Nursing on the go

A nursing mum who is traveling with her baby will find that she is free from the trouble of having to scurry around to prepare formula in a bottle for her baby. All she needs to nourish her baby on demand is being carried with her at all times. Nevertheless, as the nature of breast-feeding will have it, issues such as, aching backs and arms, sore nipples, leaky breasts and so on will be present regardless if she is traveling or not. In regards to this, there are a handful of essential items that a traveling nursing mum will find useful to have with her when she’s on the go with her suckling baby.

Nursing Pillow

While some might refer to breastfeeding as an art of nourishing your baby, we would like to add that it’s also an art of not hurting your back or neck! Carrying and nursing a baby, if done in an uncomfortable position and for too long, invites physical issues like aches and pains in the body. Holding your baby up to your breasts for long periods of time can put considerable strain on your back, shoulders and even arms. That’s the last thing a new mum needs, especially so if she is away from home with her baby.

While you may have a favourite nursing chair which is comfortable for you to use while at home, it may not be easy to find a comfy place to sit and nurse elsewhere. We suggest you keep a nursing pillow on standby with you at all times. This comfy, useful item can be used to prop baby up to the ideal level to your breast for nursing.

Nursing pillows can help ease the physical burden of carrying a baby up to your breast for a feed. Baby can either be placed on your lap atop a nursing pillow or a nursing pillow can be strapped around your waist for that. Different nursing pillows have different functions, so do think about what you’re looking for in one before buying.

Carriers for close comfort

Naturally, there will be a bigger need to hold or carry your baby more often or more longer when you are travelling with your baby. As a nursing mum, you will find it helpful to take along a sling or other soft infant carrier. Invest in a good one which is comfortable for both baby and you. Try not to buy a carrier without first testing a few models. One that works for a friend and her baby might not necessarily work for you and yours.

Investing in a comfortable baby carrier to use when travelling with your nursing baby can help:

• Ease the burden of carrying your baby in your arms for extended periods of time
• Increase opportunities for unrestricted nursing. Nursing as often as possible is effective in maintaining an abundant milk supply
• Maintain skin-to-skin contact with your baby
• Protect your baby from possible hazards

Leaky breasts? No worries!

Ask any lactating mum and they will surely list leaky breasts as one of the problems associated with breast feeding. Leaky breasts are in no way harmful, except of course to one’s vanity. Many may not mind the thought of strategically placed wet spots on their blouses but just as many mind that said effect a lot, especially when in public!

It’s hard to say when milk-engorged breasts will start to leak, so it’s always better to be ready for the situation. One way you can avoid wet patches on your clothing is by using nursing pads, also known as breasts pads. These can be used with any nursing bras or even ordinary bras. Nursing pads are normally almost invisible under a bra. They are made absorbent enough to soak up leaks from lactating breasts. It’s always a good idea to include a few pairs of these pads in your nursing bag when you’re on the go, for you will never know when you’re going to need them or when you might have to change the ones you have on.

Note: Nursing pads can be bought in washable and disposable varieties.

Every little bit helps!

While nursing pillows do not completely omit the need to hold your baby while feeding, they do help lessen the strain quite a bit and take considerable weight off a nursing mum’s arms. They also help lessen strain on the back and shoulders.

Nursing cream for sore nipples

This is one area where only nursing mums who have experienced the situation can truly understand. It can be frustrating and downright torturous to try to feed a hungry baby when your nipples are sore and throbbing.

Sore and cracked nipples are actually nothing new in the breastfeeding scene. Many nursing mothers go through some level of nipple discomfort at some point or another during their breast feeding endeavor.

Improper positioning or latching of a baby’s mouth on the breasts, prolonged moisture from sucking and also loss of natural oils from the skin are all possible causes of sore and cracked nipples. Damaged nipples, if left untreated for too long, may increase the risk of mastitis, which is an infection of the breast.

A good nipple cream, applied regularly or as advised by your doctor will help to heal and ease the discomforts of sore and dry nipples. Some nipple creams can also be used to prep nipples up for breast feeding and helps to keep nipples supple and healthy so that they are less inclined to become damaged due to breast feeding. A tube of nipple cream is definitely a must-have item for travelling mums. It may be the very item that could save you a whole lot of avoidable nipple pain!

