There was a new mom in the airport a few weeks ago, trying to get her newborn out of her carrier without waking her, while also trying to open up a stroller, stay out of the way of the rest of us who were going through security - all while keeping an eye on her carry on and baby bag. Fun times.
I offered my help and though she declined, we started chatting, as all moms do when they see a baby and have that common link. When I mentioned that I have two boys myself, she immediately asked if I had any suggestions about flying with a wee one (which of course, I did). I wanted to know if she had any about pumping on a plane. Not only did she not but she also mumbled something about how she thought that nursing on a plane was stressful enough - no way could she imagine having to pump.
Needless to say, I wasn't feeling very confident about my flight. The timing of my flight wasn't going to allow for hiding out in an unused gate to pump before boarding. I had to do this in the air. Awesome.
The impending sense of doom didn't get any better when I saw that we were on one of those super-tiny planes that only has three seats to a row. Fabulous.
As any smart woman knows - if you don't know, you ask someone else who does. Up to the counter I went. The flight attendants were totally accommodating and switched my seat to a row with no one else in it, towards the back of the plane and tucked in by the window of the two-seater side of the plane. Definitely worked, though the flight attendant in route did seem hesitant to hand me my beverage.
Here are my tips for nursing moms on how to handle expressing on a plane:
1. Get a hands-free pumping bra that will allow you to hold up that book and look like you just have some kind of Madonna-styled gear under your mumu. Also be sure to wear something that's easy to maneuver under a cover-up. I find that a nursing tank under a button down or cardigan sweater works perfectly for me.
2. Make certain that you've got everything that you'll need in a carry-on. On my way back, I thought that I'd make it home in time so that I could pump in my car at the airport. We ended up de-boarding due to a mechanical problem and my cover-up was in the front of my gate-checked baggage. I ended up pumping in the bathroom, standing up.
3. Talk to the flight attendants at the gate. It's not always easy to figure out where the best seat is for privacy. I had booked the front seat in an empty aisle but didn't realize that the flight attendants would be in the little kitchen throughout the flight, located within arm's reach from the seat.
4. Plan for extra time at security. Yes, TSA regulations state that you can carry ice packs (in any size) and do not need to have your baby with you, (um, if the baby was with you, chances are - you wouldn't need the pump!) but that doesn't mean that everyone else is aware of the laws on lactation!
5. Every bottle of expressed milk will be checked at security. Make sure to re-check each of the bottles once you are through to ensure that each is properly closed. Some of those guys get a little over-zealous with the security check! As one of the airport employees told me - "Everyone likes to think they're on CSI". I unfortunately found this out when I got home to unpack the bag that I borrowed from my dear husband to find that two of the "snappies" had opened and spilled all over his bag. He was less than thrilled.
That leads me to #6.
6. Use bottles with screw on lids to keep everything where it should stay, even during rough take offs, turbulence and iffy-landings.
7. You'll be happy to know - you don't have to worry about the noise of your pump. The airplane will be loud enough that no one will be any the wiser as you sit and take care of business.
Here is a link to the gear that I like:
Cover me! - I like these because they are longer so they cover the pump better than some of the shorter covers. It's one thing to have little feet sticking out, quite another to have the ends of your bottles in view. Yuck.
If you go into this experience with the confidence that you're doing what you need to do for yourself and your baby, you'll be a lot better off. And, most people really do understand.
As I was preparing to head back to my baby and my home, the man behind me took one look at my little cooler bag and asked boldly - "camera?"
"Um, nope," I replied as airport security opened my cooler.
To my surprise, he didn't mumble and turn away.
"I know how that is", he said "My wife nursed our three kids. Good for you. It isn't easy."
And he was right.
October 14, 2009 4:35 PM | Reply
I have exclusively pumped for three children, so this is something I have a lot of experience with. So here are my comments and additions.
Pump bras - you can buy one, or you can make one. I prefer the homemade variety because it is custom fit. Buy a lightweight, inexpensive jog bra and just cut slits where the flanges need to go through.
