Transporting Breast Milk

You may have to pack it in dry ice and mail it like the milk bank in Austin does?? I really don't know...just trying to help! :)

V.,

what a lot of moms do is pack it in dry ice and ship it in the baggage compartment. If you take everything you need with you it makes it easier. Good advice about the foil lined cooler. Simply open it in the xray compartment so they can see it goe with the pump and it really shouldn't be a huge problem. If there is no milk in there it won't matter and it gives you the ability to pump if you need to before take off.
K. @ The Nestingplace

I traveled with my little girl while BF. I would not BF in public, so I carried the milk on the plane. It is so much better if you can freeze it and carry it in a cooler. The flight attendants also put mine in the cooler on the plane for me. I did have a written note on a prescription pad from my pediatrician stating I was a nursing mom and need to carry the BF on the plane. I showed them my note prior to them checking my bag and they understood and did not give me any hassle.

Have a safe trip and good luck!

I am not sure how long you are going to be gone, but I always followed the rule that BM can be refridgerated for 36 hours, but then frozen. So - if you have frozen milk, you could see how much it would cost to ship it (frozen) on dry ice via Fed Ex or UPS. There is a shipping area at most airports. I would trust them more than the baggage handlers - FedEx and UPS regularly transport precious cargo and rarely loose anything, whereas everyone has lost luggage.
Plus, no offense to anyone else, but I would only take advice form the airline - not someone who flew a few years ago. And - the person you talk to on the phone may not agree with the people at the airport, so you would need to be prepared to part with it - even after all of that trouble.
I had a friend who went on a trip while BF and she just dumped it. You do have to pump on the same schedule to keep up your supply though. Good luck!

I've had to do this 3 times recently, and will be doing it again soon for a 5 night business trip! You can't bring the milk through security, but if you check it through a tightly sealed cooler, that won't be a problem. I agree to carry on the pump if possible to prevent any damage (and to watch the TSA men get really confused as to what it is!)

I've been using one of those hot/cold bags, but after reading your question, I'm thinking I should really get a cooler for a 5 day trip!

Let me know if you have questions. Safe travels.

When a friend and I flew (we were both pumping at the time)- the security crew asked us what the pump was (it obviously has a suspicious motor on it), and what was in it. We answered 'frozen breast milk' and breast pump. We took our pumps on the plane with us, we did NOT want them to get lost in luggage!!! (Too expensive!). We offered to taste some of the breast milk for them (with a smile) if it would make them feel better, they just laughed and said don't worry about it. We froze our breastmilk in the hotel in a small freezer/fridge that we requested from the hotel. They usually get one to you pretty fast when you tell them you have to pump breastmilk :) We just brought along some refreezable cold packs with the milk for the ride home. I did not have my child with me, and I had been gone for 3 days, so I had a decent amount of breastmilk - the airline wasn't concerned with the amount (Southwest) -JM

V.,
I haven't pumped since all of the guidlines have been put in place. When I was pumping, I just pumped to keep the supply high, but I dumped it. So if you have enough stored at home, and aren't sure you can keep it cold enough or travel with it, you might consider that...

D.

As others have noted, you can only carry on the breast milk (in excess of 3 oz) if a child is traveling with you. Details here:
http://www.tsa.dhs.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/index...

Be sure to review your airline's policies regarding checking perishable items. As an example, Southwest's information is available here:
http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/perishable_items.html

Good luck!

V.,

I did the same thing 2 yrs ago - and it was no problem. check out TSA's website - they should give you more specific info - and possibly a contact number to verify exactly what you need to do. I don't recall haveing any problems.

From my experience with this recently, here's the best bet: Request a freezer/fridge at the hotel. If the milk is frozen, go ahead and put it in a freezer pack. If you have too much, more than a freezer pack will hold (like I did on a 4 day trip), I packed ziplock bags with me, and doublebagged it. Pack it in your checked bag, maybe surrounded by clothing that you don't mind getting a little wet from condesation (mine never defrosted that much). When you get home, do not refreeze it, go ahead and feed the babies with the pumped milk. You can continue to pump, store/freeze, until you've used up the "trip" pumped milk, and then resume feeding from the breast.
It's a little bit of planning, but really a simple process, and so worth it to not have to dump it. Good luck!

Up until a few months ago I was a TSA screener so I would say I'm an expert on security guidelines. NO liquids are allowed in carry on luggage unless they are in containers less than 3 ounces in size (and labled as such) and all the containers of liquid you are carrying fit into one quart sized sealable plastic bag. The only exceptions to this are medications nessesary for the health of the person traveling and juice and milk for a baby - but only if the baby is also traveling. Your only other option is to pack the milk really well with lots of cool packs in your check in bags and hope they arrive at your destination safely. You can check out the guidelines at the TSA website here: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitt...
Hope that answers your questions!

Unfortunately, FAA regulations only allow you to carry on extra brast milk if you have the child with you. In the past when I have traveled for work, I have frozen my milk and then packed it in my checked bag inside a freezer bag. I was able to get the milk home on a 3 hour flight (about 6 hours total travel time) that way. The milk had started to thaw by the time I got home so I just feed that to my daughter immediately upon returning home. Alternatively, I believe that the UPS Store will help you ship items on dry ice. If you overnight the milk home, it should still be good when it gets to Dallas. Good luck!

You will not be able to take your milk on the plane if more than 4oz. You will need to pack it in a cooler w/ice packs tape it up securely and label clearly what it is. Carry the pump on board with you though, so it does not get damaged. If yours has the cooler in the bag w/ the foil lining this is a red flag and it will get screened. Either prepare for this to happen or take the cooler out.

BTW congrats on breastfeeding twins way to go!