One of the toughest parts of working and breastfeeding is the dreaded Business Trip. And within that category is the even more dreaded prospect of *magically flying through the air* with a robot-baby breast pump and, on your way home, a decent amount of breastmilk.
None of this is fun or exciting. It is mostly stressful, messy, cumbersome, and weird. But it is possible to make it less anxiety-inducing and more tolerable.
So, with that sales pitch, are you excited? Here we go!
Tips for Flying With Breastmilk
1. Mental prep
Pumping and air travel are not natural bedfellows. And you probably have the “what if something goes wrong?” scenario in the back of your mind. We hear the stories regularly enough: A-lister Brooklyn Decker missing her flight home to her baby while she pumped in the airport terminal, entrepreneur Molly Guy being shamed by a flight attendant, a poor she’s-just-like-us woman being sent to pump in the “pet relief area” at Dulles airport.
So, yes, things can go wrong. But gazillions of pumping mamas fly every year without major incident. It’s doable, and I’m here to help you make sure you have all of your bases covered.
2. Packing for the plane
Getting all your crap in some kind of carry-on-able shape is your first hurdle.
Some women call their pump “medical equipment” and try to get around the one carry-on and one personal item thing. But it’s a good idea to pack as if this were not an option in case you encounter an ornery security agent.
So much of traveling with milk comes down to the individual agent, and if you rock up with two carry-ons and a pump and they reject you, you’re going to be screwed. So: one carry-on and your pump.
First, consolidate: pack your purse into your suitcase and cram a makeup bag down one side of the pump bag and your wallet, keys, and phone down the other side.
Second, you can pack the cooler you’ll use for your milk in your suitcase on the way out, but if you’re going to carry it on (more on this decision below) you have to make room for it on the way home.
A 1-2 day trip will require a reusable, leak-resistant lunch bag. Up to a week requires a soft-sided 6-pack cooler; this will hopefully hold lots of beer in the future. Cram this cooler into the top of the pump bag or your other carry-on (no one said the two carry-ons have to look good).
3. Pumping on the Go
OK, now you’re at the airport. It’s time to drop all expectations that your pumping schedule will work perfectly while en route. But when it’s time(ish) to pump, you can:
Option 1: Pump at the airport
If you’re one of the lucky ones, you’ll be in an airport with a Mamava lactation pod. Go there, and thank your lucky stars. Or maybe your airport has a pumping area – less likely, but worth checking out.
If you fall into the “none of the above” category, you have a couple of options: if you’re fancy, pump in the executive lounge, or wrap yourself in a shawl and pump in the damn terminal, or commandeer a “family restroom” to pump in.
Now, I don’t believe that any woman should be made to pump in a bathroom, but I’m a realist: some women aren’t going to be comfortable pumping out in the open. Don’t let anyone shame you for making your own situation work.
If you do end up in the family restroom, do not feel guilty about taking it over for twenty minutes or so: You’re doing this for your family. Just be aware that they are not completely safe havens (nothing really is). Someone will probably pound on the door at some point.
Option 2: Pumping on the plane
This is the more evil of your options, but it’s doable. It is not “comfortable”, “fun”, or “something I’ll look back on fondly later”. But what we are shooting for is doable.
Set up your battery pack ahead of time—plugged into the pump, with fresh batteries. Have all of your gear within easy reach: wipes to clean up, Ziploc bags, and extra storage bottles (don’t forget the lids!).
On the airplane, you have two options. The first is to pump in the bathroom on the plane. The second is to pump at your seat. I’m not kidding.
Option 3: Bathroom pumping
The airplane bathroom is your more modest option, but way less comfortable (and less clean). They are impossibly small even for the act of peeing (who has sex in these things, and how?). If you decide to try it, befriend a flight attendant first.
Tell this person that you are a new mother and need to pump breastmilk in the bathroom and that you didn’t want them to think you’d fallen in or something. Trust me, you’re not their first.
Then get in there with your battery pack, a bottle of water, and an mp3 player or magazine. Sit on the toilet (lid closed). Balance the pump on your knees. You know the rest. Afterward, rinse out the pump parts with bottled water (NO sink water) or leave them as-is. (It’s FINE! Worry about washing once you’re on the ground.)
Option 4: In-seat pumping
As for in-seat pumping, I once found myself on a flight to Bangkok (less glamorous than it sounds) and done with the airplane bathroom thing. The lights were down, and most people were riding the Ambien train. I had an empty row, and the white noise seemed loud enough to mask my pump sounds.
So I threw my shawl on, set up discreetly, and pumped while watching 30 Rock on the seatback TV. I swear that no one noticed. Or if they did, I don’t want to know.
