8 Travel Must-Haves for Nursing Moms

Author: Ashley Eneriz / Source: Wise Bread

Pumping on the go is hard enough when you’re a nursing mom, but how do you keep up your milk supply when you have to travel for work or for an event and can’t bring the baby along? These essentials will make traveling without your precious babe a whole lot easier.

(See also: 10 Life Skills for Working Moms)

1. Milk delivery and/or storage system

If you don’t want to worry about keeping your pumped milk fresh, try a milk delivery service like Milk Stork. Starting at $139, Milk Stork ships a 34 oz. cooler to your hotel and comes with a pre-labeled and postpaid package to allow your fresh milk to get back home quickly without spoiling.

If you’re traveling for work, your employer might be willing to pay for this service. If not, you might be able to write it off on your taxes, since it is considered a work-travel expense.

If you don’t use a milk shipping service, you will need to stay in a hotel room that has a fridge or freezer. The hotel might allow you to store your cooler of milk in their main freezer, but it’s best to call ahead of time to see what they have available to accommodate new moms.

2. Cooler and ice packs

If you decide to store and transport your milk yourself, take an airtight cooler and plenty of gel ice packs. If you’re flying, this will count as a carry on, so plan accordingly. This is not an ideal method of transporting milk home if you will be traveling for more than five days. Breast milk is good for one day transported in a cooler with ice packs, in the fridge for up to five days, and in the freezer for several months.

It’s a good idea to smell your milk before use. If it smells sour, you need to dump it.

3. Automatic and manual breast pumps

An automatic breast pump will allow you to pump quicker and more efficiently than the manual handheld versions. I also recommend bringing along a manual pump for when you need relief but can’t use your automatic pump.