traveling away for work

rber9595

Has anyone done this?

I am traveling for work for 4 or 5 days.  DD is BF still and eats 5 times a day.  I have enough of a freezer stash so that she will have frozen milk while I am away.  However, I think that will deplete my stash.  I am traveling again in April for 5 days and wont have enough time to build it back up since I am not overproducing anymore.  She will be one year at the end of April and I planned on stopping then most likely (I am already 2 months past my original goal).

 

Anyway I will have to pump while I am away and I will have a kitchen in my hotel room with a freezer.  I am trying to figure out how to save the pumped milk so she will have some in April.  My flight is 90 minutes.  Has anyone flown milk home with them on the plane?  I would have to check the milk with regular baggage since it too much for a carry on.  I was thinking of using a cooler somehow?

 

Trying to figure out if this is all going to work out

Mrs.0428

You do not have to check the milk.  You are able to bring as much BM on the plane as you need with or without the baby with you.  Also, I suggest not freezing the milk until you get home from your trip.  BM freezes at a lower temp then ice so if it's frozen it could begin to defrost on the way home and then you would have to use it within 24 hours.

When I went on vacation I just refridgerated everything.  Put it in a cooler bag in my pump bag which I carried on to the plane and then froze it all as soon as I got home.  My flight was about 3 hours and I had no problems.

I also printed out the below 2 TSA links and carried them with me in case anyone gave me a hard time about having the milk in my carry on.

HTH!

https://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/formula.shtm

 

https://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/specialneeds/index.shtm 

Mrs.0428

Also, you shouldn't be depleting your freezer stock because anything your DD drinks while you are away should be replaced with what you bring back with you.

i.e. your DD drinks 60 ounces while you are away you should (in a perfect world) pump 60 ounces to bring back home and freeze.

rber9595

thank you!!

for the links as well.  I thought she had to be with me for me to travel with BM and they would only let you carry on so much.  BM is good for a week in the fridge right?  I forget now...

it would have been depleted if i discarded what i pumped while i was away.

angeltex

I flew home 2 weeks worth of frozen breast milk from Richmond, VA to Fort Worth, TX. 

 I packed freezer bags, several gallon size zip lock bags, blue ice gel packs, and a soft pack cooler.  My work place in VA had a fridge with a freezer where I stored my milk during the week.  I think loaded it up in gallon size storage bags and placed it in my soft pack cooler with frozen gel packs.  I put my soft pack cooler in my big suitcase and checked it at the airport.  By the time I got home it was still frozen and I was able to put in the freezer. 

 Let me know if you have any questions.