Pumping on a plane!

[cww]

So I will be going on a long trip from coast to coast with prolonged time in an airplane, and I'm pretty sure I'll need to pump on the plane at least once each way.  Does anyone out there want to tell me whether you pumped on the plane, and if so, if you did it in your seat or in the plane bathroom? 

I'd really rather not pump in the tiny dirty bathroom, but I suppose that if I can do it in bathroom stalls elsewhere, I can do it on a plane.  But I guess I'd really rather just do it in my seat, if I can get myself comfortable with the idea.  I don't care if anyone sees anything, but I'm really uncomfortable with causing scenes, and I don't want to have to worry about being chastised if I try to pump in my seat.  If I had a whole row to myself, I wouldn't care, but I can't imagine trying to pump with a total stranger right next to me - but maybe I'm being overly sensitive - I have certainly BFed on a plane with the LO, right next to a male stranger, and while it made me feel a little weird, it was fine.  (I guess pumping feels a lot more complicated and exposed than just BFing to me.) 

I know I could probably book a seat in the last row of the plane and hope that it's somewhat empty, but these days I don't know how likely that is to work, what with all the overbooking!

Anyone out there with experience have thoughts? Thanks for your time in reading my post!

[mio2323]

I pumped on the plane when flying from Boston to Seattle.  It wasn't the end of the world, just crowded.  I put the pump (electric) on the counter, held the flanges on, and pumped for about 10 minutes.  Nothing really touched any bathroom surface, and I think I ended up dumping what I pumped on the plane.  I also pumped in various airport bathrooms, and that was way grosser to me for some reason. 

I can't imagine pumping while in my seat, only because the space between you and the seat in front of you and the space between you and your seatmate (s) is sososososo tiny.  I feel like I can barely read a book comfortably, let alone manipulate a breast pump!

Good luck!

[cww]

Thanks for the reply mio2323. I definitely know what you mean about the space between seats - I'm 6'2" with extra long legs, so I actually can't keep my feet in front of me if the person in front if me puts the seat back (why on earth do they put those hard plastic tray tables in the exact spot where your knees go? ). I'm also concerned that the bathroom would be no better, since I can't actually stand upright in there - I'd have to stand half slouched (and trying not to spill) or more likely just sit on the toilet. I'm also nervous at the idea of keeping other people out of the bathroom for 20-30min - the actual pumping for me tends to take 15-25 min, and with all the hand washing and assembly/disassembly, I tend to assume at least 30m are necessary (and I've been on a ton of flights with long bathroom lines) - for those of you who pumped in the airplane bathroom, was this ever an issue, and if so, how did you handle it?

[HappyHappyMommy]

Originally Posted by cww 

So I will be going on a long trip from coast to coast with prolonged time in an airplane, and I'm pretty sure I'll need to pump on the plane at least once each way.  Does anyone out there want to tell me whether you pumped on the plane, and if so, if you did it in your seat or in the plane bathroom? 

I'd really rather not pump in the tiny dirty bathroom, but I suppose that if I can do it in bathroom stalls elsewhere, I can do it on a plane.  But I guess I'd really rather just do it in my seat, if I can get myself comfortable with the idea.  I don't care if anyone sees anything, but I'm really uncomfortable with causing scenes, and I don't want to have to worry about being chastised if I try to pump in my seat.  If I had a whole row to myself, I wouldn't care, but I can't imagine trying to pump with a total stranger right next to me - but maybe I'm being overly sensitive - I have certainly BFed on a plane with the LO, right next to a male stranger, and while it made me feel a little weird, it was fine.  (I guess pumping feels a lot more complicated and exposed than just BFing to me.) 

I know I could probably book a seat in the last row of the plane and hope that it's somewhat empty, but these days I don't know how likely that is to work, what with all the overbooking!

Anyone out there with experience have thoughts? Thanks for your time in reading my post!

I pumped on a plane, in my seat...and sometimes with a stranger next to me. I used a nursing cover, wiped out the pump parts after pumping, and then fully sterilized the parts when I got to my hotel. I wouldn't have felt comfortable pumping without a cover, but with the cover, I felt fine. (And more comfortable then I would have in the airplane bathroom...both because of cleanliness and lack thereof in the bathroom and because I didn't feel comfortable tying up the bathroom for 30 minutes or so). I'm not sure exactly what my seatmates thought, but no questions were raised.

Feel free to PM me if you have questions.

PS I also always asked for a blanket from the flight attendant in case I ever I felt like I needed more coverage.

[cww]

Thanks, HappyHappyMommy, for your response - it seems like it would be more convenient to do that if I can muster up the courage!  I hadn't thought to bring a nursing cover, so thanks for mentioning that - I will definitely pack one. 

It's funny that I'm not at all self conscious about nursing in public, but something about pumping just feels much more odd to do in public - it seems totally irrational, but then maybe it's because we tend not to see anyone doing it (whereas we do occasionally see other mom's nursing in public)? 

[foreverinbluejeans]

I think it would make it easier to do if you wore a loose to like a maternity top so you could put the pump under. A small battery pump would be easy to use but people might think it was a vibrator. That could be weird!