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May 2013 Moms
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quick work trip - pump and dump?

nolabelle10nolabelle10 member
in May 2013 Moms
So, I'm heading from NYC to Cali on Wednesday afternoon and flying back Thursday night.  I'll need to pump six times while I'm away.  Should I try to keep the milk refrigerated while traveling and bring it back home?  Should I freeze it and send it back on dry ice? Or should I just pump and dump (which makes my cringe as this liquid gold is valuable!)?

Will the flight attendant be willing to keep my milk in her fridge?  (It is a six hour flight!).

Figured I would see if any of you ladies have dealt with storing milk while traveling.
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Re: quick work trip - pump and dump?

  • emmy236emmy236 member
    I doubt the flight attendant will let you do that. I'd bring a really good cooler with you and ice packs. DH and I went on vacation for a long weekend and I had sterilized a big water bottle and poured all my breast milk in that. Screwed the top on tightly and packed it in ice. The freezer bags don't seem to hold up well with a lot of movement. Since it's only 2 days I'd bring your biggest pumping bottles and just fill those bad boys up and keep that cooler full of ice. At the airport I'm sure you could get ice from the restaurants.
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  • nolabelle10nolabelle10 member
    oh, great idea to get ice at the airport!  ...and good point on the bottles.  I hadn't even thought about that.  

    for the cooler, should I get a hard shell one (i.e. an Igloo) or would a soft (canvas) cooler work?  I'm thinking the soft one might leak.
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  • emmy236emmy236 member
    I have one that looks like a lunch box and is kinda soft on the outside but still is a solid box on the inside.
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  • BabyChickpeaBabyChickpea member
    We went to Chicago last fall for a wedding and I was away from my baby for almost 3 days. Here is what worked for me...

    I bought this cooler at rei
    https://m.rei.com/product/828548/rei-lunch-cooler
    I also bought 2 igloo hard and thin ice packs that fit perfectly in the cooler. One frozen one goes in the bottom of the cooler.
    I also bought a blue ice pack (the ones that are soft when not frozen)
    Put the pumped milk into milk storage bags.
    Stack those bags in large ziplocs.
    Lay them flat in the cooler and put the blue ice in the middle of the baggies of milk.
    Put the second hard ice pack on top just before closing the cooler.
    As long as the ice packs are frozen and the milk is already cold this cooler will keep it perfectly fine until you are able to get home. It will be much easier than dealing with ice too. I was able to bring home about 100 ounces problem free. Have a good trip!

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  • nolabelle10nolabelle10 member
    @BabyChickpea, thank you!  This is such great advice.  I think I have blue ice packs in our freezer; otherwise, I'll be running to the drug store tonight.
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  • jesselayne8jesselayne8 member
    If you aren't short on supply at home then I would dump and save yourself the hassle of a cooler, ice, etc.


    TTC#1 for 19 months with PCOS and MFI IUI#3 + injectables = BFP!!!!  Beta#1-134(13dpiui) Beta #2-392(15dpiui) 
    #1 born December 2011
    TTC#2 - Beta #1 -51@10dpo Beta#2 -1353 @16dpo
    #2 born May 2013
    TTC # 3 June 2014 BFP 12-1-14
    #3 born August 2015 
    #4!!!!!!! due June 2017 
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  • KaricomoKaricomo member
    Ive gone on several work trips in the last few months, some as long as 6 days. I bring a soft sided cooler and pack in my suitcase on the way out. I also bring several ice packs. These i usually carry on with my pump. Someone told me to freeze all ice packs beforehand to make it easier at security, but honestly it doesnt matter. I pump and store all my milk in storage bags. I freeze as much as i can because i feel it will travel better and stays colder in the cooler. I havent always had a freezer in my fridge in the hotel room. U can ask the hotel front desk to place in their freezer and know of several ppl who hsve also done this. For the way home i pack ice packs abovd and below and hsve also even put ice cubes in from the hotel. The only hassle is having to carry it all thru the airport. The last trip i took i didnt check a bag so i was carrying my pump bag, the cooler, my work/laptop bag and my roller suitcase. After security, i mad room in my suitcase for my pump so i had one less thing to keep track of.
    Security is super easy. Ive had my pump bag searched with nothing in it but ice packs and ive had my cooler searched that was packed full of a weeks worth of milk. They swab and test a cple things and thats it. Ive also gone thru witj no questions asked with a cooler full of milk and pump bag with milk in it.
    I definitely wouldnt waste it!! Hope this helps!
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  • KaricomoKaricomo member
    Also for pumping at the airport, i have yet to find a room but have pumped in the family restroom. One i had to use my batteries and the koals changing table as my table and another time i had a really nice family/handicap testroom that had plug-ins and a nice counter to use
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  • nolabelle10nolabelle10 member
    So, I made it home with all my milk!  Yay!  Newark Airport did not let me go through with the Flexi ice pack, but I was able to use the others.  Maybe because they were clear...who knows!?

    I was planning to pump on the plane, but the power supply/plugs weren't working.  Then, I tried my battery pack and was missing a battery!  So, I ended up self-expressing in the airplane lavatory, bought batteries when I landed, and pumped in a cab on the way to dinner.

    oh, and the lovely flight attendants gave me tons of ice as it was a six hour flight home.
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