Working Moms: Traveling With Breastmilk

For many working moms, our jobs include travel. That can be quite difficult when you’re nursing and need to pump every 4 hours. That plane flight cross country that’s 5 and half hours long, plus 30 minutes to pre board and 30 minutes to deplane, that’s almost 7 hours. When to pump? Where to pump? Where to store the milk?

These are all questions I had to figure out on my first business trip to Denver when Archer was just 4 months old. I was nursing and was going to be gone for 2 days and 1 night. The good news is the flight is only 2.5 hours long so I didn’t have to get too crazy with pumping on the plane… or so I thought. (stay tuned)

The way there was quite simple. I pumped right before I left and had my breast pump with me as a carry on. Included in my breast pump bag was the frozen ice pack that came with my Medela pump. Security was fine with it because it was frozen solid. Once I landed I headed to the airport bathroom, washed my hands, found a stall and pumped for 10-15 minutes. The ice pack was still pretty cold so I easily stored the milk in my little portable cooler. Pumping in an airport bathroom is less than glamorous — they actually had shut of my side of the restroom for cleaning while I was in it and all you could hear was the cleaning person mopping and my pump going “urr urr urrr urr”. Hilarious. Oh well, assume she figured out what I was doing in a stall for that long with that humming sound.

Once I arrived at my hotel I asked for a freezer/refridge. They had one available for $10 a day and had it delivered to my room. Most hotels have fridges or freezers you can have brought to your room. I was able to store all my milk in it over the next few days.

While at the conference there were no private rooms, so during lunch and the afternoon break I would head to the ladies restroom, pick a stall and pump! More bathroom pumping, not idea, but you got to do what you got to do. Stored it in my portable cooler until I could get to the hotel.

Next morning was full of the same, but then when it was time to leave I had to pack up all 30oz I had packed, keep it cool during the last few hours of the conference AND have it cool and safe through airport security.

This is where things got funny. I had brought 2 ziplock freezer bags with me. I filled them with the bags of breast milk, then went to the ice machine to fill up each bag with ice. The breatmillk was surrounded in ice so I figured I could at least keep it cool until I went through security at the airport.

Almost made it… security pulled me over for a few reasons:

1. My ice pack had partially defrosted . Since it wasn’t frozen solid they weren’t going to let me take it through.
2. My breastmilk had to be inspected, but both machines to check the breastmilk were broken.
3. The ice I had around the breastmilk had partially melted so there was liquid in the bags.

Long story short, they poured out any water from the melting ice and they made me open every single breatsmilk bag so they could test it with a vapor strip (two breastmilk bags had burst and were now wasted) —  all of this was in front of the entire security line! It was quite embarassing, but I made it home with 20-25oz of breastmilk so it was worth it.

Lessons from this experience:

1. make sure your ice pack is frozen solid when you go through security and pour out any liquid from melted ice. Ice though is ok.
2. make sure to tightly seal any milk bags so they don’t leak, seems obvious, but check each one to be sure.
3. make sure to head to the airport early! I was held up in security so long that I didn’t have time to pump before my flight, so I ended up having to pump on the plane. Just imagine standing in a small, windowless plane bathroom for 15 minutes while everyone outside wonders what you’re doing in there for so long. I was so over it all by that time I just didn’t care.
4. bring a few large size ziplock bags. You’ll need this to hold any ice for the trip back

What we mother’s do to protect the liquid gold we produce. Of course now I have no future plans to travel without a baby, but if you have to travel it can be done.

Happy Travels!

For Mom: Lily Pads

For everyday I use Medela nursing pads, they seem to be the best of the disposable variety. But when you can’t are aren’t wearing a bra, swimming for example, you can use these Silicone Nursing pads. They’re sticky on one side and smooth on the other, pretty much not visible through a thin layer of clothing without a bra. They put pressure on the nipple so leaking is reduced and if you do leak a bit it holds the milk. Just wash with a gentle soap after each use.

Amazon.com: LPS-Large: Baby.

For Mom: Bliss Nursing Soft Cup Bra

Once your milk regulates and settles, around 2 months, it’s time to go bra shopping again. I really wanted a nursing bra that gave support and also looked good under clothes. This Bliss nursing bra is my all time favorite! It has no underwire, which you’re no supposed to use while nursing, gives support and lift! It also has easy one handed clips that make it super quick to feed and put everything back. It actually looks kinda sexy on too which is an added bonus. 🙂

Amazon.com: Bliss Nursing Soft Cup Bra: Clothing.

For Mom: Bravado! Body Silk Seamless Nursing Soft Cup Bra

A comfortable bra is always important, especially when your bust size will change after birth a few times and especially since you’ll be accessing your breasts several times a day if you’re nursing. I tried a few bras, this one I loved for the first month or so after Archer was born. It is super comfortable and is made completely of a spandex-like material so it can grow as your breasts grow — as they will once your milk comes in — and until it levels out a few months after birth.

I am about a 34D so it didn’t give me enough support to wear as an everyday out of the house bra, but it was sure my go to bra for everyday around the house.

Amazon.com: Bravado! Body Silk Seamless Nursing Soft Cup Bra: Clothing.

Gear: Itzbeen Baby Care Timer

During the first 2 months this was a lifesaver. You get so tired that it’s hard to keep track of when you last fed or changed the baby. We mostly used it to track feeding times so we could understand when Archer might be hungry vs. just need other soothing. We didn’t use it so much for changing or nap time as newborns sleep when they wan to and we changed him before every feeding which was every 2 hours or so.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a Mom the key to a happy baby is anticipating what they’ll need when (food, sleep mainly) and get ahead of the fussiness.

