Pumping breast milk on a plane....

[DizBelle]

https://gma.yahoo.com/mom-says-flig...ing-breast-175711186--abc-news-parenting.html

The woman says that she went to the plane's lavatory to pump breast milk. After 10 minutes a flight attendant came and knocked on the door asking her if everything was ok. She told the FA she was pumping breast milk. 2 minutes after that, the FA came back and demanded that she open the door. She did, with the pump still attached, and the FA demanded that she stop and leave the lavatory.

I don't have kids so have never breast fed (and I'm not a fan of public breast feeding) but even I know that sometimes you HAVE to pump when you have to. If you don't, it can become painful and uncomfortable leaking all over you. And if you don't pump regularly, your milk supply can slow down. If you wait too long to pump, you risk infection and clogged ducts.

My understanding is that her child was not with her on the plane. This was not a situation where she had to pump NOW in order to feed her child. She had to pump then because her breasts said it was time - otherwise pain and discomfort and potential loss of milk supply were probable/possible. I would liken it to having to urinate. Your bladder tells you when you have to go and you can't just wait 2 hours.

I'm not sure what else she was supposed to do. I don't blame her for not wanting to pump at her seat and be exposed to other passengers.

 

[chiefmickeymouse]

I don't know what else she could have done, either. If I were her, I think I would have sat in her seat and done it as openly as possible just to spite the flight attendant.

 

[gwynne]

Goodness, I'm supportive of breast feeding, but that is kind of ridiculous to me. It's possible to time flights with long layovers.
What was her plan if the plane hit turbulence? Was everyone else (including children) supposed to wait for the lav while she was in there?

 

[wilkeliza]

I wonder what the big fuss was. Was there only 1 bathroom on this entire plane? They could have used the others or if she needed privacy perhaps the flight attendants could have offered her to sit on one of the jump seats as long as there wasn't turbulence.

 

[DizBelle]

Goodness, I'm supportive of breast feeding, but that is kind of ridiculous to me. It's possible to time flights with long layovers.
What was her plan if the plane hit turbulence? Was everyone else (including children) supposed to wait for the lav while she was in there?

Here's the thing, everyone has to wait while someone is in there doing whatever it is that they are doing in there. Why does it matter that she was pumping rather than pooping?

 

[gwynne]

Here's the thing, everyone has to wait while someone is in there doing whatever it is that they are doing in there. Why does it matter that she was pumping rather than pooping?

I suppose that is one way to look at it. I think most of us try to get in and out quickly, understanding there may be someone who needs to use the lav urgently.

I looked up the American flights, all I see are one ones with layovers for that route.

 

[CPanther95]

I strongly support breast feeding in public - it's a shame that a sexual stigma has been attached to it. But we are a long way from getting people to view pumping in public as acceptable. Because of that I'm not sure what else was expected of her. If a line was forming, she could possibly split up her time - and maybe that's what the FA was suggesting? If she was suggesting that the lav should not be used for breast pumping, that's way out of line.

 

[Kogo Shuko]

I wonder if it might have been more of a security thing? I assume the lavatories don't have cameras, and if someone spent an unusual amount of time in one, it would seem suspicious. I mean, I could SAY I was pumping breast milk, but I could be doing something completely different (joining the Mile High Club, smoking, doing drugs, hiding drugs, putting together some weapon, etc).

Asking her to stop what she was doing was NOT alright, but asking her to free up the lavatory could be understandable, especially since the woman was not having an emergency that requires the lavatory.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

A couple things that come to mind...

She's not the only passenger on the plane who might need the lavatory. Tying it up for that long probably isn't the nicest thing to do. Yes, there's probably one other bathroom, but that means the entire flight shares that one while she keeps one to herself for how long? It had already been 10 minutes and she wasn't done.

If she was going to lock herself in the bathroom for an extended period of time, she should have said something. The flight attendants are going to worry when there's someone in there for that long. Either they could be in trouble, sick, etc., or be doing something they shouldn't be (as noted above). I'm sure the attendants are trained to look out for suspicious behavior and being in the bathroom for an extended period of time is suspicious.

And usually when I hear breastfeeding news stories, it's because someone has been told they can't breastfeed in public and were forced into a bathroom! No one wants to nurse and/or pump in a bathroom--at least according to all these stories. I'm sure if she had sat in her seat to do it and been told to move to the bathroom, we'd be hearing about the horrible flight attendant who wouldn't let her pump in public. So which is it?

