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freezing breastmilk on cruise?


Marksmom
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Just looking for some insight from all you veterans. Some friends and I are planning a girls cruise, one of the girls is breastfeeding. She doesn't want to pump and dump 4 days worth of milk so we were wondering if there was anyway to save it on the ship. Anyone have any idea if they would freeze it for her? Any ideas?

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Just looking for some insight from all you veterans. Some friends and I are planning a girls cruise, one of the girls is breastfeeding. She doesn't want to pump and dump 4 days worth of milk so we were wondering if there was anyway to save it on the ship. Anyone have any idea if they would freeze it for her? Any ideas?

 

Call the cruise lines special needs department and see if she can make arrangements for freezing - I am not hopeful, but... - and you still have the issue of getting it back to baby in frozen condition. Some rooms have fridges, but I don't think that is recommended for that long.

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I had a friend who inquired about the same thing. After contacting cruiseline she was told that yes she could place it in a freezer within the ship (I am not sure where) but the milk would not be in her possession -- ie she would pump, place it in storage containers & a ziploc freezer bag & they would place it in the freezer somewhere-- she opted to pump & dump the 1st few days & refrigerate the others in her possession as it is ok to store in fridge for ~5-8days-- she brought ice chest to keep on ice vs unreliable temp mini fridges that are typically on the ships-- she froze the milk once she got home & used the older milk the 1st day to feed baby in between some nursings as well.

 

http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/recommendations/handling_breastmilk.htm

 

http://www.justmommies.com/articles/breast-milk-storage.shtml

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Breastmilk will last longer than 4 days (it needs to be used, frozen or tossed out after 7) There are fridge's in the cabins, she can store it there. Just make sure the fridge is as cold as it can be, make sure she brings lots of bags, bottles etc. for storage. She will be able to fly (if this is the case) no problem with the breastmilk.

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Just looking for some insight from all you veterans. Some friends and I are planning a girls cruise, one of the girls is breastfeeding. She doesn't want to pump and dump 4 days worth of milk so we were wondering if there was anyway to save it on the ship. Anyone have any idea if they would freeze it for her? Any ideas?

 

Me again...missed the part about pump and dump...no reason! 4 days is plenty. It will not go bad. I have been pumping/breastfeeding for over a year with plenty of experience in milk over 4 days. Just make sure she labels it with the date, and use the oldest milk first when she gets home! have fun!

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I had a friend who inquired about the same thing. After contacting cruiseline she was told that yes she could place it in a freezer within the ship (I am not sure where) but the milk would not be in her possession -- ie she would pump, place it in storage containers & a ziploc freezer bag & they would place it in the freezer somewhere-- she opted to pump & dump the 1st few days & refrigerate the others in her possession as it is ok to store in fridge for ~5-8days-- she brought ice chest to keep on ice vs unreliable temp mini fridges that are typically on the ships-- she froze the milk once she got home & used the older milk the 1st day to feed baby in between some nursings as well.

 

http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/recommendations/handling_breastmilk.htm

 

http://www.justmommies.com/articles/breast-milk-storage.shtml

 

Breastmilk will last longer than 4 days (it needs to be used, frozen or tossed out after 7) There are fridge's in the cabins, she can store it there. Just make sure the fridge is as cold as it can be, make sure she brings lots of bags, bottles etc. for storage. She will be able to fly (if this is the case) no problem with the breastmilk.

 

Agreed- my friend pumped & dumped because she was on a 10day cruise-- ie toseed the 1st few days of pumping-- only reason she brought the ice chest was we have never out of 9 cruises had a mini fridge that kept things "cold" where I would store breastmilk for 4 or 7 days in & then freeze upon going home-- but maybe other cruiselines have better mini fridges-- ours have always been barely cool

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See, I would never give the milk to anyone to "store" or freeze for me...you just have no idea what they are doing with it...

If you want to keep it in the cabin somehow, in YOUR possession, fine.

It's really not a big deal to get rid of it...you're constantly making more. When you get home, resume breastfeeding!

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Maybe it could be stored in the medical facility? It certainly wouldn't be tampered with there. As a mom who pumped for a year for each of my three kids, I could never "pump and dump". I always found a way. I even pumped in a storge closet for a year with my first child. Kudos to your friend for her dedication to breastfeeding. Many moms are not willing to do what it takes to nurse when circumstances make it difficult! Check out KellyMom dot com for tons of breastfeeding information.

Edited by khm1
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Not sure if you are driving to the port or not. We took a six pack size cooler on our cruise and just refilled with ice every day. "Freezing" temperatures can be achieved with ice. You wont get "frozen solid" but you will get 32 degrees Fahrenheit (check it @ home if you don't believe me)

 

Perhaps a collapsible cooler if you are flying & just unpack and initially fill on the ship. Dont know what your last port of call is but I bet you can do some googling and/or use the port of call board to determine if there is any dry ice to be found near the port.

