Breastfeeding and business trip abroad - can it be continued?

[Anonymous]

I am breastfeeding my 5,5 month old baby. For 80% he is still exclusively breastfed: I pump twice at work which is going well and I had saved some breast milk in the freezer. The rest we supplement with formula (will start with solids when he is 6 months old). By the end of April, I will need to go to Asia for one week for work (our DS will be 7 months old then). I cannot postpone this trip. Whereas I had planned to decrease the BF-ing at the end of this month, I still wanted to continue the morning and evening nursing.
However - with the Asia trip coming up in April I am not sure how to do this. Does anyone have experience with pumping abroad and taking breast milk with you on the plane back home (whilst your baby is not with you)? Does customs let you take the fluids and freezer elements with you?
Also - I am using the Medela Pump in Style which works well for me. But I am considering to take a smaller, light-weight hand pump with me on the trip. Do these hand pumps work okay? Or am I making it too complicated for myself and just quit the BF-ing altogether in April?

[Anonymous]

Even if bringing the milk back becomes too complicated, there's no reason you can't pump and dump just to keep your supply up and resume bf when you get back. If you're otherwise not ready, I don't think you need to wean over a trip. But if you do decide to wean, do it gradually. Don't just leave for your trip cold-turkey one day.

[Anonymous]

You can pump and dump if it gets too complicated. I know it's heartbreaking, but at least you can continue breastfeeding.
Bring your good PIS pump, unless you can easily pump with the hand pump. It's not worth making it more of a chore that it already is...
And depending on the country you're going to, you may need to bring an adaptor for your pump.

[Anonymous]

OP, I have sent breastmilk via DHL from Hong Kong, Macau, and Tokyo. It's definitely doable. Depending upon your work situation, you can possibly be reimbursed for the cost or part of it (I was a contractor and negotiated that it). Definitely don't give it up if you have a choice, it's so worth the hassle.

[Anonymous]

I won't repeat what the PPs said, but wanted to support you in your efforts to continue pumping and BFing.

Also, you may want to bring a ton of batterires - I'm not sure the outlets in Europe and Asia are the same. Pump to keep the supply up worst case scenario.

[Anonymous]

This is eerily similar to my quandry in January of this year. I went to Taiwan for a week to attend an arbitration hearing when my DS was nine months old. He was exclusively breastfed and I wanted to freeze and ship my milk also. I did a lot of research and found that Fedex required the use of a commercial shipper to send breastmilk legally--I didn't check DHL. I ended up ordering an insulated box from a medical supply shipping company and bringing it with me on the plane. The airline allowed 4 to 5 lbs. of dry ice in checked baggage. I packed it with the dry ice and it was completely frozen when it got back to Dulles.

Don't worry too much about your supply. I had a crazy situation of my own making. I was pumping in the international lounge in SFO when final boarding for my flight to Taipei was called. I ran off and realized a few hours later over the Pacific that I had left the rubber tubing behind. The excellent flight attendants tried to rig something up using the emergency oxygen supply tubing, but no luck. Fortunately, I had brought along a manual pump and spent an hour in the lavatory using it.

In Taipei, I was in meetings all next day and had no opportunity to use the manual pump. By the time I got back to the hotel, I was considering asking mothers of young babies whether their children were breastfed and if I could hold them for awhile...back in my room Fortunately, my assistant had called the airline and got the tubing on the next day's flight. Even after all of this, my supply was fine when I got back and my son picked up the breastfeeding again (although he did try to bite me for a day or two--out of vengeance, I think). He did get his first ear infection while I was gone, but as he is in daycare I cannot blame the formula/frozen breastmilk he had while I was gone.

What was really hard was missing the baby-my husband got me a new laptop with a builtin video camera and signed me up to skype. We did videoconferencing morning and night and it kept me going!

I found that I dreaded the trip much more than I needed to--we were all fine a week later and DS is still nursing just fine. Good luck with the trip and try to relax as much as possible!