Travel and Nurse in style

Let’s face it. Boobs are still boobs and while nursing is as natural as breathing, flashing one’s breast for the sake of feeding one’s baby is still, well, not quite acceptable. We do, after all, live in a civilized society and we tend to NOT reveal certain parts of our bodies.

Nursing wear will make your life simpler, especially for mums on the go. With so many styles available these days, it would not be a problem to find some flattering pieces that will suit your preference.

Nursing tops

A fine quality nursing top with strategic openings can turn out to be a nursing mum’s best friend while traveling. Having said that, it wouldn’t hurt to have a few best friends from this category, from different styles, cuts, colors, etc. When choosing a nursing top, it will be best to try it on to see if the style and cut does justice to your figure.

Do not forget the fact of all the possible awkward positions you might find yourself in while breastfeeding your baby in public. A good nursing top should allow easy access to your breast from various positions while still retaining a certain discreetness to it.

Comfort is not something you want to compromise on while breastfeeding, especially if you have to breastfeed openly. Do not wear anything which you think is going to make you feel uncomfortable while nursing your baby, no matter how stylish it is. At the end of the day, it is far from stylish to look and feel agitated because your top keeps riding up or because of any other wardrobe dysfunction while nursing.

Nipple Shields

Another product nursing mums will find helpful for sore nipples is the nipple shield. These shields are made of soft silicone that acts like a second skin for sore and cracked nipples, allowing baby to latch on easily without causing additional distress to already aching nipples.

Nursing bras

We shall not sport with your intelligence by emphasizing the importance of a good nursing bra, for it might seem like common knowledge by now how important that you get a suitable, comfortable and supportive bra the fits! Choose those which cups that open and close easily, so that your little one can nurse easily (and for you to feel comfortable too!). It’s essential that the bra is supportive but not constrictive as this can cause medical problems like mastitis or blocked ducts.

Cover up!

Nursing ponchos/aprons/covers

If you are conscious about the public eye while breastfeeding, consider a nursing poncho. They are also called nursing aprons or covers. This is basically a light ‘blanket’ which you can use to keep your breastfeeding, literally, “under cover”. Nursing ponchos are actually all the rage nowadays and they come in many styles and patterns to choose from. Some are worn in a basic shawl-like manner, lightly wrapping the wearer and her nursing bundle of joy under its light, soft fabric. Others are work like an apron or a big bib.

One thing for sure – One will never run out of stylish patterns to choose from for the variety available in the market is impressive! This nursing item is indeed right up there, competing with the diaper bag as a nursing mum’s fashion accessory!

Nursing bags

It goes without saying that a nursing mum is going to need to carry all her essential stuff with her where ever she goes with her baby. Behold the nursing bag, sometimes also known as the diaper bag. Whatever you wish to call it, no nursing mum should be without one, even more so if she is traveling with her baby.

Some mums might find it quite a dilemma to decide on whether or not to carry a separate handbag for all personal, non-nursing needs. The manufacturers of nursing/diaper bags are as usual, a step ahead of this situation! Hence now, we have nursing bags which are so stylish, no one will ever know what they really are till mummy reaches in and pulls out a nursing cover or poncho!

When choosing a nursing bag, probably the most essential feature(s) will be compartments. In a nursing bag, the more the better!

The functionality of your bag should also be taken into consideration. Would you like to tote it around or sling it on one shoulder in a messenger bag fashion? How would you like to reach into your bag? An ideal bag will allow you easy access to all essential stuff without having to dig around or worse, having to empty half the contents of your bag to find an item!

Discreet is the word

Manufacturers of nursing wears have been quick to jump onto the bandwagon of breast feeding campaigns and were even quicker to realize that nursing mums sure could do with some help in the public nursing scene. This is why more and more nursing wears are now made to focus on convenience and discreet nursing. Nursing mums need not have to fumble with intricately buttoned blouses and complicated bra hooks to feed their babies.

Everything from lingerie to clothing are now made convenient for nursing mums so that nursing in public no longer needs to be an impossible mission. Nursing wear with strategic openings make nursing easy without having to get half naked, while nursing covers, aprons or ponchos makes nursing one’s baby a private affair, away from curious, albeit irritating glances.