Hi bb factory and mothers planning to Pump-on-the-Go,
I just want to share my experience too after having gone thru this personally abt 2weeks ago.
I thank GOD for leading me to this thread and saw bbfactory's posting. Thanks once again, bbfactory, for your selfless sharing and tireless clarification on what to prep and bring.
Before my trip to US, I was almost settled to just pump and throw till I saw this thread and subsequently, gathered more info about BF & Traveling in tandem from other sources. When I had my lst child, I was partially BF. I was told to go to a Central Asia c'try for 10days! With lack of understanding and motivation and presumptions of what a developing c'try lack, I din even contemplate on how to exp and bring back the EBM. So I juz pumped and threw. Much as I wish to pump regularly, I didn’t manage to. As a result, my milk supply dipped badly when I came back.
Anyway, this time round with my 2nd child, I'm total BF. With the notice to travel to US for a total of 6 days (abt 3days on land, 3days in the air/transit), I was really contemplating and worried abt keeping up with my milk supply and wondered if anyone has literally, successfully, brought back their FROZEN EBM. So here you go, a snapshot of what went in and out:
BEFORE FLYING
(1) Got Ready milkbags (to store the EBM)
(2) 2 tupperware containers (1 for sterilising the bottles and pumps, 1 for laying the milkbag flat and stored in the freezer).
(3) Milk PUMPS (extra accessories if you have, in case of any mishaps)
(4) Bottles (I brot 4big – AVENT 9Oz, 2 small – AVENT 4Oz)
(5) Sterilizer tablets (it helps to read the usage if you’ve never used it before. What I did after reading the instructions - I took the Tupperware container and made a marking on it after I filled it up with the desired amt of water for sterilizing. This saves u the trouble for gauging how much water is required/exact for sterilizing purpose each time you need it)
(6) PIGIEON 200ml milk bottles detergent
(7) Ziplock bags in various sizes & types (they are a saviour! will get to each's usage later)
(8) Brush (for cleaning the bottles and pump)
(9) CARREFOUR cooler bag for frozen foods (bot it @$9.90 from Suntec; it's blue in colour, and can be found near the racks close to the frozen foods section. Some may consider COLEMAN hard-case box, but they’re more expensive and bulky.)
(10) A pair of scissors
(11) A roll of masking tape
(12) Some used cloths (to wrap the dry ice)
(13) Some rubberbands (bring enuff to tie the loose ends of the used cloths used to wrap the dry ice)
(14) Some laundry bags (you’ll see the use later)
(15) Froze the ice blocks for hand-carry whilst on plane/transit/out meeting.
(16) Got a letter from a Certified Lactation Consultant to certify that I’m a lactating mother. It may/may not be needed, but I did it just in case the security officers probed and probed.
(17) Printed out the TSA policy on carrying on board EBM (ref:
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/formula.shtm,
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/sop/index.shtm#milk.
http://www.tsa.gov/press/releases/2007/press_release_07202007.shtm). However, I urge you to check with TSA for the most current policies, as “changes is the only constant” with policies (recall, in SG, “2 is enough”, then “Have more if you can afford” policies/slogans?!)! Anyway, I got them printed, and thank GOD I had them with me. Cuz I was questioned during my transit at Narita, Tokyo, and the printed policy ‘saved’ me.
(18) Checked with my hotel that there are places (usu. supermarkets) nearby where I can get dry ice to pack my frozen EBM home.
(19) Finally, some Fenugreeks to keep my supply going!
ON PLANE/TRANSIT
(1) I had with me; hand-carried, an insulator bag where in it were 1 ice block, 2 big bottles, 1 small bottle, milk pump & a piece of hankie.
(2) Another hand-carried bag with I stuffed my laptop, another big bottle (which I stored in a small ziplock bag) and more ziplock bags (bigger ones).
(3) During check-in/checkpoint security, it never failed when they checked on my insulated bag. So I’d explain that I’m a BF/lactating mother. Except in Narita, Tokyo, checkpoints at Hong Kong, US had no issues after they looked at the contents. For Tokyo, the1st male officer insisted that I couldn’t bring it onboard, and asked where my child was. So I’ve to repeat myself again that I’m a BF mum & traveling alone and showed them the policy and the letter. Reckon it’s their language limitations; I was referred to a 2nd female officer, whom, again told me the same thing. Which I in turn, stayed firm, repeated the same story, and insisted politely that she read what’s printed. Afterwhich, I was referred to a 3rd female office (who spoke better English & perhaps more senior). She asked to open the milk bottle, which I said SURE but requested that she be careful, lest she dirtied the milk. She opened up, smelt it and then gave me the clearance. It might sound all so daunting, but fear not. Just be calm, show them the policy, and repeat the facts.
(4) After clearing the checkpoint security, it’s now on plane. As bbfactory correctly pointed out; I pumped only in those hours where the toilets were less occupied. The initial fear of hogging the toilet was overthrown once you got to doing it in the “less busy toilet hours”.