 

Amazon.com: Itzbeen Baby Care Timer, Blue: Baby.

Breast Feeding: Choosing a Breast Pump

If you’re a working mom committed to breast feeding when you go back to work, I recommend investing in the top of the line breast pump. I don’t know of anyone who has a breast pump that isn’t Medela branded. They seem to be the leader in this category.

They have several options, but the two most common are the Pump in Style and the Freestyle. The main difference between the two is the Pump in Style must be plugged in while you pump and it comes in a large bag which you can’t remove it from while the Freestyle is cordless, you charge it over night, so you can take it anywhere with you and can pump anywhere — no outlet needed. Of course the Freestyle ($350) is about $100 more expensive than the Pump in Style ($250), but in my opinion it’s worth every penny if you’re a working mom who will be using it up to 4 times a day, 15 minutes at a time.

Several friends of mine bought the cheaper Pump in Style and wished they bought the Freestyle. I took their advice and so should you! You can also keep using it for all your kids so you can think of it as an investment.

Freestyle® Breastpump | Medela.

Breast Feeding: Breastmilk Storage

Once milk is thawed you must use in 24 hrs do not refreeze. If milk is warmed you must use, you can’t refrigerate and reuse. If a bottle isn’t finished and there’s still milk in the bottle, you’re supposed to toss it. I usually just refrigerate and reuse the same day, otherwise I toss.

If you are unsure if milk is spoiled or not you can smell it, it will spell like spoiled milk (sour smell) or you can taste it. If it’s not sweet, but tangy and foul tasting it’s bad. Still unsure, offer it to your baby. If it’s bad they won’t eat it — mother nature is pretty smart that way!  Twice when my husband tried to feed Archer a bottle he rejected them, we didn’t understand why and only when we tasted the milk realized it had gone bad. We’re not sure how it went bad… but it did and Archer knew better than us.

Breast Feeding

It was very important to me to breast feed. I wanted to feel the connection to my baby, my baby feel the connection to me through the closeness and of course all the health and nutrition that comes with breast milk. It also is what is intended, it’s natural, it’s what our bodies are made of, it’s the perfect nutrition for your growing baby.

Benefits of breast feeding: http://www.lalecheleague.org/faq/advantages.html

With that strong desire, most moms have anxiety over breast feeding — I sure did! Will I produce enough milk? Will it hurt? How do I know they’re getting enough food? So I took a breast feeding class and worked with a professional lactation consultant to learn all I could before being put in action. I encourage you to take a class, but here’s what I learned:

-You can produce enough milk. Only a very small percentage of the population has issues producing enough milk. To give yourself the best chances, make sure to have baby latch on and nurse starting just an hour or so after birth and then every few hours after that. Don’t go longer than 2-3 hours without the baby nursing in the first few months. You are supposed to feed 8-12 times per 24 hours.

-Feed on demand. Don’t rely on the time between feedings as a gauge if your baby is hungry. If your baby is crying and fussy and can’t be soothed from other methods (holding, walking, singing, change of diaper, change of temperature) and their not sick then feed them, they’re probably hungry! I made that mistake where I couldn’t believe that Archer would be hungry again so quickly, but he was. Babies have growth spurts so sometimes they feed closer together.

-If the baby is latched on correctly, it will not hurt. When the baby latches it shouldn’t hurt. If it does take the baby off and try the latch again. I have had to do this 4 or 5 times before I felt the latch was correct. If you let your baby feed with an improper latch you will definitely feel the pain later and it will be hard to let your nipple heal when you have to nurse so often.

-Always offer both breasts. I made this mistake and assumed that one breast was enough, alternating between feedings. The trick to get him to take the other breast was to feed Archer on one breast, then burp him and offer him the second breast. He almost always wanted the second breast once I started offering both.

-Be patient. While in the hospital I was having issues getting Archer to latch and the lactation consultant said “Nothing will teach you more patience than becoming a mother.” That hit home. Breast feeding and getting your baby to latch and feed is on their schedule, not yours. You have to wait until they’re ready and willing and be there ready to offer them your breast, i.e. shove it in their mouth the moment it opens wide enough! In the first few weeks it sometimes would take me up to 45 minutes to get a proper latch when he was ready for it. Yes, that long! Just hang in there, they call breast feeding a learned art. Both you and your baby have to learn.

-To get them to open their mouths wide, rub your nipple on their lips, express some milk on their lips.

-Proper latch: http://www.lalecheleague.org/faq/positioning.html

-Babies know how much milk they need, all you have to do is offer the breast, be patient and if they’re hungry they’ll eat. You can’t force a baby to breast feed!

-If you have a sleepy baby that is hard to rouse to eat, i.e. they won’t open their mouths wide enough to eat, then try changing their diaper before you feed them, undress them, etc.. what ever you need to do to wake them up. We had to do this for the first month or so for Archer, he as a very apathetic eater.

-Your newborn should feed for 10 minutes on each breast. We had a hard time getting to 10 minutes. He’d get tired and would just stop after 8-12 or so on one breast. Like I said before, try burping your baby, playing with them to wake them up, stroking their cheek to get them to suck, etc… and offer the breast again.

In closing, if you are having issues reach out and get help through a local La Leche League. If you still are having issues and want to give up, do what you think is best for you and your baby. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad if you decide to transition onto formula. The most important thing is that you are a happy loving mom for your new little joy.