What to do with pumped milk on long trip w/o LO?

[cww]

In Feb, I am going on a work trip for 5 days (a Tues night through Sunday afternoon/evening) on the West Coast (we live in NYC on the East Coast), and I will be pumping while gone, since our then 13m old will still be BFing 4-6 times per day (if her current feeding schedule is any indication). 

I'm struggling with how to handle the BM pumped during the trip.  I will probably have about 120 oz to bring back, and I don't see how I can possibly transport it on the long plane trip back without it leaking, going bad, and/or taking up a huge amount of space in my luggage.  I know that one can ship using dry ice and FedEx, but I'm overwhelmed by that option b/c it would require tracking down dry ice, the right sized cooler and a FedEx outlet open for shipping on a Saturday, all in a strange city where I have no car, and in addition I don't see how the timing could work - If I shipped what I had before 5pm on a Fri, how could it even get to NYC before Monday, in which case, won't it already have taken too long, and that would still leave me with at least 50 oz of milk pumped after that to take home on the plane.  Plus, I assume the expense will be huge.  But given that it will have taken me 3 months to pump enough milk for this conference, I can't bring myself to just dump the milk down the drain...

For those of you who travel often for work and pump while gone, what on earth do you do?

Thanks for reading my post!

[Megan73]

Why not donate the milk to a mom and baby at your destination? Human Milk for Human Babies and Eats on Feets are some of the organizations on Facebook that connect donors and recipients.

[cww]

Megan73, thanks for that recommendation - I had thought of that as a possibility, but wasn't sure how to go about it.  I'm still considering trying to take at least some of it back, though, maybe in conjunction with that, so if anyone has travel recommendations, please let me know!

Right now I'm considering bringing some back in a cooler, but I can't figure out if it is better for it to be frozen or just refrigerated, and I'm worried about being given a hard time by the TSA even though I am supposed to be able to bring it - I wouldn't be comfortable checking it because I don't trust it not to get lost or delayed in checked luggage...

[HappyHappyMommy]

Hi cww and all,

I pumped for 30 months and I traveled several times (both with and without my baby) with a breast pump and with milk. My suggestions are:

Airports:
--Leave extra time. If you run into questions at security, having extra time makes the whole situation less stressful.

--Some airports have a "Family/Medical" line in security. If the airport does, use this line! The inspectors in these lines are usually more aware of the regulations regarding breast milk. In addition, most--if not all--of the passengers in this line are either traveling with small children, traveling with family members who some reason travel more slowly, are traveling with breast milk or formula, are traveling with medicines or medical equipment, etc., so I find they tend to be patient and understanding and don't rush if it takes you a moment to separate your items or if you're answering questions.

--If you have more than 3 ounces of breast milk in your carry on luggage (I once traveled with more than 150 ounces in mycarry on luggage), be sure to separate it from any other liquids and declare it. I had a separate cooler just for icepacks and milk that I put in my carry on luggage. (As a side note, it does take up room to bring the pump and the milk and cooler and icepacks in your carry on luggage, but--for me--I preferred to have it with me and check other luggage than to check the pump or milk.)

--You're allowed to bring ice packs to keep the milk cold and you can have bring the ice packs with you (without the milk) on the way there; it helps to explain to the inspectors why you'll need it for the return trip.

--You're not required to declare a breast pump, but I recommend doing so. I didn't declare it once and it was mistaken for an explosive device on the x-ray. Everything worked out fine, but there was a bit of commotion for a few minutes and they did have to remove it for additional testing.

--Since you need to remove the breast milk and the inspector may ask to see the pump, try to pack so those items are easy to, if needed, take out and put back away.

--Print copies of the TSA regulations (http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/formula.shtm and http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/specialneeds/index.shtm) for each time you need to go through security. You don't need to have this, but if you run into an inspector that's not as familiar with the TSA regulations regarding breast milk or ice packs, it's helpful to be able to hand the printout to them. Each time I've run into a problem, politely handing these to the inspector resolved things.

--Politely ask for the supervisor if there are questions or concerns. I've only had to do this once (when I had an inspector who said that the exception about breast milk applied only if I had my baby with me); the supervisor was quick to come over and handled the situation very professionally.

--Put an extra plastic bag around each container of milk. In case the container or bag that the milk is in leaks, if it's in another bag, you don't lose any milk! :-)

Hotels:

--I would call ahead to the hotel and ask if they had a fridge or mini-fridge (including a freezer) in the room. I didn't have a problem with getting a fridge, though occasionally there was an extra cost.

--I would call ahead to the hotel and request a microwave for steam-cleaning pump parts. Sometimes, it was not standard, but I never had a problem with this request and wasn't charged extra for it.

If you'd like to PM me directly, I'd be happy to answer any questions.

Have a good trip!

[cww]

HappyHappyMommy, thanks so much for your response - this is awesome and sooooo helpful!!  If you don't mind answering a few additional questions - Did you travel with milk that had just been refrigerated, or did you freeze it? And how did you pick your cooler/icepacks (will any soft sided cooler and standard gel icepacks likely work for 10-12h to keep milk cool, or did you look for certain particular types or coolers or icepacks)?  

Thanks again for your very detailed answer - it makes me feel much more reassured!