 

You do know that Lansinoh and Gerber make specialty ziplock packs to store breast milk, right? They are not as cheap as reg ziplocks but they are not too expensive. They are very durable and can be reused a few times if you clean and rinse well and dry immediately (at least I did)

 

Good luck!

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 7 years later...

I'm about to be facing this in Sept 2018. I would NEVER Pump & Dump! I work super hard to feed my nursling, who has medical needs and a host of intolerances. This really comes down to it needing to be more broadly discussed and accepted worldwide. I'm about to take a cruise on Carnival and I'm fighting tooth and nail for my right to have my milk frozen. Once we disembark, we'll head straight to a Postal Shop to overnight my milk on Dry Ice. It'll be worth every penny!

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Make sure you know how to pack and ship dry ice. These days it’s hard to find as very few places carry it.

Cabin fridges rarely get below 40F, plan accordingly.

It’s a want not a right. Could take the child with you or postpone your saildate a bit.

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I just finished nursing twins and saw one of the only doctors (MD, not just lactation consultant) who specializes in breastfeeding. Milk refrigerated can last 8 days. I would definitely ask special needs in advance if they can freeze the milk for you. I used the kiinde pouches for freezing and they worked great. I would bring two small cooler - one hopefully for their freezer to hold the frozen milk and one for the room to chill each pumping while waiting to be frozen. Explain the need for constant ice to your room steward. Maybe show a baby pic to make sure he gets it. If they can't freeze it, ask if they have real fridges for medical purposes. I've heard some lines do. If not, using submerging the milk in buckets of ice in the fridge will likely keep it for 4 days.

For travel, a good cooler and as much ice as possible! If they will freeze the milk you should be golden (i filled a few of the same pouches with water to have ice blocks) a 6 hour trip home and the milk was frozen solid. If you can't freeze the milk, have lots of zip lock bags. Fill with ice right before you leave the ship. Refill with ice from a restaurant at the airport before getting on the plane. Good luck!

 

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This cruise is a honeymoon cruise, baby will be 18mo and is staying home for obvious reasons. I disagree with it not being a right, but it's okay that some feel differently about this. For me, it is no different than needing to store insulin or have a special needs diet that must be accommodated. Regardless, the cabin coolers are not guaranteed to keep breastmilk at proper temperatures, dry ice is NOT allowed on Carnival ships, and the cruise we're taking is 9 days - booked before we learned that the information we'd received was incorrect and that the special accommodations department has nothing to offer us - I was actually told to either bring baby or pump/dump. :mad: I really just feel that if a diabetic or celiac person can have accommodations for things, that a breastfeeding mother who is without a child should have them too. It's not asking that much to store breast milk in a freezer - I guarantee they already store products from sheep, cows, goats, etc... and the milk is being stored in it's own container, triple bagged.. so what is the big deal? But whatever. We'll manage somehow.

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Special needs told you to pump and dump?!?! That's terrible! I would honestly call back and try to get a supervisor. I get that they may not be able to provide a freezer, but you should at least be able to get a real fridge like they do for Insulin so you only have to waste a few days. Can your doctor write a letter justifying the medical necessity of breastmilk and use that to get a fridge?

 

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Depending on what line you sail on, special needs can arrange a medical fridge which is colder than the minibar. We had one in Freedom of the Seas in January so I could pump milk to send to the nursery with DD who was 6 months at the time and has a milk allergy.

 

 

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For me, it is no different than needing to store insulin or have a special needs diet that must be accommodated.

For everyone else, it is different. If there is no fridge for insulin, the diabetic person may die. If there is no fridge for your breast milk, then the reserve supply for your distant baby will be less than ten days when you get home, but it isn't normally fatal to babies to have only a day or two reserve milk supply - or even to have no reserve at all.

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  • 1 month later...
Just looking for some insight from all you veterans. Some friends and I are planning a girls cruise, one of the girls is breastfeeding. She doesn't want to pump and dump 4 days worth of milk so we were wondering if there was anyway to save it on the ship. Anyone have any idea if they would freeze it for her? Any ideas?

 

Breast milk is fine in the fridge for up to 8 days before it needs frozen. Just have her pump and store in 3 oz bags and when she gets home she can freeze it. Easy enough.

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Breastmilk lasts 5 days in the fridge. The saying is "5, 5, 5": 5 hours at room temp, 5 days in the fridge and 5 months in the freezer. Supposed to be because it fights off bacteria so well.

 

Exactly. Only Pump and Dump in EXTREME situations.

 

I have traveled for work at hotels for 4 days before. I kept the milk on ice (in a bucket) in the fridge and it was fine. Packed with extra gallon zip lock bags of ice for the trip home. It worked fine. It stayed so cold in the milk bags on ice that the fat actually separated more than it did normally in my home fridge.

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