(5) Whilst on board (I was traveling with UA), I asked for some ice to keep my EBM chilled; as UA’s policy is not to permit any storage of passenger’s medicine or whatever stuff in their freezer/fridge. On my way to US, the air stewardess gave me the ice in a refuse bag (those they use for pple to vomit in) and I poured them into the big ziplock bag and then put my bottled EBM into it. 1 such bag can keep the EBM chilled for abt 3-4hrs. Thereafter, I juz poured away the melted ice and kept refilling till the plane taxi. However, on the leg back, I just put the bottled EBM mik in the refuse bag directly, and then to avoid accidental leaking, I put the refuse bag with the EBM into a big ziplock bag. Found out that the chilling effect was even better that way. And small the refuse bag may look, it can actually house 2 big bottles with ice amidst them and yet able to keep them chilled well!
(6) Depending on your engorgement or milk supply, express as per desired (even a short 5-10 mins can yield some BM if you don’t feel good staying in the toilet for the usu 30mins or so duration of pumping).
(7) I was fortunate that during most transit (usu 2hrs), I was able to express in a more spacious toilet. So, I did that before I hopped on to another plane.
(8) One thing I found useful and perhaps necessary is to know how to use your hands to do manual expressing. As mine was a long haul flight, my pump soon became too ‘used/dirty/smelly’ for expressing unless I wash it. Hence, I hand-expressed during the last few hours.
IN HOTEL
(1) Once I touched down and checked in hotel. I quickly sorted the EBM and poured them into the EBM storage bags. Thereafter, I laid them flat in a container, covered it with its lid and requested the hotel staff to put in it in their freezer. I also politely assured that it’s FREEZER, not fridge.
(2) Pump as per required. I pumped about 4-5 times in a 24hrs cycle.
(3) Using the pre-marked container, I just poured the required amount of water in and put the sterilizing tablet to sterilize my bottles and pumps. I checked with the hotel to make sure that the tap water was drinkable too. However, to play safe, I subsequently went out to get mineral/distilled water to sterilize the pumps. In US, there’s this supermarket called SAFEWAY which I bought the ‘NUSERY’ brand water used to make bb formula. So, I felt all the more assured that the quality of water should be alright for sterilizing my pumps. I did not use hot water to cleanse the bottles & pumps again though. The sterilizing tablets I used did not need that, and thank GOD for these wonder tablets!
(4) Once I gathered about 3 packs of EBM or more, I’d bring them down and put it in the container that already consisted of my frozen EBM. Once filled, I’d put the packs of EBM into a ziplock bag (use the one for freezing purpose, gallon size ones) and laid them on top of the container (which’s already filled with packs of EBM), and put a rubberband over it. It’s important to label the ziplock bag and container; that they belonged to you and to ask that they be handled with care. So by now, you’d know why I said ziplock bags are a saviour and you may want different sizes/types for the various purposes.
BEFORE CHECKING OUT
(1) My flight was scheduled at 12+pm, and I reckoned I need to get to the airport by 10am. Hence, counting back, I reckoned I need the dry ice by 8am to give myself ample time to pack
(2) Got dry ice from SAFEWAY supermarket. According to the prevailing UA rule, I was only permitted to check-in &.or hand carry, in total 2kg/4.4lbs of dry ice. I was traveling with another colleague, so I reckoned I could have 8.8lbs & got them.
(3) Back to hotel, I collected all my frozen milk from the freezer. I stacked them, including 1 filled to the brim, 11Oz, chilled bottled EBM) nicely into the 2 tupperware containers. Sealed them with masking tapes. Dumped each container into a laundry bag, tied each up.
(4) Wrapped the dry ice with the used cloths (will last longer this way), and tied the loose ends with rubberbands. Hence, I ended up with a few bundles of dry ice. Laid and spread some bundles of dry ice in the CARREFOUR bag for frozen food, then put in the 2 containers which were housed in 2 separate laundry bags prior. Then laid and spread the other bundles of dry ice to cover the 2 containers. Be cautious when handling dry ice thou, take care not to handle with bare hands, best to use some dry cloth.
(5) Poured the dry ice fragments (not much left) which I did not have enuff cloth to wrap, over the containers.
(6) Zipped the CARREFOUR bag up, put masking tap over the bag.
(7) Dumped the bag into another big laundry bag, tied it up, and put the FINAL BIG BAG into my check-in baggage.
And so, that’s what I could manage thus far. The rest, I could only pray and leave it to GOD. The flight back to SG (incl transit) was abt 20hrs, plus 4hrs preparing time and traveling time to/fro airport, the 8.8lbs of dry-ice kept all my EBM (total of abt 16 packs of 6Oz) in perfect frozen state for about 24hrs. And I discovered too that; the bottled of chilled (NOT FROZEN) EBM which I slotted in the Tupperware container was FROZEN! So, you see, the dry ice were really super! The only only hitch was, my CARREFOUR bag had a few holes; I reckon the dry ice probably burnt into it. But, it’s really nothing, considered my gold in it were intact!
I was full of anxiety when I reached hm; and smiled myself to sleep to that triumphant discovery! In any case, MURPHY’s law did take place; 1 of my checked-in baggages got routed to the wrong destination! But really thank GOD, it wasn’t the one I checked in my EBM! Hence, u can see, after all the trouble, you can only leave it to GOD to arrange the best!
PM me if you've any further queries
