Looking for advice about breastfeeding and travel

[LHBryan]

I know there are lots of Moms out there who've breastfed and travelled without their little ones (whether for work or pleasure), so I'm looking for advice. I'm still BFing our 9-month-old DD, and I have to take my first overnight work trip next week. I'll be gone three full days and two nights:( and will be flying. I can't imagine being away from DD that long, but I suppose the silver lining is 2 nights of potentially uninterrupted sleep away from the dreadful monitor and DH's lingering cold and cough.;)

I'm concerned about the logistics of pumping and traveling home with all that breastmilk. I've reviewed the TSA updates on traveling with bm, and it looks like I'm ok in that regard, at least in theory. (They used to have an absurd rule that you could not travel w/ bm quantities greater than 3 oz. unless your child was accompanying you....Ummm, that makes no sense.) I will pump ~5 times/day and have booked a hotel room with a full-size fridge/freezer. I assume I'll freeze most if it flat in bags so it will take up as little room as possible. My concern is how to get all of the milk home with me and keep it cold/frozen. I know all those "briquettes" won't fit in my pump's cooler case, so I'm wondering if I need to buy a separate soft cooler that I can use as yet another carry on (in addition to pump bag, briefcase, etc.). Assuming there are no delays, my travel time home is only 3 1/2 hours total. I'm going to ask for late checkout so I can leave the milk in the freezer as long as possible and swing by the hotel on my way to the airport. Also, I've heard that wrapping and layering frozen items in newspaper helps keep them cold. Any other tips? Last night I was lying awake thinking of other miscellaneous things I'll need, such as dish soap for the pump parts, extra batteries for when I have to pump in the rental car:rolleyes:, etc. Anything else you experienced travelers can think of?

TIA!

-Laura

[sweetpea]

Well, this might be a dumb question but do you HAVE to bring it all home? when I traveled while bfding and didn't have DD with me, I just pumped and dumped the milk....but I was a SAHM who wasn't gone much so I didn't need those days of milk. What your situation like?

[MinEaston]

Good question, sweetpea...

Laura - I've read in several places that breastmilk will keep just fine for 7 days in the fridge, so to be honest I wouldn't freeze what you pump while you are gone, so that you don't have to worry about keeping it frozen! Here's a good link (http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkstorage.html)on Kelly Mom. I think you're better off not freezing it, given that you shouldn't re-freeze, and thawed breastmilk is only recommended for use 24hrs post-thaw.

I would also highly suggest printing out thispage (http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/formula.shtm)from the TSA website that very clearly states that you are permitted to carry-on breastmilk in larger than 3 oz containers and declare it for inspection. From what I've heard, not all TSA employees are always up-to-date on the regulations!

[Molli526]

I have had to do this twice! I am like an expert in this field ;):rolleyes::p

I have made my company Fed/Ex overnight the breast milk with dry ice. I let the hotel know upon arrival I would need this, then took what breast milk I had pumped after shipping with me on the plane. This was after I was gone 5 nights.

I have also brought a soft sided cooler, that fit in my checked bags, and I put ice packs in there, and between the frozen breast milk, and the ice packs, it was good until I got home.

OH! Before I even put my breast pump through the scanner, I told the folks what it was, just to give them a heads up.

[LHBryan]

Thanks so much for the replies and advice!

I know it sounds sort of silly, but I just don't think I can bring myself to pump and dump that much milk. A couple of bottles maybe, but not over a dozen. I have been so stressed out about not having enough milk for this trip and pumping like crazy w/ this deadline in mind. A month ago my freezer stash was depleted, and now I finally have enough (and then some) in the freezer and fridge after pumping nights and weekends to catch up. I know we're nearing the tail end of BFing, but I don't want to end up in this situation again or watch it go down the drain. I seem to have developed an odd attachment to the pumped milk!:o

So, that said, I think I'm set. I printed out the kellymom and TSA pages (thanks for the links, Mineaston) and bought a soft cooler. Great advice about not freezing the milk. I may freeze a couple of bags to serve as additional "ice packs", but otherwise I'll just leave it in the fridge.

Now I just have to stress out over the fact that DD has her first double ear infection, is being extra clingy w/ Mommy, has delightfully runny diapers from the antibiotics, and Mommy has had a cold for about a month and now appears to be relapsing and has lost her voice....Fun, fun times.:rolleyes: Please send us--and poor DH who also can't kick his bad cold and cough!--some positive thoughts!

