Honestly, I am someone who doesn’t enjoy pumping, but as a mom, I do what I need for my baby. I spend time pumping at work and sometimes need to pump while traveling. I had to travel to work and want to share my experience and tips with you. I hope my knowledge and experience can empower you, making you feel more at ease if you have to take your pumping on the go.
My Travel Pumping Experience
My work trip involved traveling on an airplane and visiting various work locations. First, I looked up the airports I was flying in and out of and checked where they had nursing mothers’ rooms. I recommend looking this up beforehand because when I asked security where the rooms were, they kept trying to direct me to the bathrooms, but there are specific rooms designed for nursing and pumping mothers.
I had to travel to different locations on this trip, so I wanted an effective and easy container to transport, so I used the Ceres Chiller. This little cooler can fit so much milk and keep it cold all day. I recommend it to anyone who pumps. It’s the only thing you’ll need to keep your milk cold and safe. If you have a long road trip or work trip, you will need one or two of these things. They are more expensive than your average cooler, but it is more effective and worth the investment.
Once done pumping, I would dump the milk into the Ceres Chiller and then wipe my pump parts with the momcozy natural pump wipes, and if a fridge was available, I would pop all my parts in there. For me this system was quick and simple, which is so important for cleaning on the go. I wanted to ensure my parts were cleaned more thoroughly at night, so I used the Ceres cleaning kit. This kit had a wash bag, soap dispenser, bottle brush, and towel; everything I would need to ensure my parts were sanitary.
Getting the Milk Home
Transporting the milk back home was a concern since I had accumulated a lot of milk during my three-day trip. A few months after having my baby, we moved to a new state, and I already had a good supply. However, I didn’t have time to do a lot of research on how to transport the milk, so we used a simple cooler. I lost my entire stash and was devastated.
I was determined to get this milk home safely, so I researched different options for this trip and finally decided to use MilkStork. This service handles the entire process of getting your milk back home. With this service, you can choose a package to take with you on the place, or you can have your milk shipped. I decided to have my milk shipped so I didn’t have to deal with the hassle of taking it through security. This service is expensive, but your company should cover the cost if your travel is for work.
When I went to the company website I told them the address and dates of the place I was traveling as well as my home address. The package arrived at my hotel the day before I was set to go home and came with absolutely everything I would need. One thing that gave me comfort was the many safety seals it came with for me to place on the package. The package also came with a cute door sign to use when pumping. MilkStork truly thought of everything! When it came time to ship all I had to do was drop this off at a FedEx location; you also have the option to schedule a pickup. When I dropped off the package, I noticed the tracking information didn’t show up, so I called MilkStork customer service and made sure everything was scanned properly, and I was immediately able to track my package. I was impressed with the excellent customer service and how quickly my milk arrived home. I shipped it on Wednesday morning, and it arrived safely by lunch on Thursday. If I have to travel for work again, I will use MilkStork because the experience and customer service are phenomenal.
Overall, the work trip felt like a success. If I learned one thing it was to ensure everyone I am working with understands the time commitment pumping is. I provided my pumping schedule to the relevant people I would interact with but I don’t think everyone realized pumping can take 45 minutes or more by the time I got set up, pumped, and stored the milk. Since I didn’t do this, there were times the day felt rushed because I didn’t communicate to my coworkers how time-consuming pumping can be.
When all was said and done, I felt my trip was a success because I was able to pump the precious milk my baby needed and transport it safely home. Of course I was so happy to be home and just snuggle up with my sweet baby girl.
When You Might Need to Pump on the Go
I have to pump when going out of town for work, but this may only be for some time. It is good to have a plan in place for how you will pump on the go because you never know when you might need to be away from your sweet baby for a few hours or a day or two. Some situations you might find yourself in that you would need to pump:
- Work
- Road Trips
- Girls Night Out
- Getting Your Hair Done (This takes me 3+ hours!!)
- Taking older Kids to Sports or Activities
- Taking a day trip to the zoo or park
Considerations for pumping on the go
- Where will you pump? While you legally can pump and breastfeed in public in every state in the U.S., this is something I prefer to do in private. If I go to a new place, I will research the private locations available to pump. I’ve found that most places have a mother’s room, so you shouldn’t have to use a bathroom for this. I’ve also just done this on road trips in the car.
- How will you adjust your pumping schedule to fit your travel plans?
- Do you need to plan extra travel time for pumping and clean up?
- How will you keep your milk cold?
- What extra supplies will you need?
- How will you share your pumping plan with coworkers or others you are traveling with?
Essential items for pumping on the go
- Pump – of course!
- I love my Spectra S1
- Charger or cord if your pump is electric
- Ceres Chiller – Milk Storage
- I love this product because it keeps my milk cold all day, and I don’t even need to use a fridge; all I need is a little bit of ice
- It is smaller and more compact than your standard lunchbox type of cooler
- It has multiple uses and can even be used as an on-the-go bottle for your baby
- Can store up to 32oz of milk
- Cleaning Supplies
- Momcozy natural breast pump wipes – I loved the safe and natural ingredients in these wipes
- Ceres Chill Cleaning Set
- Milkstork – a great way to transport your milk if you have several days’ worth of milk
- Convenient and easy to use
- It kept my milk incredibly cold for over 24 hours
- Caring customer service
Special Considerations for Flying
It is possible to have a stress-free flying experience when you are pumping. The trick is to know your rights and plan. This knowledge should reassure you and alleviate any anxiety you may have about pumping while flying.
OK, so let’s talk about going to the airport. When I first arrived at the airport, I felt it would be easiest to get through security and pump before getting on the flight. If you must pump before going through security or travel back home with milk, rest assured you can take your milk and cooler through security. I recommend looking up the TSA website to see your rights as a pumping or nursing mother. When I went through security on the way home, I had my Ceres Chiller full of milk, which got checked. I asked security to change their gloves immediately to ensure no tiny particles or germs would get near my precious milk. Then they opened up the lid of my container and held a test strip just above the opening to test the milk, and that was it. They put the lid back on and gave it to me right away with no issues. It was pretty easy. I popped the chiller back into my bag and was ready to go.
Check for more information directly from TSA. Feel free to print the information from their website and bring it with you in case you run into someone who doesn’t know the rights of breastfeeding moms.
Lessons Learned
- Bring extra pump parts for ease of cleaning
- Make sure you plan for extra time to pump, store your milk, and clean your parts
- Have a safe and convenient way to transport your milk
- Bring lots of cleaning supplies for your pump parts
- Charge your pump every night to have a full charge for the next day
- Communicate to your coworkers your pump schedule before the trip
Conclusion
Pumping on the go is a lot of work, giving our babies this precious milk that they still need to stay, and it can be seamless if you have the right tools and place. I believe in you, mama, and I know you have the right to pump in public and every state in the US. Do your research, mama, and understand your rights. I know you got this!!
If you’ve had to pump while traveling, what additional tips and tricks do you have? Share your tips and stories below for our community of fellow mamas to learn from and feel supported!
