Keeping the Milk Moving: Breastfeeding in a Natural Disaster

Maria Itani

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Natural disasters can strike without warning, disrupting everyday life and making access to essential supplies difficult. Breastfeeding is a safe infant feeding option during disasters. If you are already breastfeeding during a natural disaster, then continue to breastfeed. For breastfeeding and pumping mothers, these situations can be stressful. However, breast milk remains a safe and reliable source of nutrition for your baby, and there are ways to ensure that breastfeeding, pumping, and bottle-feeding can continue even during emergencies. Here’s how to safely navigate feeding your baby during a natural disaster.

Why Breastfeeding Is Important During a Natural Disaster

Breastfeeding provides numerous benefits during emergencies, including:

  • No Need for Clean Water: Breastfeeding doesn’t require clean water, sterilized bottles, or formula, all of which may be difficult to find during a disaster.
  • Safe and Nutritious: Your breast milk continues to be a complete source of nutrition and offers antibodies to help protect your baby from illness.
  • Emotional Comfort: Breastfeeding offers comfort to both you and your baby during times of stress and uncertainty. Breastfeeding can reduce stress by boosting your levels of oxytocin, a hormone that helps you relax and allows breast milk to flow. Breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact may calm you and your baby.

Tips for Breastfeeding During a Natural Disaster

  1. Keep Nursing Regularly: Continue breastfeeding on demand, as maintaining your feeding schedule will help sustain your milk supply and provide comfort to your baby. Remember 8 or more times in 24 hours allows enough stimulation to protect milk supply from any drops.
  2. Stay Hydrated: Drinking water or fluids is crucial. While your milk supply won’t immediately decrease if you’re dehydrated, keeping yourself hydrated will help maintain your health and milk production.
  3. Find a Calm Space: If possible, seek out a quiet, safe area where you can nurse. Reducing stress is key to maintaining milk flow.
  4. Know Your Resources: Familiarize yourself with local emergency services, lactation consultants, and breastfeeding support groups that can offer assistance during emergencies.

Tips for Pumping Mothers During a Natural Disaster

For mothers who pump, a natural disaster can make it harder to maintain your pumping routine, but preparation and flexibility can help. Here are some tips for pumping mothers:

  1. Prepare for Power Outages: If you rely on a double electric breast pump, have a manual pump on hand in case of power outages. Battery-powered pumps are also an option—just be sure to pack extra batteries in your emergency kit.
    1. Hand expression is also an excellent technique that requires nothing but your own hands. It requires no additional equipment, and is an excellent way to express your breasts when full. 
  2. Sanitize Pump Parts: If clean water is scarce, you may not be able to wash your pump parts as usual. Consider using sanitizing wipes specifically designed for breast pump equipment or boiling water to sterilize parts if safe and clean water is available.
    1. Read more here for how to safely sanitize parts with limited water. 
  3. Store Milk Safely: If you have a supply of breast milk stored, keep it in a cooler with ice packs to maintain its temperature. Breast milk can be stored in a cooler for up to 24 hours if kept at 40°F (4°C) or lower. If you lose power, avoid opening the freezer or refrigerator to keep the stored milk cool for as long as possible.
  4. Pump Regularly: If you’re separated from your baby, continue to pump, or hand express as regularly as you can to maintain your milk supply. 

Tips for Bottle-Feeding During a Natural Disaster

If you’re paced bottle-feeding breastmilk for your baby, it’s important to follow safe feeding practices:

  1. Sanitize Bottles: If you don’t have access to clean water to wash bottles and nipples, consider using cups to do cup feeding safely.
    1. Cup feeding demonstration
  2. Keep Milk Cool: If you’re bottle-feeding expressed breast milk, keep it in a cooler with ice packs if you don’t have access to refrigeration. Be sure to label the bottles with the date and time the milk was expressed to use it within the safe storage window.

Helpful Resources for Feeding During Emergencies

Feeding your baby during a natural disaster can feel overwhelming, but with a little preparation, you can ensure that breastfeeding, pumping, and bottle-feeding remain safe and manageable. Breastfeeding provides critical nutrition and comfort during uncertain times, and pumping or bottle-feeding can also be done safely with the right precautions. Your baby’s health and your well-being are top priorities—so take steps now to be prepared, and know that even during challenging times, you’ve got this!

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