[HappyHappyMommy]

Originally Posted by cww 

HappyHappyMommy, thanks so much for your response - this is awesome and sooooo helpful!! 

You're welcome; I'm so glad I could be helpful. Many of the MDC Mamas were very helpful to me when I was pumping so I'm glad to pass it one.

Originally Posted by cww 

If you don't mind answering a few additional questions - Did you travel with milk that had just been refrigerated, or did you freeze it?

I kept the milk refrigerated because freezing, thawing, and refreezing is not recommended. In addition, you can keep milk refrigerated for up to 8 days and then freeze it, so I sometimes kept my milk refrigerated while on the trip and then froze in when I got home.

Kellymom has some helpful information on this that's easy to print and keep as a reference: http://www.kellymom.com/store/handouts/expressing/milkstorage.pdf

Quote:

Originally Posted by cww 

And how did you pick your cooler/icepacks (will any soft sided cooler and standard gel icepacks likely work for 10-12h to keep milk cool, or did you look for certain particular types or coolers or icepacks)? 

I used a standard soft sided cooler (this one and this one in fact) and standard gel icepacks. I had a couple of hard ice packs (with gel in them) but mostly I used the soft gel ice packs as they were easier to fit in and around the milk. I stored the milk in both bottles and bags. You can fit more with the bags, but there's a slightly higher risk of leaking. I think I only had leaking once though, so the bags worked well as long as I sealed them tightly.

If you have any other questions, just let me know.

PS I also traveled with colleagues at times and once when I was questioned about the quantity of milk by the TSA (ultimately all was fine), my colleagues afterwards were not only supportive but interested and a couple said they themselves or their female partners or sisters had been worried about traveling with milk and wished they saw more people doing it so people would realize how easy and normal it is. So you never know when you might inspire someone else!

[cww]

Thanks again for your detailed response, HappyHappyMommy!  Thanks for the links to the coolers - these look great.  Do you by any chance remember how much milk you were able to fit into one of them?  I will probably be traveling with around 120 oz of milk, and I have no idea if that would fit into the slightly larger one that you linked to.  Also, I've never stored milk in the bags, just in bottles, but I think bags make more sense for transporting large amounts - do you have a particular recommendation for bag type (especially one that fits well into those coolers?) - I can't seem to find breast milk storage bag dimension info anywhere, so planning which bags to bring with a cooler and how much space the milk would take up in the cooler has been driving me up the wall! :)

I've done a ton of complicated traveling in my life, so I know from experience that this will probably all be really simple once I've done it once, but right now, just planning everything, I keep getting bogged down in minor details! :)

Thanks again so much for your help!

[HappyHappyMommy]

Originally Posted by cww 

Thanks again for your detailed response, HappyHappyMommy!  Thanks for the links to the coolers - these look great.  Do you by any chance remember how much milk you were able to fit into one of them?  I will probably be traveling with around 120 oz of milk, and I have no idea if that would fit into the slightly larger one that you linked to. 

I think when I had 150 ounces, I used two coolers of this size and had a little room to space. The ice packs take up space, so I would estimate that one of these would hold up 100 ounces and one of these would hold a 70-80 ounces.

Originally Posted by cww 

Also, I've never stored milk in the bags, just in bottles, but I think bags make more sense for transporting large amounts - do you have a particular recommendation for bag type (especially one that fits well into those coolers?) - I can't seem to find breast milk storage bag dimension info anywhere, so planning which bags to bring with a cooler and how much space the milk would take up in the cooler has been driving me up the wall! :)

I tried several brands bags (I was EPing, so I had to store even when I wasn't traveling) and I found that the best were the Lansinoh bags and the worse (leaked so many times) were the Medela bags. The Lansinoh bags lay flat, so they store and travel nicely.

Originally Posted by cww 
I've done a ton of complicated traveling in my life, so I know from experience that this will probably all be really simple once I've done it once, but right now, just planning everything, I keep getting bogged down in minor details! :)

Thanks again so much for your help!

I know what you mean; I'm the same way when I'm planning. Please post or PM me after your trip to let me know how it goes. Have a wonderful trip!

[cww]

Thanks again, HappyHappyMommy - you've been so incredibly helpful!  I will definitely let you know how it goes!

[foreverinbluejeans]

It sounds like you have a possible plan. If it doesn't work out don't worry. Your toddler is over 12 months and benefits from human milk but doesn't have to have the same amount every day. If you believe the current US guidelines toddlers don't need much breastmilk at all. It is less than the recommended 12 oz of cow's milk since nutrients can be used more easily from human milk.  

I was lucky enough to attend to Ball State University for grad school where the nutrition experpt for the health advisory board for La Leache League was a Dean. I got to hear her speak many times. She says with toddler nutrition instead of thinking about balancing their diet every day, think about what they eat in a week or a month. If your toddler gets less than 12 oz of breastmilk some days and gets 20 oz other days then it all balances out for toddler nutrition. If your child eats cow's milk or cow's milk products that would also be counted in when calculating how much the toddler gets.

My daughter in law travels and I take care of my grandson. She would hand express for comfort and he would nurse so much when she got back that she had tons of milk again. She didn't take a pump with her and we didn't worry about frozen milk. He just ate like he always ate while she was gone. She had one time she was gone 2 weeks and he weaned not long after that at 2.5 years. She wanted him to wean so she could get pregnant.