[Anonymous]

I've successfully pumped on two trips now (one to Canada and one to South America). I had issues with returning with the milk on the SA flight. I recommend printing a copy of the TSA Policy on breast milk and keeping it in your pump bag. On the Canadian flight I checked the milk in an insulated container on ice- no issues. Also, bring rechargeable batteries for the PIS- I blew my transformer the first time I plugged it in! I spent an afternoon searching for batteries! After both trips DD went right back to the breast (4 nights at 6mo and 5 nights at 9mo). She hasn't required any formula. One last word, most airports do not have nursing lounges- I've pumped in the bathroom at Dulles and at O'Hare. I tried to get into the United Lounge but was rejected. Perhaps if more traveling moms lobby together we can get this changed !

[Anonymous]

OP here again. Thanks for all the tips and comments. Wow, have to say I admire some of the PP's endurance! Will do my best to make this work next month.

[Anonymous]

Like the others, I think it's definitely worth a go.

Just be prepared, however, that it may not go as smoothly as you are hoping - that being away from your baby may decrease your supply and you may not do as well with pumping as you would like. I'm not trying to discourage you - just prepare you for the possibility that your supply may suffer from the change in routine.

I did not travel for work but found it difficult to pump regularly with my hectic job. Add in a couple of illnesses and despite my best efforts, my supply plummeted.

I just don't want you to be terribly disappointed if this happens to you - it sounds like you've made a great effort and your baby surely has benefited.

[Anonymous]

Hi OP - you arleady got some great responses but this is a topic close to heart. I too had to travel overseas while my kids were small, and had to pump. I was gone for two weeks at the time. My Medela broke so I had to buy hand pump while I was there (Aventi) - and I loved it. It just took a day of going around city as mothers there dont need to pump - they are home with their kids
I coould not pump on the overseas flights, I found it too stressful. My breasts were so painful by the time I got to the first airport for a change of flights! Take some ibuprofen and a lot of pads!
I really recommend the hand pump - it is hassle free - you can close yourself in any place and pump. I had to pump in our companys offices and had to do it in the restroom as there were no free offices.

I was dumping all of my milk. I did not care too much for that, I just wanted to keep up my supply.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I pumped and dumped for a week long business trip to Puerto Rico. My husband fed our daughter formula. Went back to nursing her upon my return with no problems.

[Anonymous]

PP - I did the same thing: imagined myself asking strangers in the airport "Do you mind if I nurse your baby?"

OP - I wish you the best. I had a frustrating experience trying to use my electric (non-battery) pump in an airport, and wished I'd had my manual. For what that's worth.

[Anonymous]

I spent a week in Geneva on business when my daughter was 5.5 months. The biggest issues were: finding private or semi-private places to pump; telling everyone constantly what I was doing (co-workers, airline stewards, everyone) so that they could help me out; and finding enough batteries to keep the thing going (even using the adapter, I fried my A/C adapter on the first try--I think Ameda uses more power than Medela).

As for bringing it back, I put it in a cooler bag with cold packs, wrapped the whole thing in plastic, and checked it in my luggage. I figured the belly of the plane where the baggage goes would stay cold. It did, everything was find. BTW, I only saved what I pumped in my hotel room or could keep cold until I got to my minibar--and didn't save anything that I had to pump in filthy bathrooms. Yick.

Just keep a sense of humor about yourself--I got frustrated a bit, but wound up just laughing at the absurdity of my situation. The worst was pumping in a filthy train bathroom, lurching all over the place, with no paper products. I figured I could tell my daughter about it when she's being awful as an adolescent.

Good luck! It is really worth it, and you'll do it beautifully.

[Anonymous]

PP here. One more thing: I woke myself up at my daughter's "regular" feeding times, because I was convinced that if I pumped on European time schedule, I would get reversed or something. This was stupid. I should have slept all night instead--my milk supply would have been fine.

[Anonymous]

Not for purposes of business travel, but I've used both the Medela Harmony and Avent Hand Pump and both produce as much as the electric for me - it just takes longer because of needing to pump each side separately. (I prefer the Medela)

I have travelled domestically 3 times for work - used the electric pump and work for a company that has 'mother's rooms'. I am SO impressed with you moms that make it work over long b-trips in foreign counties.