fresh no matter what you’re doing.
So, what to do when you’re out and about and need to carry breast milk for your baby? Fridge-to-go has a solution with their unique Medium Lunch Bag that gives you real freedom keeping items cool up to 8 hours at a time. Freezing the thin panel in the freezer overnight is all it takes to ensure cool and fresh breast milk for you baby. You can feel confident knowing it will be safe to give to your baby no matter where you are and how hot it gets outside.
As your baby grows it will be helpful to have an effective cooler bag to assist when your baby starts solids and needs regular snacks all the time. Keep things as simple as possible and plan ahead giving you and your baby the chance to be calmer and happier overall.
Tiny Sparks in WA is an amazing not-for-profit organisation that has been using Fridge-to-go Lunch Bags in their neonatal packs to assist new mothers of preemie babies to transport their breast milk especially in those early days in their mission to improve the health and wellbeing of mothers enduring high-risk pregnancies and newborns. If it’s good enough for Tiny Sparks, it should be good enough for your baby too.
Welcome to parenthood!