 

[TAX GUY]

https://gma.yahoo.com/mom-says-flig...ing-breast-175711186--abc-news-parenting.html

The woman says that she went to the plane's lavatory to pump breast milk. After 10 minutes a flight attendant came and knocked on the door asking her if everything was ok. She told the FA she was pumping breast milk. 2 minutes after that, the FA came back and demanded that she open the door. She did, with the pump still attached, and the FA demanded that she stop and leave the lavatory.

I don't have kids so have never breast fed (and I'm not a fan of public breast feeding) but even I know that sometimes you HAVE to pump when you have to. If you don't, it can become painful and uncomfortable leaking all over you. And if you don't pump regularly, your milk supply can slow down. If you wait too long to pump, you risk infection and clogged ducts.

My understanding is that her child was not with her on the plane. This was not a situation where she had to pump NOW in order to feed her child. She had to pump then because her breasts said it was time - otherwise pain and discomfort and potential loss of milk supply were probable/possible. I would liken it to having to urinate. Your bladder tells you when you have to go and you can't just wait 2 hours.

I'm not sure what else she was supposed to do. I don't blame her for not wanting to pump at her seat and be exposed to other passengers.

1. The rule

2. Comparing to peeing, usually if I know I'll be traveling, I try to pee BEFORE I start the trip. Could this not have been done before she boarded? Serious question since I have NO idea how this all works. Is pumping a matter of its now or never? It can't be done any sooner or any later?

 

[mnrose]

On a long cross country flight (for example) you may well NEED to pump while on the plane. No avoiding it. When I was breastfeeding AND traveling quite a bit for my job, I recall pumping in my seat (under a blanket for modesty sake). That was pre-9/11 when flights often went 1/2 full or less. The seats around me were empty, and I was able to be discrete.

I can see both sides of this one. It's hard for one person to tie up a bathroom for a long period with full planes and limited restrooms, but I also get that mom NEEDS to pump. If the flight attendant asked her to vacate the restroom, then the flight attendant should have been prepared to accommodate her pumping in her seat.

 

[diznygirl]

https://gma.yahoo.com/mom-says-flig...ing-breast-175711186--abc-news-parenting.html

The woman says that she went to the plane's lavatory to pump breast milk. After 10 minutes a flight attendant came and knocked on the door asking her if everything was ok. She told the FA she was pumping breast milk. 2 minutes after that, the FA came back and demanded that she open the door. She did, with the pump still attached, and the FA demanded that she stop and leave the lavatory.

I don't have kids so have never breast fed (and I'm not a fan of public breast feeding) but even I know that sometimes you HAVE to pump when you have to. If you don't, it can become painful and uncomfortable leaking all over you. And if you don't pump regularly, your milk supply can slow down. If you wait too long to pump, you risk infection and clogged ducts.

My understanding is that her child was not with her on the plane. This was not a situation where she had to pump NOW in order to feed her child. She had to pump then because her breasts said it was time - otherwise pain and discomfort and potential loss of milk supply were probable/possible. I would liken it to having to urinate. Your bladder tells you when you have to go and you can't just wait 2 hours.

I'm not sure what else she was supposed to do. I don't blame her for not wanting to pump at her seat and be exposed to other passengers.

Been there with my first. It was so painful when we were on a schedule, that when my boss wanted me to work overtime I just couldn't do it. And I couldn't pump because she needed me to do the work so we could both get out of there.

As for all the people suggesting she should have planned the flights better - HAH! Airlines rarely keep to their schedule.

 

[mnrose]

1. The rule

2. Comparing to peeing, usually if I know I'll be traveling, I try to pee BEFORE I start the trip. Could this not have been done before she boarded? Serious question since I have NO idea how this all works. Is pumping a matter of its now or never? It can't be done any sooner or any later?

Pumping generally happens on a schedule. There is some flexibility, but early on when my twins were tiny babies, VERY little flexibility or milk would begin running out (sorry to be graphic). You get full, and wham. You need to pump. Also, when they were tiny, ANY baby crying would set me off...so if this mom was on a plane, and heard ANOTHER baby crying, it wasn't going to be pretty. LOL.