Thanks again,

Laura

[mst]

Laura- it doesn't sound silly at all. I had a very low supply, so my poor mom used to chip off frozen milk to give to DD, because I would be so annoyed if she defrosted a bag and DD wasn't hungry.

I had to stop breastfeeding cold turkey- my DD was allergic to my breastmilk. I gave my frozen supply to my brother, and told him to pretend he was giving it to his daughter. I couldn't stand the thought of throwing any out.:D

[Molli526]

If your hotel has a business/ shipping place inside, they can get the dry ice for you too :)

[Kingwell]

Laura,

Thanks for starting this thread and thanks to everyone for all the really useful info. How did it all go?

I have a similar trip coming up, sorta. DH and I are celebrating our fifth anniversary with a week-long trip without DS. I did the math earlier this week and discovered I need about 150 more ounces of milk saved up by May 8!!

So beyond that, I hadn't really figured out what to do while traveling. Part of my problem is that I have learned that, for whatever reason, my milk goes bad within about 48 hours (refrigerated). :(

So if I am going to save any of that liquid gold from my traveling days, I am going to have to freeze and ship. Quite an expensive proposition, methinks. Is this easier than it sounds? It sounds like an expensive, harried process. Should I just pump and dump and cry as it runs down the drain?

[LHBryan]

Hi Kingwell.:) Everything on my trip went great (aside from being sick and coughing all night instead of sleeping when I had two precious nights away from the baby monitor!:() I brought all the pumped milk back refrigerated and well insulated (several ice packs and wrapped in newspaper) in a soft cooler, but that doesn't sound like an option for you b/c of the 48 hour issue. Do you know if your frozen milk has an "off" taste when it's thawed and consumed by DS within 24 hours? (I'm just thinking about that lipase issue some Moms have.) If your DS needs the milk while you're away b/c you don't have enough frozen, then I would definitely look into the dry ice/shipping logistics via Fed Ex (especially if he won't drink formula). Will you need to replenish the freezer stash w/ what you pump on vacation (i.e. do you work outside the home and need the stash or have more trips planned after this one?)? If so, then the expense and trouble would be worth it. If not, then I'd probably pump and dump most of it (yes, while sobbing!), then take home the last day or two's worth. Will you be in the U.S.? Hopefully Molli will chime in with some feedback about the shipping logisitics.

I can so empathize regarding the amount you have to pump over the next month. That was really stressful and overwhelming for me. We were (and still are) using a lot of milk to mix w/ solids. For a few days we used formula and water w/ DD's solids for a few days and it allowed me to catch up just a bit w/ the pumping and storing. It seemed like up to that point I was able to pump only enough for the next day and didn't have any left over to freeze. DD didn't love her food w/ formula, but she ate it.

-Laura

[SusanPC]

Hi--thought I would bring this old thread up with a question. I'll be travelling for 4 nights and want to pump while I am away b/c two weeks after getting back, I'll be away for another 4 nights and want to replenish the freezer supply that will no doubt be gone after the first trip.

What is a better idea (in your opinion), taking the refridgerated milk back on the plane as carry on or check it in my luggage? We are requesting a fridge in our room, I hope they can accomodate this.

Thanks for any tips!

[Robyn1007]

Susan, I'm not sure you'll be allowed to take it as a carry on since you won't have the baby with you. You might want to check with the TSA on that bit.

[SusanPC]

Thanks, Robyn. I did look at the TSA website, and it looks like I can bring it on. However, they suggest that you only carry enough to get you to your destination..... I am wondering how others have lugged it back. If I am going to go through the effort to pump to keep up supply, I don't want to have to dump it :o

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/formula.shtm

[Robyn1007]

Glad they've made the exception. I can just see our government deciding that a mother cannot. I'd print out that page and keep it with you just in case. Since the airlines are brilliant at loosing baggage I wouldn't risk it, I'd take it as a carry on since you can. Good luck and enjoy your trips!

[JenZen]

Oh, I've been there and done that. :) Not fun traveling while pumping.

Anyway, here's what I did. (and this was a couple of years ago when the TSA only allowed containers of 3 oz.)

On most of my trips, I was able to freeze my milk because the office I was at had a fridge/freezer in the breakroom. So, I put my milk in there, and then packed it with freezer packs in an Avent carrying case and then put it in my checked baggage. I could never carry it on because I had about 10 oz. per container. Then, I would carry-on my pump with some bottles, and whatever I pumped in the airport was fine to take on the plane.

