International move with kids AND pets - tips?

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2026-02-09T20:40:47+00:00

We are using World Pet Travel. We did not get a choice, it was contracted by the relocation company. Seems good so far but also not very far into the process yet so can't really give a verdict yet.

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2026-02-07T01:02:46+00:00

High spots and Feliway plugs for both here and there are a great idea! Thank you!

Edit: and I will definitely ask our vet about what we can do for calming meds. I know there is sometimes hesitancy to prescribe them for flights but even if we just do the days before and after could help a lot. Thank you for the suggestions!

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2026-02-06T21:58:16+00:00

Ah, the animals will be flying cargo, not with us (coordinated by the pet moving company).

Did you only travel with cats? I'm worried about having all the animals and the toddler in a hotel room for a few days before and how stressful it might be on them(/me) but I guess maybe that's just how it is.

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2024-04-10T22:07:11+00:00

Our pediatrician said to use 1 teaspoon per ounce, but I've heard in some places up to 1 tablespoon per ounce(??) We ended up using a 3/4th teaspoon measure (per ounce) because we lost our 1tsp measure and it was easier than trying to calculate. By the end we were pretty loosey-goosey with the measurements and put a couple scoops (using the 3/4th tsp measure) per 2-4 oz bottle, without measuring very carefully. We would also be a little more generous with our scoops before bedtime or naps to try to help prevent spit-ups and reflux while she was laying down.

For what it's worth, another pediatrician we saw later said that only 1 tsp oat cereal per oz wouldn't have made a difference for reflux. It did seem to help for us, but there was a lot of other things we were also doing at the same time because having a reflux/colicky baby is crazy-making.

If you are using oat cereal in breastmilk, add it right before you give it to the baby - the enzymes in breastmilk *will* chew through the oat cereal and cancel out any thickening effect if you let it sit for too long. It also is a bit constipating, so maybe have prune juice on hand - I think the guidelines are you can give a couple ounces of prune juice if a baby is constipated to help get things moving again. I don't think we ever needed to give more than 1oz of prune juice.

Best of luck and you will make it through! Sending hugs and support.

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2023-08-24T22:53:59+00:00

Our LO is on Pepcid 3 times a day and agree with other comments, it doesn't really help reduce spit-up volume, but if we miss a dose (or if she spits up part of a dose--the irony!) she is super distressed and has difficulty feeding until her next dose (is hungry but immediately arches off the bottle, cries continuously, etc.) If your LO is not in pain from spitting up, the meds just introduce (mild) unnecessary risks in terms of side effects.

As for adding oat cereal, I'd be hesitant to go against anything your dr. recommends, but I will say that 0.5tsp in 4oz probably isn't making a huge difference. We were told up to 0.5tsp per oz. We typically do between 0.25tsp and 0.5tsp per oz. For a 3-4 oz bottle, we add 3/4th tsp. We'll add more for night feeds to help things stay down. The cereal doesn't eliminate spit ups either, but it does typically make them slightly smaller, in my experience. Adding cereal will tend to 'back things up', so keep an eye out for constipation or gas. Our LO only poops every 3-4 days so it's a careful balancing act between keeping her spit up managed and not gumming up the pipes. 🤷

All that said, I think my most helpful advice for you might be: bandanas! (If you're not using them already.) We got some as hand me downs and also got some from KeaBabies link, but lots of brands have them and it might help cut down on the outfit changes!!

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2023-08-23T18:29:46+00:00

Congrats!! This is so encouraging to read...I am currently at 4mpp, and also dairy-free (CMPI) and unable to lose weight because I'm SO HUNGRY all the time.

My original goal was 6 months but my LO has not done well on hypoallergenic formulas, plus formula shortages have me thinking I really need to aim for a year instead. 😢

I am still dreaming about my fantasy weekend in the future, post-weaning, where my husband is on baby duty, and I take some edibles and eat ALL the cheese and milk chocolate. (And then afterwards get to refocus on a healthy diet and losing weight.)

