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Breastfeeding For The Travelling Mom

Many working mothers now choose to breastfeed their babies despite their tight working schedule. Some of them even have to travel on a regular basis.

As an engineer in a multinational company, I am not excluded from travelling. In fact, I just came back from a meeting in Miri, Sarawak and expect to travel more in the near future.

It’s so possible to continue breastfeeding while working in an environment like this. It’s just how we manage everything so that it wouldn’t affect any of our daily items. Furthermore, I found that breastfeeding is the only way to keep me and my babies together, even though I am not physically there.

The basic knowledge of milk storage is crucial for working mothers especially for those who are travelers. I was so frustrated to find that some working mothers actually did not know how to keep their expressed milk at work when their offices do not provide refrigerators. Expressed breast milk can last for 10-12 hours in an insulated bag with enough ice packs (chillers). So we do not need any fridge in the office to successfully breastfeed.

For domestic travelers, breast milk transportation is not an issue. Our airline companies allow us to bring liquid including breast milk on board. The matter is just how to secure the breast milk so that it won’t leak or spill.

For day trips, it is much easier. Just bring a bigger cooler bag with extra chillers. If you can’t find any, get ice cubes from any café or convenience shop.

My fridge to go for day trip

For longer stay, a bigger container such as this ice box might be needed.

Or maybe a simple polystyrene container like this.

Fill the container with ice cubes and add some salt to it to make the melting rate slower.

If you travel overseas, get familiar with the airline’s rules and regulations for bringing liquid/frozen breast milk on board. Get everything clear before you travel!

Some quick tips:

• No need to freeze expressed breast milk for a day trip
• Ask for hotel kitchen’s assistance to help you freeze your breast milk if needed. Don’t rely on hotel room’s mini fridge, it won’t freeze your milk.
• Scout around to get ice once you get the milk out of the fridge/freezer.
• If you are using an electronic breast pump, bring a set of manual breast pump for contingency.
• DON’T WORRY! JUST DO IT!
• And one more thing… don’t forget to store enough stock for your little ones.

Come mothers! Don’t quit breastfeeding just because you have to travel. All mothers deserve to breastfeed regardless of what we are doing

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