~ offered by Danielle – Bebe & Me Core Instructor & Fab OmB Mama!
Hi moms and Bebe & Me fans!
Recently in class we’ve been talking about traveling in these early months for business, or quick weekend getaways. If you’re a breastfeeding mom, traveling without baby is often more challenging then with our little bundles. But it can be done and you CAN bring your milk back with you. Don’t dump it! I said I would share some of my tips for making it a little less painful. So based on my 4-5 trips so far (ranging from overnight to 3-4 days), here goes:
Preparing for your trip:
- Unless you regularly express more milk than your baby requires (and how lucky you are!), you will need to start squeezing in an extra pump session or two each day a few weeks in advance to build up a freezer of milk for whoever is keeping baby. Because I have a lot more milk in the AM, I usually get up an hour or so before baby to pump a little, then I can squeeze in a few more winks before it’s time to get up.
- If your baby is used to falling asleep while nursing, be sure to test the waters with someone else giving your baby a bottle and putting him/her to bed.
What to Pack:
- If you have a breastpump that operates on batteries, awesome! But beware, those batteries wear out FAST. Always pack extra batteries and bring your charger along.
- I like Medela Quick Clean wipes for when I don’t have immediate access to a sink, or as a cleansing agent once you do get to rinse your parts.
- A nursing bra – I love the Hands Free Pump Bra (www.handsfreepumpbra.com) much better than many that you find in the store.
At the airport:
- When you go through security, know your rights. You can absolutely carry your breast pump and stored milk through security (even bottled water to stay hydrated). However, every airport and TSA agent may behave differently when you send your bag through. DFW has been more lax than DAL, in my experience. You can refuse to have them dig through your bag, but if you would rather float through without conflict (who wouldn’t??), then do the following: 1) Store your milk (frozen if you can) in small quantities (less than 4 oz per storage bag/bottle); 2) Put any milk in a small cooler and send it through the machine by itself (not in your pump bag or other carry-on); 3) Try to keep your ice packs frozen. The reason your bag gets flagged is usually due to liquids, so if you separate it, then they are less likely to want to search it or screen it.
- Seek out the family bathroom, stat. If you have a long flight, you’ll want to pump right before your flight takes off, and the family bathrooms have doors that lock and usually an outlet where you can plug in. This is definitely preferable to crouching in a bathroom stall listening to toilets flushing!
- If you have the means or the opportunity, the executive lounges often have a more comfortable place where you can pump as well.
On the plane:
- I haven’t resorted to pumping in the plane bathroom, but I have pumped in my seat! On one trip, I was seated in the window next to my hubby, so I put on my nursing cover and tried to be discreet. The noise of the plane completely drowned out the sound of the pump.
- Ask the flight attendant for some extra ice for your cooler to keep your milk chilled, if needed.
At the hotel:
- If you’re staying in a hotel, definitely ask for a room with a mini-fridge, or ask them to bring you one. I usually explain that I’m a nursing mom and need a place to store my milk and they are always super helpful.
- Take advantage of the ice machine to fill your cooler as you’re heading back to the airport, or wherever. But you may want to dump the ice before you head through security, and replace it once in the airport or on the plane.
At the office/meeting:
- This has been the tricky one for me. Sometimes you’re in a marathon meeting or visiting a client. My best advice is to not be bashful in letting the person leading the meeting know that you’ll need to take extended breaks and ask for a private place to pump, as well as access to a fridge. One trip was to a day-long meeting at Dept. of State where I had to be escorted everywhere… even to the bathroom! So it was better to just be upfront about it.
Hope some of these tips are helpful. I searched for articles and blogs on this topic before my first trip and didn’t find a whole lot of information.
If any of y’all have additional tips for the group based on your experiences, please share by commenting below!
Breeanna says
Great advice!! I began traveling for work when my little girl was 5 months old and wanted to keep exclusively breastfeeding. She is now 16 months old and I am still nursing. Keep up the great work of breastfeeding with a couple more tips while traveling…
1. Definitely know your rights when you go through TSA as you do not have to send it through the x-ray machines and can request it to be hand inspected. This was huge for me because all the benefits of breast milk can definitely be altered by x-ray machines. Be prepared and print off the documents from the TSA website that explains our rights during this process.
2. Pumping while driving is also an option with the car adaptor.
3. Breastfeed as much as possible when you return to your baby to keep up your supply.