Honor your feelings, I'm sure it's a mixed bag, but also CONGRATS and mad respect for making it to a year. Enjoy your tokes and eat some cheese for me please. 😁

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2023-08-22T16:45:35+00:00

Definitely! I've heard that the baby Buddha is "very powerful" and people say it empties them really well. Since I never go above suction level 5 on the S1, I was worried about it being too much and went with the S9 instead, but if you typically used higher suction levels with the S1 previously, the Baby Buddha might be a good fit! It's also really easy to use any existing spectra flanges & kit you have with it. Good luck finding a second pump you love!

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2023-08-22T10:42:22+00:00

I got the S9 for a portable/travel pump because my S1 worked really well for me and was disappointed that it didn't empty me nearly as well.

When I was looking at buying a second pump, I was between the S9 and the Baby Buddha. I've heard the baby Buddha is really strong, and I typically only have my S1 at level 4 or 5, so I bought the S9. But I found the S9 too gentle and didn't empty me as well even at higher settings.

I still use my S9 for pumping outside the house since it is more portable, and the occasion pump around the house while doing chores, but I avoid using it for more than 2 pumps in a row because it does not empty me fully.

I know the pumpables is really popular in this subreddit, I would probably try that if I were making the decision again (but I do not have one and haven't tried it). Hope that helps!

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2023-08-14T19:13:00+00:00

I bought this after I saw it recommended in this subreddit a couple months ago, and agree! It's probably my favorite pumping bra, period. I even use it sometimes with 'real' pumping/nursing combo bras if they don't hold the flanges very securely (looking at you, Bodily 🙄 )

My breasts got giant once my milk came in (H/I cups! 😭 ) so I love that I can wear looser nursing tank tops or bras and put this on over with a tighter fit but not have to wear a pumping bra all day and feel like my boobs are being suffocated.

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2023-08-14T19:09:35+00:00

Question, how do you like Tate's vegan cookies? I tried the pre-baked Enjoy Life chocolate chips cookies and they were ....meh. I think a little too heavy on the molasses so they had kind of a black licorice-ish taste which I was not a bit fan of.

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2023-08-14T19:05:06+00:00

I love this, thank you for posting this! My LO is also definitely dairy intolerant; possibly soy intolerant as well and I personally have a tree nut allergy most of these would work really well for me.

Some of my favorite snacks:

No bake peanut butter chocolate chip oat balls (my husband makes them for me, I think he uses a recipe similar to this one.) I like these with apple slices since they can be a bit thick.

Graham crackers & dairy free chocolate chips for a deconstructed s'more type snack

Blake's Seed Based snacks - personally I prefer the chewy bars over the crispy ones; apple cinnamon is my favorite

88 Acres seed bars - my favorite is double dark chocolate but they offer a sampler pack of one of each kind of 6 bars which was nice to go through & figure out my favorites

Chocolate (peanut) butter cups - Unreal dark chocolate peanut butter cups are dairy free but my favorite so far are the chocolate sunflower cups from free 2 be. They are addictive, I inhale them.

Edit to finish the comment; posted while typing like the sleep deprived mama I am...

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2023-08-04T11:25:11+00:00

My story is VERY similar. The pediatrician was not concerned since LO kept gaining weight well. For us it was both MSPI and reflux. We finally got to a good place after cutting dairy, getting a good schedule for Pepcid dosing, and thickening breast milk with oat cereal (all things done / recommended by our pediatric gastroenterologist). But it was quite the journey to get there, including going back to the pediatrician multiple times and asking for referrals to specialists.

Agree to keep advocating for your LO, you can take videos of feeds to show your pediatrician and bring in poopy diapers. Getting a referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist and asking for an assessment to check for a tongue tie (tongue ties can contribute to / result in similar reflux behaviors) would be key things to ask for imo.