 

[cabanafrau]

I strongly support breast feeding in public - it's a shame that a sexual stigma has been attached to it. But we are a long way from getting people to view pumping in public as acceptable. Because of that I'm not sure what else was expected of her. If a line was forming, she could possibly split up her time - and maybe that's what the FA was suggesting? If she was suggesting that the lav should not be used for breast pumping, that's way out of line.

Unfortunately I shudder to think of public breastfeeding trying to become accepted in the age of ubiquitous cell phone videos.

As far as the airplane lavatory, no, I don't think it's okay to assume it's acceptable to appropriate it as your private space for an extended period of time for a non urgent function. If she had been in there for ten minutes any urgent need had been remedied. Airplane travel is what it is and foreseeable needs should be part of the planning process for the individual passenger. If we start demanding airlines assume the responsibility of meeting the conveniences of passengers to extreme levels every passenger is going to be required to assume the expense and the burdens of the needs that can be met with proper planning on an individual level.

 

[Janet Hill]

This is just gross. I hope she was planning on dumping anything she pumped.

Airplanes in general are just big flying petri dishes and the bathrooms are the worst.

I hate flying because of being trapped in a germ infested tube. Yeah I am irrational about germs on planes.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I am all for breastfeeding mothers's rights, but I have a dumb question. Why did she need to pump on the plane? The average flight from Chicago to Phoenix is 3 hours and 45 minutes, so why would she need to pump while on the plane? Does she need to do this on the plane? There's only one bathroom, and other people on the plane might have to actually use the bathroom.

If necessary, she should pump from her seat.

Edit: I didn't realize she might be on a schedule. I don't recall my wife being on a schedule when she would pump. Still, she can't just tie up the bathroom.

 

[Wendy31]

I'm a supporter of breast-feeding & breast-fed all 3 of our kids through at least their 1st year.

However, taking up the airplane's restroom for 10 minutes seems a little selfish to me, but, that said, I'm not sure what else the woman should have done. (I'm a germaphobe, so I'm not sure I would *want* to actually feed my baby anything that I pumped on the plane.)

Also, if you pump before you get on the plane & you don't have your baby w/ you, would you be allowed to bring the liquid on board w/ you?

 

[wilkeliza]

I'm a supporter of breast-feeding & breast-fed all 3 of our kids through at least their 1st year.

However, taking up the airplane's restroom for 10 minutes seems a little selfish to me, but, that said, I'm not sure what else the woman should have done. (I'm a germaphobe, so I'm not sure I would *want* to actually feed my baby anything that I pumped on the plane.)

Also, if you pump before you get on the plane & you don't have your baby w/ you, would you be allowed to bring the liquid on board w/ you?

If you pump after security yes.

The more I think about this the more I wonder why she couldn't just pump at her seat. Was it a manual pump? I don't think an airline restroom gives you more room than the plane. Also since there is no baby you can't really use the "its hot" reasoning for not using a cover.

Was she a newer mother who may be inexperienced with a pump? I'm just so confused why she sat on a nasty toilet seat to do this.

 

[mnrose]

I'm a supporter of breast-feeding & breast-fed all 3 of our kids through at least their 1st year.

However, taking up the airplane's restroom for 10 minutes seems a little selfish to me, but, that said, I'm not sure what else the woman should have done. (I'm a germaphobe, so I'm not sure I would *want* to actually feed my baby anything that I pumped on the plane.)

Also, if you pump before you get on the plane & you don't have your baby w/ you, would you be allowed to bring the liquid on board w/ you?

Yes you are allowed to bring breast milk, although there are famous cases where women have been forced to dump it by TSA agents. If you've ever pumped, you realize how angry that will make you. That stuff is liquid gold to a breastfeeding mom. Also, in terms of cleanliness and germs (addressed by others), most breast pumps are a closed system. Nothing touches the breast milk. You strap on the pumps (wash hands before), and the breast milk goes directly into a container, which is sealed from the air. Screw a lid on, and it's protected. I sure didn't worry about pumping in a bathroom, which I was forced to do on more than one occasion while traveling. Obviously, pumping BEFORE getting on a plane is optimal, but not always possible. Shorter than expected layovers, flight delays, etc, all make it hard to be 100% possible to avoid pumping on the plane.

 

[mjkacmom]

I do think it's rude to tie up what might be the only bathroom on a plane for a long time. Planes fly full, and there always seems to be someone waiting for the bathroom. If she couldn't finish quickly, come back again in 15 minutes.