Traveling {Alone} While Breastfeeding Baby

Being away from my baby is emotionally challenging.  I miss his cute little faces and his funny noises; I miss his snuggles and his drool smiles.  But being away is physically challenging, too, because I breastfeed.  Here’s what has worked for me so far (I’ve been away overnight twice, so I’m still trying to figure a lot of this out – also, a lot of the specifics about breastfeeding are so unique to the mom, so what works for me may not work for you!).

First things first:  logistically speaking, if you’re physically separated from your baby, you must remove milk as you or your baby normally would.  The reality is that you just can’t take a breastfeeding break; our bodies aren’t designed for it – after all, in ‘the wild,’ you would never leave your baby for an overnight business trip!  You continue to produce milk, your boobs become ginormous, and it hurts like heck.  If you don’t maintain your normal schedule, you can get an infection or clogged duct, and your supply can diminish.  If you’re traveling without baby, this means that you must pump as you would normally breastfeed or pump.

 

Breastfeeding in public is a rather hot debate.  There are many people who think breastfeeding should be a private experience and want moms to cover up or retreat to a private space.  On the other hands, there are those who feel that breastfeeding is normal and natural and should be treated as such, and thus they openly breastfeed in public places.  They’ll breastfeed in malls and restaurants, on planes and trains, in the movie theatre or the doctor’s waiting room.  Breastfeeding can be discreet even without a cover, especially if you’re smaller-chested and/or wearing appropriate clothing. 

 

I can understand why public breastfeeding makes some people uncomfortable – after all, breasts are normally covered – but on the other hand, I think we’re far too uptight about nudity in general, it’s just a breast, and a baby’s got to eat.  Breasts may be sexual in some circumstances, but breastfeeding is not.   Plus, if our society wasn’t so skittish about breastfeeding, more women would probably do it and for longer amounts of time.  Now, of course, I switched to exclusive pumping around 8 weeks, and one of the reasons was that I found public breastfeeding slightly embarrassing, but I really wish that I hadn’t felt that way.  I am totally supportive of the concept of public feeding if others want to do it.  For what it’s worth, public breastfeeding – even without a cover – is a legal right in the vast majority of jurisdictions and circumstances.

 

That being said, I feel very weird about pumping in public.  I know some mommas feel okay about putting on a cover and pumping in public, but it makes me feel strange because 1) pumps make a lot of noise and 2) everyone knows what breastfeeding is, but not everyone knows what pumping is, and I certainly don’t want to field questions about it from a stranger while my boobs are hooked up to a machine.  Awkward. 

So, when I travel alone, the issue becomes:  how and where can I pump discreetly and privately, and what do I do with the milk when I’m done?

 

Car Travel:  When on a road trip (or even when I’m just running a lot of errands), I pump in my car.  Most pumps have a battery pack option, but I imagine regularly using batteries would get expensive fast.  I use an adaptor that plugs into the car’s cigarette lighter; the adaptor allows me to plug in the pump and get full power.   Pumping in the car with the adaptor is no big deal – I have automatic privacy and a reliable power source.

 

Air Travel:  Flying is another story.  When booking flights, I am very aware of how long the flights and my layovers are, as I can’t go much longer than five hours max during the day without pumping.  My first piece of advice, therefore, is to build time between your flights to pump.  That’s because pumping on the plane is very difficult and annoying.  Some plane bathrooms have outlets, but you don’t get full power, so the pump only operates at half speed.  Furthermore, if you pump on the flight, you are stuck in a gross airplane bathroom for 10 – 30 minutes. 

One option is to use a manual pump while traveling; one disadvantage to this is that most (all?) manual pumps are single pumps, so you can only do one breast at a time unless you bring two, and manual pumps  aren’t as efficient as electric pumps.  The big advantages, of course, are that you don’t have to worry about finding a power source, and the pump doesn’t take up as much space in your suitcase.

 

Speaking of power needs, some of the airports that I’ve been in have dedicated nursing rooms that have outlets and provide total privacy.  However, the few nursing rooms that I’ve encountered don’t have chairs, which makes no sense!  When I can’t find a family restroom, I can always find a ‘special needs’ solo bathroom.  I asked an airport attendant once if it was appropriate to use the special needs bathroom for breastfeeding, and she said it was fine.  There are airport maps in every terminal, and special needs bathrooms are always labeled on the map.

Washing Pump Parts / Transporting Milk:  The burning question, of course, is what do you do with the milk once you’ve pumped it?  I think this really depends on the mom, the baby, and her frozen milk stash at home.  I have a decent milk supply, and although I haaaaaate to pour milk down the drain, Henry has frozen milk at home to eat while I’m away, and it’s easier than keeping thirty or forty ounces of pumped milk cold for a long stretch.  I have a friend who struggles to keep up with her baby’s milk needs; while on a business trip, she dry-ice packed and overnight shipped her pumped milk to her baby (it was really expensive!).  If you’re going to keep all the milk you pump while away, be sure to book a hotel room that has a mini-fridge and bring a cooler and ice packs.

 

If I’m gone for an overnight trip, I’ll toss everything I pump except whatever I pump immediately before getting home.  There is a LOT of conflicting information about how long breastmilk can be left out without needing to refrigerate – I’ve seen everything from one hour to eight – but I tend to be pretty relaxed about this and follow a six-hour rule.   To transport my last-pumped bottles, I buy two large cups of ice from a fast food place and pop the bottles in.  It keeps it chilled for a bit, especially if I refresh the ice on board, and although it would be much easier and more convenient to carry a small cooler, I am just not that organized (yet!).  This works in a pinch.

In terms of washing my pump parts, I know some people sterilize their parts every day (either by boiling, using a microwave sterilizer, or putting them in the top rack of the dishwasher), but I am also pretty relaxed about this (American recommendations are much stricter; European guidelines say this is perfectly fine).  I rinse the pieces off every time and just scrub the pieces with very hot water, unscented/dye-free soap, and a hard brush every two or three pumps.  If I’m pumping and dumping while traveling, I don’t bother to give the pieces a good wash until I know I’m going to keep the milk.

 

Airport Security:  What about bringing milk through airport security checkpoints?  After all, there’s that whole ‘3 ounces’ of liquids rule.  Thankfully, this rule does not apply to breastmilk (and formula or the water associated with preparing formula).  All you have to do is declare the milk to the TSA agent.  They may (externally) test it for explosives, but I have not had this happen yet.   There’s also no limit to how much milk you can carry through security.

 

Random Pumping Tips:  One awesome trick that blog readers told me about was that after pumping, you can put the bottles and pump parts in a Ziploc bag and pop them in the fridge. No rinsing required – the refrigeration prevents bacteria growth – and all you have to do is wash them once at the end of the day. This is an especially handy tip for women who pump exclusively or everyday while at work!

 

Another trick is to look at a picture or a video of your baby as you pump.  It really does make it easier and WAY faster, and it reminds you why you are doing it in the first place. 

So – that’s how I manage to travel {alone} while breastfeeding.  Honestly, it is quite complicated – it’s this whole sub-culture of mommyhood that I never realized existed until I entered it.  But like so many things relating to parenting, if you plan ahead, it’s not too bad.

 

I’d love for you all to weigh in!  Are you a breastfeeding mom who travels for work?  Got any travel tips?  And how do you feel about breastfeeding in public?

Tagged as: flying while pumping, pumping while traveling, storing breastmilk, taking breastmilk through airport security, traveling while breastfeeding