Warning: This
post is about pumping breast milk, as
in attaching a medieval torture device to your own nips and withdrawing liquid after you’ve already endured nine months
of pregnancy and the whole lovely birth experience. It’s the gift that keeps on
giving, people.
So if that mental image disturbs you, you’re probably not a
mom, and that’s totally cool. Feel free to hit that handy back button on your
browser or mobile device, or better yet, go to A Wide Line’s homepage to find other posts that might be
more up your alley. Although if you do decide to leave, you will miss out on
some very useful (and hilarious) information. Please proceed.
Still here? Good. Let’s get to it.
I recently flew to Boston for a blogging conference. I can’t describe how awesome it was to
not have to wrangle a toddler,
nurse a baby or pump breast milk on the flight.
The last time I flew solo was over a year ago when I went to Boston for a wedding and had to pump on the airplane as to keep up my supply while Baby Q and I were apart.
Since that flight, people have asked me how I managed to
pump in my seat on the airplane, and I figured with all the holiday travel coming up, now’s
probably a good time to share my tips with you. If you’re a breast feeding mama
and need to pump during a long flight, here’s what you’ll need.
A pumping bra
A nursing cover
A breast pump (with a fully charged battery and possibly a spare battery)
Several baby bottles
A burp cloth (or something similar)
A nonchalant game face
A nursing cover
A breast pump (with a fully charged battery and possibly a spare battery)
Several baby bottles
A burp cloth (or something similar)
A nonchalant game face
Step 1: Get a pumping
bra
Medela and some other companies make hands-free pumping bras that you can purchase if you feel like
plunking down forty dollars. Or you can make your own from an old sports bra
for zero dollars. My friend test drove both options and said the homemade
pumping bra works way better. (Read A Curious Mom’s review of both bras. Very useful information!) I used the
homemade version, even at home, and it worked perfectly.
To make your own, get an old sports bra that fits very
snugly. If you don’t have one, buy a super cheap one that’s a size too small. Try
it on and mark where your nips are with a pen. Then cut a small X in each side
where you marked. (Of course, take off the bra before using the scissors. Your
poor nips have been through enough torture at this point.) Start out with tiny
Xs and cut them bigger if necessary.
Put the bra back on, and slide the funnel of the breast pump
into each side. Stick them to your boobs as normal and poke the shaft of the
funnel through the X. (Yes, I said “shaft.”) If the X is too small for the
shaft to fit (are you giggling yet?), cut it a little bigger.
The bra should hold the funnels securely against your boobs.
Then attach the bottles and tubes to the funnels as normal and flip on the
pump. You should be able to pump both sides simultaneously, hands-free. If the
funnels start pulling away from you as the bottles fill with milk, you need a
tighter bra.
Step 2: Wear proper
pumping attire
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My "plane pumping" shirt - a faux wrap that kept the girls modestly covered, yet accessible when needed |
You’ll have to wear the right clothes on the flight for this
to work. First, wear the pumping bra instead of a nursing bra. So your nips don’t
poke out of the X’s you cut out, slide a nursing pad into each side. (There are
plenty of weird-looking people to stare at in the airport. Don’t be one of them
by walking around with uncovered nips. Plus, airports are cold.)
Second, wear a
v-neck shirt or nursing top that allows you to pull the neckline down over both boobs. (Most nursing tops only
accommodate one exposed boob at a time, and it’s hard to see what you’re doing if
you have to pull the bottom of your shirt up.)
Finally, throw on a hoodie or
jacket that zips up the front.
Step 3: Cover up and
pump away
Once you’re settled in your seat on the plane, whip out your
nursing cover and put it on. (Here’s the cover I used.) Bring your breast pump and all its accessories onto
your lap under the cover. (I liked the Medela backpack pump because it’s small and discreet.) Peer through the top of
your nursing cover, unzip your hoodie, pull down your neckline and attach the
pump as in Step 1, doing your best to stay hidden beneath the nursing cover and trying not to drop the nursing pads on the airplane floor in the dark. (Ahem.)
Put on your best “nothing to see here” face and try not to
make eye contact with your neighbor who is probably wondering what the hell you’re
doing.
When you’re done, carefully pull the funnels away, using a burp cloth to
catch any drips, and cap the bottles. Put the nursing pads back in your bra, fix your shirt back over your boobs, zip your hoodie, remove your nursing cover and pretend nothing happened.
Don’t forget to take the funnels out of your bra. Those
nursing pads can only hide so much.
Every airline has different rules. Some airlines will let
you bring a cooler with blue ice to preserve your bottles of liquid gold, but some
will not. Some airlines consider a breast pump to be a medical device and will let
you bring it on the plane in addition to your two carry-on items. Others count
it as one of your carry-ons. And sometimes it just depends on whether the gate agent is a d**k face.
Do you have any travel tips for families this holiday season? Feel free to leave your advice and/or links to your posts in the comments.