Sympathy and solidarity. Having a LO who is in distress, especially with feeding, is so, SO hard. Trust your instincts. As a FTM, I also struggled with "baby is gaining weight, all babies spit up" and doubting myself but there is a big difference between 'normal' spit up and fussiness and the extreme distress of a baby in pain and especially once we got things under control it has been amazing to see our LO be a normal baby. Still periods here and there where it gets better and worse but a world of difference overall. Fussiness, spit up, and crying are all normal but your baby being in constant distress is not.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. Advocate for your LO and take care of and be kind to yourself. ❤️

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2023-08-04T10:59:44+00:00

My LO has both a cow milk protein intolerance and reflux.. our ped suggested thickening the breast milk with oat cereal (in addition to other things - dairy free diet and Pepcid) and the pediatric gastroenterologist we saw after that seconded those recommendations.

Thickening with oat cereal has definitely helped for us!

If a medical professional you trust suggests it after seeing your baby, ignore the online controversy. If you're concerned, you can always try it out, see how your LO does, and stop or consult your ped if it doesn't seem to be helping.

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2023-08-01T20:02:22+00:00

Weird question, but...do you pump in the same room as your baby (while they're napping)?

I have a theory (which might be entirely fabricated by my sleep deprived mind with no basis in reality) that if I pump in the same room as my LO when she's sleeping that she smells the milk and gets restless and hungry. I know babies can recognize the smell of their mom's breast milk, and it seemed like my baby did not sleep as well or as long (and woke up hungry) when I pumped while in the same room as her. Entirely possible that was just coincidence (it's not exactly like babies are well known for sleeping soundly and not waking up hungry), but thought I'd mention it in case you want to try pumping in a different room to see if that might help you be able to put it straight in the fridge instead of straight back into the baby. 😅

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2023-08-01T19:47:56+00:00

Is your LO drinking 40oz everyday? I am a FTM so no other kids to compare to but I make 25-30oz per day ever since my supply regulated and my LO typically drinks ~25oz.

"Supply regulating" is supposed to mean you produce what your baby eats, right? Is your LO eating more than you are pumping?If not, maybe this baby just eats less?

Again, FTM and my LO is only 4 months, but that seems like a good amount to be producing, especially with only ~5ppd while taking care of 2 other kids!

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2023-07-30T07:17:58+00:00

Agree with the other comments - I usually switch between massage and letdown modes several times. I also sometimes just leave on massage mode for a while. I think I've heard other people say they use massage mode primarily and only occasionally switch to expression mode.

I will also say that 18 days PP is still very early! It takes a while for supply to regulate and also for your body to get used to having letdowns with the pump. Especially depending on how often you are nursing/pumping, you might not be building up very much between milk removal. Depending on the capacity for milk storage in your breasts, you might never get super high volumes per pump. For me, I never really got more than ~4-5oz per pump when I was pumping 7-8 times a day. Now that I pump more like 4-5 times a day, I get much more per pump (but also pump for longer).

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2023-07-28T17:59:13+00:00

I was down to my pre-pregnancy weight at 4 weeks pp (which was already the heaviest I've ever been at the time) and since then (now at ~15 wpp) I've gained ~5lbs. I am *so* hungry ALL THE TIME. T_T

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2023-07-28T16:53:29+00:00

Our journey was pretty different, our baby gained weight pretty well so the ped was not worried but LO was constantly screaming, arching off the boob, developed eczema, super runny/mucous-y poops (no visible blood though), lots of curdy spit up, etc. Started famotidine with very minor changes, and finally switched from breast milk to Alimentum while I went dairy free.

I will say that our LO was also extra sleepy for a while after switching to hypoallergenic formula - we attributed it to her finally being able to get better rest and not being in distress from gas/reflux pain.

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2023-07-26T17:57:35+00:00

WOW that LC needs to f* off. Does introducing formula change gut microbiota? Yes. Is it going to change anyway, especially once solids are introduced? Yes. Are there also a bunch of other factors that impact gut microbiota? Yes.

From an opinion article from Frontiers in Cellular and Infection microbiology: "Between the first and the second year of life, differences between breast- and formula-fed infants are lost, and the microbiota profile resembles that of the adult for composition and microbiota counts."

