Breastfeeding your child has some distinct advantages. You never have to get up and fix a bottle, because the food is already made and just the right temperature. You never have to worry about forgetting the supplies at home, because you carry them with you and you get plenty of mini breaks during the day where you can put your feet up and relax while the baby is feeding … it's almost like meditation.

The disadvantage becomes clear when you wish to leave your breastfeeding baby overnight. But getting away for a short weekend isn't impossible while you are still breastfeeding – it just takes some planning.

Preparing the Mother
The most obvious thing you have to consider is your body's milk production. When Teri Patty, of McMinnville, Ore., left her twins, she was surprised by her body's ability to produce. "When they were about 2 1/2, I went away for a long weekend," says Patty, who thought her twins were almost weaned. "I realized the first day I was gone that I'd been nursing more that I'd thought, because I ended up getting engorged."

Patty's experience is a common one. Wendy Haldeman, registered nurse and co-founder of The Pump Station, a company that specializes in providing support and breastfeeding products to breastfeeding mothers, believes the No. 1 thing to remember when traveling without your breastfeeding baby is a breast pump. "Engorgement can be very painful for the mother and [can] result in plugged ducts and a possible drop in milk supply," she says.

To avoid this scenario, Haldeman suggests that you make sure you practice with the pump you will be using before you leave the baby. "I have worked with frantic mothers on the road who packed a pump they had never used before only to discover that either the pump was not functioning properly, the mother did not know how to use the pump or the mother was unable to let down to the pump," she says.

A breastfeeding mother should plan to pump every three hours around the clock. The pump is never as effective as a nursing baby, so the mother needs to compensate with frequent pumping. If a lengthy plane trip is involved, the mother needs to plan how she will pump on the plane. Not all planes have electrical outlets in the restroom. Battery-operated pumps or manual pumps may be necessary.

If you do have trouble letting down to a pump, Haldeman has several tips to encourage your let down reflex:

• Hot, moist, compresses (when available) and massaging prior to pumping can aid in let down.
• Traveling with a picture of the baby can help with the let down reflex.
• Some mothers have recorded the baby's sounds and/or brought along an article of infant clothing to smell during pumping.
• Remember that frequent and routine pumping is critical to avoid engorgement.

Packing a pump is absolutely necessary when planning a weekend away from baby, but there are other things you can do to prepare.

Preparing Baby
Haldeman says that separation can begin as early as 4 months for breastfed babies. When an infant is dealing with separation anxiety, the mother and caregiver need to be prepared for protest crying as mother leaves her infant. The crying and general distress usually resolves within a few minutes, and the baby will adjust to the caregiver.

"Many mothers have found it helpful to leave an article of clothing behind, which smells strongly of the mother, for the baby to cuddle with," says Haldeman.

Other preparations include:

• If possible, Baby should remain on breast milk. This requires a considerable amount of planning, as Mom will need to leave between 24 and 30 ounces of milk per 24 hours of her absence.
• If it is not possible to leave breast milk behind, Baby should be introduced to formula prior to the trip. This will ensure that the infant can tolerate it.
• The child should be able to take milk from a bottle or cup. The caregiver should do a "dry run" prior to the mother leaving.

Preparing the Caregiver
Dr. Ari Brown, pediatrician and co-author of Baby 411: Clear Answers and Smart Advice for Your Baby's First Year (Windsor Peak Press, 2003), says that caregivers should be prepared for anything. "Some babies can be rather stubborn and initially refuse a bottle, but know that their hunger drive will eventually override their stubbornness," he says. "Also, be prepared for setbacks, especially with an older baby who has a mind of his own!"

Other tips for the caregiver include:

• Offer bottles more horizontally so Baby has to "work" to get the milk out. This keeps Baby more occupied during feeding and distracts him from the unfamiliarity of the situation.
• Be consistent. Try to keep Baby on the same feeding and sleep schedule that Mom does.
• Keep an article of clothing that smells strongly of the mother for the baby to cuddle with.

A short weekend without Baby doesn't have to be a nightmare experience. Babies adapt, and mothers can pump to avoid engorgement and keep their milk supply intact. After all that, just think how happy you will both be when you are together again!

Want to see more?

• Surviving Date Night: Help for Your Breastfed Baby and the Babysitter
• Plan "B": Introducing the Bottle to a Breastfed Baby
• The Land of Plenty: Three Steps to Stop Pumping Problems
• Talk about it!