Your Apprehensions Regarding Traveling And Frozen Breast Milk

Exclusive breastfeeding to your infant is a real time commitment which has no fixed schedule and duration. You are bound with the baby, as whenever he/she is hungry you have to offer him/her your breasts with proper latching position. Many times mothers have low milk supply, and to deal with this issue they consume breast milk supplements to give their milk flow a boost. Life with a little one can be a balancing act, between nursing your child, work, outside commitments and taking care of yourself too.

Many lactating mothers need to travel with their babies, so they need to carry frozen breast milk along. They are also curious to know how to increase milk supply, so that they can generate more milk to store more as frozen milk. Most mothers and parents are confused on how much milk they can carry? How much is allowed? Will it count in their luggage weight or not? Or is it possible that this milk travels safely with them? These and many other aspects are highlighted in this article for your guidance and help so let’s get started:

How much amount can I take along and pack?

Breast milk is also known as ‘liquid gold/ medicine’ and therefore, it’s allowed almost everywhere while traveling from any mode of transport. Your journeys may include road trips on private cars, public buses, trains or mostly the concerns are regarding traveling through airplanes. How much to carry is directly related to how long your traveling duration is and what kind of place you’re going to. Moving on land transport is much more convenient than by air because airports have their own screening tests, requirements and they allow only up to 4 ounces of milk in liquid form.

Although you can carry frozen milk more than that, you have to make sure it is frozen and packed well with full responsibility and care. If thawed or became slushy, extra screening would be required, which is of course another hasal. The good thing is that you can pack as much as you can but it is advised to pack wisely not too much and not too less.

How to pack frozen breast milk?

How to pack, store and transport breast milk depends on the length of your journey. You must properly freeze the milk, if your traveling duration is long. You need to pack the milk tight with no air inside to avoid any air pockets, as these spaces will allow warm air to travel and change the temperature which is not good for the milk. When frozen together, they act as coolants to each other just like ice bags or cubes.

can also put these solid blocks of milk in coolers with ice packs in it to keep the inside temperature maintained and cool. Try to keep the milk and ice packs tightly close to each other, filling the spaces with some newspaper, any cloth or even aluminum foil, so that all of the things stay intact firmly and keep the temperature regulated. Use a thermometer to check the inside temperature but avoid opening the cooler again and again. You can easily keep frozen milk for 4 days. Packing is an important step to avoid any spilling and wastage also.

How to transport frozen breastmilk?

Road trips have some or no travel restrictions but you still have to worry about its temperatures as these trips are usually long. Traveling by air means you need to encounter airport regulations on handling breast milk. Keep yourself aware by knowing which airlines you are choosing and what their policies are regarding nursing mothers. Take prior information before booking your seats. You can take it in your hand carry or even book it in your checked luggage, as per your convenience. Always mark your milk with dates and all crucial information too. Most airlines are pretty accommodating and friendly to nursing mothers, so be relaxed!

Tips for traveling with frozen breastmilk:

Here are few suggestions to keep in mind before traveling which can help you a lot:

Good quality ice packs are life savers which keeps the milk in solid state and keeps the temperature maintained. Dry ice is also a good option for a longer and big amount of milk.

2- Put, store and freeze the milk in sterilized bottles to avoid contamination and bacterial growth in the milk.

3- Don’t open the storage boxes again and again as this will affect the quality and taste of the milk, allow foreign bacteria to go inside and unstable the temperatures.

4- Your first preference must be keeping your frozen milk with you rather than booking it in luggage. Checked bags are often mistreated and get thrown around all the time.

Conclusion

Breast milk is a compulsory food for infants and thus it becomes inevitable to wean off it for some time during traveling and start it again. It is also a fragile thing, and due to its properties it can curdle and rot easily. For this you need to be extra careful while traveling with it.