If you can, get a window seat, and try to get an empty row. DO NOT book a seat next to your co-worker unless they’re your BFF. Wear layers for easy access and modesty. A good combo is a camisole with a shirt and cardigan, and I believe that big shawls were made for pumping moms on the go.
In either of these situations, if the crew gives you grief for pumping, I will need you to remember that you’re a Warrior Viking Who Does Not Take Crap From Anyone. This is SO hard to do when you’re stressed and tired and vulnerable, not to mention hooked up to a machine.
But every single time some ill-trained or ill-informed airline employee bullies us into submission, a kitten dies.
You don’t have to get table-flipping mad (in fact: don’t, because I don’t want you to get arrested), but you can stand your ground politely. There is nothing, anywhere, that says that you can’t pump on an airplane.
Say the word “medical” a lot, and remind them that JetBlue and Delta have had to publicly apologize for messing with pumping moms, and Frontier is currently being sued by female pilots for not supporting breastfeeding at work.
4. Packing your breast milk for the journey home
Coming home is a bit harder, logistically, because now you have all of that damn milk with you.
Hopefully, you’ve been able to freeze some or all of it while you’ve been away, as that makes it easier to transport, but even if it’s in liquid form, it’s going to be ok. But prepare yourself for some leaks.
Before you get to the airport, pack your milk into Ziploc bags (for leaks) and into your cooler bag. If you have liquid milk, keep it in the pump bottles to avoid spilling. If you have a lot of frozen milk, they act as ice packs to each other, so don’t stress too much about ice.
But if you have room, throw in an ice pack (or two), which are allowed in the U.S. and Canada. Once you’re packed, resist the urge to open the cooler so that you can keep the cold inside.
If you get delayed, find a bartender in the terminal, or a flight attendant on the plane, and ask for ice, which you can put into a Ziploc or a couple of your (empty) breast milk storage bags.
5. Clearing security with milk in tow
Now you need to clear your milk through airport security. One option is to pack your milk into your checked luggage. The belly of the plane is cold, and your milk will be safe from TSA agents. This is most viable when flying direct, but it carries the risk of your bag being delayed or lost.
A second option is to ship your milk home. Companies like Milk Stork can help.
If you decide to carry on, which I always do, build an extra 30 minutes into your schedule. In the U.S. and Canada, you can bring as much breast milk through security as you want, with or without your baby being with you.
The UK rule seems insane – if you are traveling without your baby, you are limited to 100mL, and have to check the rest. (The Breastfeeding Internet gasped in collective horror and empathy at reports of an American woman who was forced to dump nearly 500 ounces of breastmilk at London’s Heathrow Airport.)
When you get to security, say to the agent, “I am a nursing mother, and I am traveling with a breast pump and breast milk.” Whatever happens next, don’t let that milk out of your sight.
In the U.S., TSA’s website lists breast milk as “liquid medication” and instructs you to “inform the TSA officer if you do not want the formula, breast milk and/or juice to be X-rayed or opened.
Additional steps will be taken to clear the liquid and you or the traveling guardian will undergo additional screening procedures, to include a pat-down and screening of other carry-on property.” This sounds, to me, like you can refuse to let them open your milk. Remember that.
Nothing specific is said in Canada, so you’re a bit more on your own.
At any rate, just in case they try to do something to my milk that I really don’t like, I keep in my back pocket the total lie that my baby is deathly allergic to anything else, so this milk is necessary to keep him alive. Use the word “medical” a lot.
Print out the relevant page from the links above and wave their own policies in their face. If necessary, escalate to a supervisor and/or try to cry.
6. Getting home
When you get to your destination, the frozen milk will probably be slushy around the edges. I always just say a prayer and throw it back in the freezer. Breast milk is so stable that I just don’t worry about it. If you have a lower comfort level, pour off any liquid milk into bottles to use within the next few days, and put the fully frozen stuff into the freezer.
OK…you’re ready to fly!
Or at least as ready as you’re gonna be. Print this out if you have to, and know that it gets infinitely easier after you’ve done it the first time. Grab your pumps, mamas, and I’ll see you in the air!
Be sure to check out Jessica Shortall’s highly rated book, Work. Pump. Repeat: The New Mom’s Survival Guide to Breastfeeding and Going Back to Work.
It shares the nitty-gritty basics of surviving the working world as a breastfeeding mom, offering a road map for negotiating the pumping schedule with colleagues, navigating business travel, and problem-solving when forced to pump in less-than-desirable locales.
Our next reco: Your first-day-back-at-work breast pump bag packing list
Leave a Comment