Traveling as a Nursing Mom: Part 2 - Travel with Baby

In the beginning of 2019, my schedule was INSANE to say the least. At the time, my husband and I were still living in Austin. He worked downtown, I worked from home with the two dogs, and Raeya was just a couple of months old and in daycare. For the projected 6 months, I had to travel for work or for a personal event (weddings, showers, searching for a house and the list goes on). I didn't even question it. I did what I had to do and my husband was right there with me. Sure I/we said no to some events but if those folks saw my schedule...they would get it. I attended what I was able to attend back in NY and traveled for work when I had to. It didn't even phase me (the fact that I was nursing, pumping, working, caring for my baby, being a good wife, caring for my pups and so on). There were multiple reasons for me to freak out but I refused to. Instead, I just prepared myself for what was to come. Of course I became overwhelmed at times but I am pretty good at keeping myself calm and my head in the game.

As I mentioned, at the time we were living in Austin. We just had our first baby in the Fall of 2018. We had no family living anywhere near us - everyone was back in NYC. Naturally whenever I traveled for work or an event that happened to be in NY, I wanted to bring the baby with me so that my family could be with her and bond. Let's face it - I also wanted to be by her side every-single-night. ♡

So how was I going to do it all? It's all about planning and accepting that it's not going to be easy.

PLANNING FOR NEW YORK

I knew how much I had to pack so I literally ordered anything that I could think of (and afford) and sent it to my parents’ house. Some items you can find on Facebook Marketplace because it's so unnecessary to buy brand new. Here is the list that you can use if you live a plane ride away from family:

• Pack and Play

• Sheets

• Car Seat BASE

• Wipes

• Diapers

• Diaper Cream/Ointment

• Bottles

• Bottle Brush

• Breastmilk Storage Bags

• Organic Food Pouches

PACKING FOR THE PLANE

So... I will admit that because I travel so much I became extremely picky about how I travel. I REFUSE to check a bag unless it's absolutely necessary. Don't be like me in that way if you don't have to (LOL) - check the damn bag to make your life easier. I did my research about the Airline I fly and TSA rules and regulations. *Note - I am not going to post what they are since rules and regulations change all the time. What my process was and what I packed was allowed during that time and still may be but always check first.

What I brought on the plane:

• A Large Duffle Bag for Overhead (Held my work computer & charger, clothes, breast pump & charger and babies clothes - so heavy uhhhh)

• Car Seat for Valet (I was so mad that I didn't think to buy an extra car seat from someone on Facebook Marketplace at this time...it would have helped so much!)

• Stroller for Valet (In there, I stuffed the car seat cover and baby body carrier)

• Diaper Bag for Personal Item (You know that thing is packed to the max!)

• Cooler for Bottles and/or Baby Food which is allowed as an extra personal Item for Baby

• Baby =)

ON THE GO

By this time, you likely already have a routine so try and stick to it while traveling as much as you can. Here is a quick snapshot of my routine:

• Before I leave for the airport I nurse my baby (usually when I wake up the baby does too)

• Now that I have the baby with me, I do not pump until I am landed and at my parents’ house where we stay.

• I always ran to the bathroom or a nursing room (NOT A MAMAVA) in order to change her diaper 15 minutes before boarding and so I can use the restroom.

• At this point, Raeya was able to hold off from nursing for a little while so I purposely did not feed her until we were taking off. Here is why - babies ears HURT when we are taking off and landing. To distract and/or soothe them, nurse them at those exact times. If you are not breastfeeding, have a bottle ready. My daughter did not cry or scream bloody murder during take off or landing because of that trick. I am sure the surrounding passengers appreciated it.

• If you have to nurse before taking off then do your research ahead of time. Most airports I have been to have a nursing pod or room. Helpful tip - download the Mamava app for android or iOS so you can find nursing pods everywhere you travel.

• I let the baby dictate what happened during the flight. Sometimes she would fall asleep immediately after nursing which was amazing because she would then sleep for the first whole hour. When she was awake, I would read her cues. I had her favorite toy with me, teethers, snacks and yes, sometimes I would turn that little TV on.

GOING THROUGH TSA

98% of the time, I dealt with decent human beings that truly feel and understand the nursing mom. However, I have also dealt with the 2% who would rather annoy you than help you. Try and ignore them and don't let it ruin your experience. Remember that your baby can feel your stress. Below are some helpful tips to get you through TSA smoothly:

• Make sure your ice pack is frozen (this may seem obvious but I have actually seen a TSA agent throw away a mom's soft gel pack)

• Make sure most, if not all, of your pumped milk is frozen (if it's not and the ounces are more than the TSA limit, they will test it. If they test it, please make sure they POUR a tiny bit into something instead of them sticking something in the bottle. This will help prevent contamination.)

• While placing your items in the rolling bin for screening, warn the TSA agent that you have breast milk (even if it's frozen, they appreciate the heads up)

• Smile and be friendly ♡

MY PROCESS FOR BOARDING

This next section talks about how I handled pre-boarding and boarding when I was traveling with my daughter alone. Believe me, it's SO much easier to travel with my husband!

• 5 to 10 minutes before boarding, I started my process. It may seem complex reading it but I had it down to a tee. Here it is!

• While Raeya was still in the stroller, I would make sure everything was packed and things that I would need on the flight were in easily accessible compartments.

• Then I would put Raeya in the big kid part of the stroller while I placed the car seat part into the travel bag.

• Next, I put on the baby wrap and got Raeya nice and comfy against me.

• Then the diaper bag backpack with the cooler hooked onto it was on my back and the car seat went in the stroller with my duffle bag.

• The stroller with the car seat was left at the landing right before entering the plane at valet and I carried on the duffle bag.

My process made it easy and quick for me to board with my baby while not disturbing other passengers. I will say there were a lot of people during my travels that helped me but there were so many times where people just stared and watched me struggle. It's because of people like that, I would rather be totally prepared to just handle things on my own.

After reading all of this, it may seem intimidating but once you travel a few times alone with your baby, you'll get the hang of it! Good luck and happy flying! ♡