The only problem I had with this is one time, the airline lost my luggage (on a direct flight!!!). I made them deliver it to my door that night (it came sometime around 3 a.m.). The milk had thawed at this point, but was still cool. I think I dumped some of it because I didn't want to chance it, but it made me really, really angry.

If you can carry-on now, I would do that. I wanted to, but ran into too many problems with the TSA. And, you can bet I wrote a few letters, too!! I even wrote Oprah, but didn't get a response.

If you have any questions, let me know. I've had to do this several times, so I had it down to an art. :)

Jen

[LHBryan]

I was away for 2 nights while BFing and brought it all back with me as a carry-on. There's so much lost luggage these days, so I didn't want to take any chances. It also made me nervous to leave it in a suitcase for the security screeners to ponder and wonder what it is without my being around to discuss/defend it. I bought a cooler with a shoulder strap (Target had many options) and packed it with a couple of ice packs. I had a hotel room w/ a regular fridge/freezer, which helped. I also froze a couple of the bags of milk to serve as additional ice packs, but left the other milk just chilled. I wrapped the bags in newspaper and packed them within ziplock bags in the cooler in case of leaks. I printed a copy of the TSA guidelines and stuck that in the cooler just in case airport security wasn't aware of the rules. On the way there, I packed the empty cooler in my suitcase, and took my pump as a carry on. On the way back, I was able to fit my pump in the cooler so I didn't have too many bags. Surprisingly, I never encountered any problems whatsoever. That "just enough milk to get to your destination" part of the rule is so vague that I don't think anyone really knows what to make of it. When I've traveled via plane both with baby and without, they've never said a peep about how much milk I had with me. Just make sure you identify the bag up front to the screener--"This bag contains a breast pump" or "This is a cooler of breastmilk and a breast pump," etc.--rather than just sending it through and leaving it up to them to ask questions. Hope this helps!

-Laura

[SusanPC]

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback. We found out a fridge will cost $25 per day. What a rip off, oh well.

Laura--How did you pump in the airport. Did you use a hooter hider or were you able to find somewhere private to pump? I've got a long day ahead of me....

[2HUNGRY!]

Susan -- If you're using the battery pack bring extra batteries! Those things go quick!

When I pumped in the car I used a hooter hider and a nursing tank top. I don't think I flashed anyone! Good luck.

[Kingwell]

Chiming in...hope it is not too late to help.

It wasn't fun, but I pumped, standing up (using batteries) in the Atlanta airport in a bathroom. I have a Medela pump in a backpack, so I hung the backpack from the hook on the back of the bathroom door so it wasn't sitting on the floor.

On a long cross-country flight I also pumped in the bathroom of an airplane, perched on the commode. I tried to get through it by reminding myself what a fabulous, committed mother I was doing this for my son. It sorta worked. ;)

[Robyn1007]

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback. We found out a fridge will cost $25 per day. What a rip off, oh well.

Laura--How did you pump in the airport. Did you use a hooter hider or were you able to find somewhere private to pump? I've got a long day ahead of me....

At that price I'd be tempted to buy a mini fridge at Target when I got there. If I were going to be there one more day I would. I can't believe they charge that kind of price!

[JenZen]

This brings us to another point: Airports need family rooms! Why don't they all have them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I pumped standing up in front of the sinks at the Newark airport. I'm pretty proud of bfing, but it was sort of an embarrassing moment as dozens of women streamed into the bathroom after a flight landed.

I pumped in the back of the bathroom while sitting on the floor at the Daytona airport. At least no one else was in there as that is a smaller airport.

I wrote to Oprah about this, too, but didn't receive a response. There have got to be thousands of women in this position, and we're all putting up with it. It wouldn't take much to devote a small space for nursing/pumping mothers or those with small children ... some where to pump away from the general traffic of the airports ... somwhere to change diapers, nurse, whatever.

[SusanPC]

Thanks, ladies. All went ok.

I brought a cooler (one I got with my Medala PIS) and emptied the mini bar and filled the soft cooler with a ziplock of ice. I had no problem bringing about 14 bags of milk through security on the way home....although the poor TSA guy was so shocked it wasn't just a bottle or two, I know he just wanted me out of his way! I was waving my TSA print out in front of him and I think he was just grossed out.

I had more trouble on the way out with my pump...they tested the heck out of it for explosives.

I didn't end up pumping in the airport either way. Probably not the best decision but I didn't have much time in between flights. I feel so good that I did it, despite the hassle.