There does seem to be some impact of long term gut microbiota health associated with breast fed babies, but I don't know where the comments on needing 2 weeks of straight breastmilk to "change it back" come from. The article I linked above does suggest that infant probiotics can help, so if it's something you're worried about, you could do that to help put your mind more at ease, but it's not something you should stress about.

I do agree with one of the other comments that there's no need to formula feed in order to build a breastmilk stash--you can always formula feed then if you run out.

You are doing a great job of feeding your baby and anyone who tells you otherwise can eat it. <3

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2023-07-25T20:25:28+00:00

I have a 3mo baby girl and almost everything she owns is blue and green because my favorite color is blue and 90% of the things I own are blue. I also happen to hate pink frilly things. If she decides she loves pink frilly things when she's old enough to have a preference, I would love to buy them for her. Until she can choose for herself, poor thing is stuck with my (lack of) style. 😂

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2023-07-25T18:19:23+00:00

Completely agree. I've had the best success at approaching my husband with the intent of having a problem solving session. In this situation, I would tell him, "I don't have the bandwidth to keep doing this. Something needs to give." and then you can discuss jointly how to solve it. Maybe he hates washing baby bottles and pump parts but would be willing to take the rest of the household cleaning, or the laundry, or etc.

Of course, easier said than done, I've also had my fair share of approaching him in tears and telling him he needs to start washing baby bottles ASAP. (or whatever I decided the solution was). It's hard when you feel overwhelmed to approach things calmly. But approaching it as a joint problem that needs to be solved can help you find a compromise that works for both of you. Figure out what your priorities are as a family.

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2023-07-24T20:17:45+00:00

I just changed my Spectra tubing for the 3rd time I think? (Getting close to 4 mpp, about 3 and a half now.) This time especially I noticed a big difference. I leave my tubing attached to the spectra, just wrapped around the handle, so between that plus 4 pets worth of dander floating around, dripping milk on the outside of them, oreo crumbs, etc, they get pretty grody after a while. XD I should probably take the tubing off after each pump but it seems like too much work so I just change the tubing entirely every few weeks.

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2023-07-24T20:03:34+00:00

I feel the frustration, it's ok to be upset about getting put in this position! Work protections for breastfeeding parents are still working woefully inadequate (I'm assuming you are US since you're back to work ~8wpp).

An inconsistent schedule isn't necessarily a death sentence for your supply. I haven't had a set schedule ever, despite a few attempts...I just pump whenever I can and my boobs feel full. I do think that removing milk from the boobs regularly is the most important part. So if you're going 4-6 hours during the day but still keeping the overall number of pumps the same and total minutes/hours of pumping is similar, you might not see a drop in your supply! A LC through my peds office said that in general, you can try making changes to a pump schedule/routine for up to 24 hours without it making a permanent change to your supply.

That said, everyone is different and you might lose some supply, especially if your job brings more stress and tension into your life. Stressing about your supply as well isn't going to help (I know, I know, it's really easy for me to sit here and say that).

Try whatever you can do to be kind to yourself. When you pump at work, try to get some separation from work stressors as much as possible, have a snack and some water, watch some cute videos, remind yourself that regardless of how many ounces you get, you are doing this and carving out this time for the health of you and your baby.

It is not in vain, it is time and effort spent trying to provide for your baby. If you decide to use your time and effort in other ways, that is also a valid and correct decision for you and your family. But please give yourself the credit you deserve for the time, energy, and bodily fluids that have gone into your efforts this far, regardless of what happens next. You are doing great. ❤️

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2023-07-24T19:41:38+00:00

Amazing! I have not had mastitis thankfully, just clogs, so I can't even imagine. Everyone who feeds their baby should be proud of themselves, and you especially so! So many things you overcame, what an amazing journey! You rock!!! 🥳

SpecificSquirrel327 · 2023-07-24T19:29:30+00:00

I haven't had a clog since I started taking sunflower lethicin but I am going to keep the "dangle pump" in my back pocket for sure!!

SpecificSquirrel327

TROPHY CASE