Traveling with an infant requires preparation, particularly when your child is still breast-feeding. Whether you are pumping your milk for bottle feedings or feeding at the breast, you will need to make considerations for maintaining your feeding/pumping schedule and packing any needed materials. By taking the proper precautions, you can continue providing your child with nourishing breast milk.
Packing
When packing for breast-feeding while traveling, you will need such items as a breast pump, if necessary, sanitary wipes, alcohol-based hand gel and an antifungal cream to prevent breast infections while traveling. Because a change in surroundings can affect your baby and breast-feeding, you may wish to bring comforting items from home, including a favorite blanket and toy you commonly use when breast-feeding. You also may wish to alert your travel accommodations that you will need a refrigerator or other apparatus to keep pumped breast milk cool, if necessary.
Business Travel
If you are traveling without your baby, yet do not wish to cease breast-feeding, it is possible to build up your breast milk supplies prior to departure. “The Wall Street Journal” recommends starting additional breast pumping sessions a few weeks away from your expected trip to help you establish a sufficient amount of breast milk. Always label any bags or bottles with the date you pumped the milk. Sticking as close to your typical breast-feeding schedule as possible also is helpful in preventing pain and breast engorgement. If you are able, you may wish to take a smaller, more lightweight breast pump on your trip. Many hospitals offer these for rental purposes or buying a lightweight breast pump is considered a tax-deductible purchase.
Refrigeration Considerations
If your breast-feeding schedule requires that you pump your breasts for breast milk storage, you may wish to pack a lunch bag with dry ice to keep the breast milk cool while on flight. Frozen breast milk must be used within 24 hours after freezing, according to “The Wall Street Journal.” Pumped breast milk also remains safe for roughly four to six hours at room temperature.
Milk Storage/Handling
Federal regulations do permit you to travel with expressed milk on a plane. You must carry the expressed milk in bottles and notify airport screeners you are carrying breast milk. Breast milk should not have to be put through an X-ray screening machine. Also, items related to breast-feeding such as breast pumps are considered personal items and can be carried on, much as a laptop or MP3 player.
