Breast pump - checked baggage or carry-on

[SEC]

For the experienced breastfeeding moms who travel, do you carry on your breast pump or do you check it in your bag? Has anyone bought a non-electric pump just to take to WDW? I am breastfeeding my first child and just not sure what to do about the pump. My husband and I are going to WDW for a long weekend without the baby so I know I will need to take a pump to keep up my milk supply.

 

[LeslieG]

I've personally never flown with a breast pump, but if you have one of the nice, expensive ones, I would definitely carry it on with me. Mine was in a nice black leather case. Not many people would have realized what it was. And if you do have a nice, expensive pump, you would probably not be happy with one of the cheap, manual pumps. Just my personal opinion though from my experience.

 

[NotUrsula]

As your child is NOT travelling, do not let that pump out of your sight. TSA may or may not be curious about the pump (mine is a PNS), just tell them what it is. (I find that male TSA agents hear what it is and will wave you right on through -- they don't want to open it up. Women may be a bit less squeamish, but IME not much less.)

Keeping up your supply is certainly a valid concern, but the more immediate one is engorgement. If there is a major flight delay or if the bag containing the pump should be delayed, you would be in rather severe pain by about 10 hours without the pump. Don't take the chance. Carry the pump, power source, and one set of horns, tubes and bottles on your person.

Are you carrying your milk home? If so, you'll need to keep it cold but not frozen in your room, and have a couple of freezer gel packs frozen to keep it cool when it is time to return home. You can carry the chilled milk in a lunch cooler. Put the gel packs in your checked baggage on the way down, and ask the hotel kitchen to hard-freeze them for you overnight for the day of departure.

I just finished a business trip with my pump. My production is down somewhat since DD is a year old, but in three days away I pumped 52 ounces that had to be taken back home. I used a 12 can soft totebag cooler to hold it all, with the ice needed to keep it cold. Be sure to carry milk in a separate bag through security, because TSA *will* want to look inside if it is a fairly large quantity with freezer packs.

For travel, I use the Lansinoh double-zipper milk freezer bags (with the air pressed out), stacked flat inside Glad deep rectangle plastic freezer containers. That takes up the least room, I find, and I've yet to have a problem with them leaking.

 

[fenfur]

TAKE IT CARRY ON!!!! You don't want to chance not having it, ouch for you if it gets lost, also bring you best you have, you will want to keep up your supply as best as you can, and the better one will make you feel better too by expressing more out, and faster so more time to play at the parks.

 

[Kevenswife2]

I agree with the other posters. Anything which is that important to you and your comfort (meds, glasses, contacts and solutions, makeup, jewlery, etc) should go in your carry-on! And believe me, two days without baby or the pump and you'll be dying!

 

[kileybeth]

Just another thought. I used a hospital grade pump at home (premmie hospitalized for 2 months) and had to travel one week end. It would have been hard not to have the hospital grade pump, I had never purchased my own so I rented one and lugged it around with me for the most part. Justg remember you have to be where you can find an outlet, uh yeah. Lots of conference public bathrooms do not have outlets. BUT I used a hand held manual Medela that worked absolutely beautifully for a few pumpings. I had used in with a previous child exclusively (back in the dark ages!) and knew how wonderful it was. Same milk amount pumped as with electric! Battery pumps never worked at all for me??

My second thought is pump and dump. Do not try to save your milk. I know it is like throwing liguid gold away but better safe then sorry. You do not want to give your baby bad milk. I had tons of milk and even gave some to local milk bank so I've handled lots of breast milk/frozen milk/storage and it is really a bit hard to meet all the guidelines.

 

[The Disney Bunch]

I would carry it on - they are expensive & they don't treat luggage very nnicely - you would hate for it to be broken & they are not going to replace it if it does get broken.

 

[lundve]

I put mine in my carry on suitcase last year.

Funny related story.

Just don't leave you pumped breast milk on the plane because no one will find it . I was only taking 10oz for the next feeding with me and I had it in a little black cooler pack. I had separated it from my luggage to show TSA and never put it back in my bag. It was left under the seat and I never saw the cooler, bag or milk bottles again. My DH went back to where we landed but the plane had already went to its next destination. So my breast milk went to airplane heaven...(I guess since I filed a claim and never heard form them again)

Word to the wise watch that liquid gold

 

[iraminogue]

I still find that I can pump a few ounces more with my PISA than I can with the Lansinoh pump, but as I mentioned earlier, I think a big part of it is what your body is used to. I'm pretty confident that if I used the Lansinoh pump exclusively for awhile that I'd start to see an increase in output that would match what I'm used to getting. If I was starting from scratch, I wouldn't hesitate to give the Lansinoh Double Electric Breast Pump a try.

 

[stanleyjedd]

The Lansinoh Double Electric Pump Carry Bag and Cooler makes for very easy transport and storage for mothers who are pumping at work with the double electric breast pump. Should they need more storage, the company produces Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bottles and bags to keep a steady supply of milk available. Lansinoh Breast Pump Accessories also include, areola stimulators, locking rings, silicone diaphragms, tubing, valves, pump connectors, 4-oz bottles, breast flanges, freezer packs, AC adapters, and more.

 

[jana616]

Like everyone else said, bring it carry-on with you! I traveled alone with my 6 week old son in 2007. I brought my pump carry-on, because I was exclusively pumping for him. We ended up sitting on the tarmac for 5 hours, and I had to pump in my seat while holding him (I had not bought a seat for him), because I had only brought one filled bottle, and he needed two since we sat so long. It was a nightmare, but would have been much worse to not have the pump and no way to feed him (he just did not get how to BF!).

 

[iakot]

NEVER check anything you can't live without for 24 hours. In addition, never check anything that you don't want to risk loosing.