Covering up - I don't bother with cover-ups. I go into the bathroom and put my pump bra on over my regular nursing bra, then put my shirt back on. Just make sure you are wearing a loose or stretchy shirt with a wide or V-neck. I go back to my seat and put the flanges through the slits under my shirt, then pull down the nursing flaps and adjust, all working under my shirt/through the neck. If I really feel conspicuous (say I'm on a full plane with a strange man sitting next to me), I may create a drape with a blanket tucked into the snack tray and armrest. This may necessitate some explanation to your rowmate(s), but I figure modesty went out the window in the delivery room.
Power - while some planes now have AC outlets at the seats, make sure you have a battery pack and fresh batteries, or a full charge if your pump is rechargeable.
Location - as for where to pump, in the airport I usually look for an unused gate and try and find the most discrete seat. Some airports have little work cubbies. Those can be good too. I generally try to avoid pumping in bathrooms unless there is a lounge area. Have yet to find a US airport with a good mother's/nursing lounge, although I'm sure there are some out there. If you know of any, let us know. On the plane, less crowded back rows are generally better. Again, I refuse to pump in the bathroom, partly because it takes me a while and I think it would be rude to block the facilities for other passengers. And partly because that's just gross, IMHO.
Dealing with TSA - make sure you have a copy of the regulations in your pump bag, so if you get an uninformed agent, you can show them the rules. The various rules about transporting mother's milk can be found at www.tsa.gov. If this is your first time carrying on milk, you might want to know what we mean when we say it will be tested. You will never be asked to taste it, and TSA will not touch the milk in any way. What they do is open each bottle and hold a reactive test strip over the top. That's it. And just in case you get an irrational agent who insists that ice cartridge is just too big an amount of gel, make sure you have a few extra zip top bags with you that you can fill with ice once through security. I like to put all my pump parts into bags too. TSA may want to search the bag and swipe it for explosives. If everything is in clear bags, they won't be touching everything.
Obviously, all the discussion about TSA and security only applies to flights originating in the US. Other countries have their own rules, so check with your airline or appropriate government agency if you are flying outside the US. Canada still does not have a liquid exemption if you are travelling without your child, and does not permit ice packs larger than 3 oz. They recommend freezing a bottle of milk or water to act as your ice pack. And there was at least one public incident where a mom travelling within Canada without her child was required to check her pump. That would be a real problem for me if I were flying from Vancouver to Halifax. Guess if you are in that situation, bring a manual pump.
Just remember, pumping moms express their love.
October 15, 2009 12:03 AM | Reply
Pumping and travelling! I have so many memories of doing that. At one point, after too many trips and pumps in the airport bathrooms (always by the sinks as that's where the plugs are), it felt as if the whole world had seen my chest! Once in the air, I always pumped in one of the plane's bathrooms on long trips. I just made sure to tell the attendants what was going on so they wouldn't be alarmed that I was in there for such a long time. I felt better about that than doing it in my seat, though I always dumped the milk as I hated the thought of those dirty bathrooms. I also found hotels were very accomodating in providing a fridge so I coud store the milk if the trip home wasn't too long and I could keep it cold enough enroute. While pumping on the road was never a great/easy experience, I always took away a sense a pride that I was doing everything I could to provide for my babies.
Phaedra Cucina
Author of the children's book, My Mommy's on a Business Trip
October 15, 2009 5:12 PM | Reply
I have pumped in a few airports, but never on the plane - though on my last long flight, once I realized how difficult it is to nurse on a plane with a squirmy and distracted baby, I wish I had had my battery-operated pump. I always look for family restrooms in airports and pump there. The family restrooms I've been in at the Las Vegas and Portland, OR airports are okay - clean enough, but really just a larger-sized (but private!) restroom. The family restroom in the Philedelphia airport was terrible - small, dark, disgusting and no outlets! But I want to commend the people who designed the family restrooms at Phoenix Sky Harbor. I have been in two, and I will give them both an A+. The restrooms are spacious, clean and well-lit. There is actually a separate family area with a bench and a changing table, separate from the toilet area, so my husband and baby could hang out comfortably while I pumped. If you are travelling through Phoenix and need to nurse or pump in the airport, you have it made!