Expressed breast milk on plane - how to make it last longer?

[MorgN]

Hi everyone, I normally breastfeed but have two bags frozen for emergencies and thought to bring them as back up for an upcoming flight with a 3 months old baby in case she gets hungry while I might not be able to breastfeed (like immigration queue). The door to door is 6 hours, and room temperature milk only lasts 4. I’m contemplating if one of the below might work?

• bring frozen and transfer to bottle later (worried about hygiene and logistics
• defrost in fridge and assume the starting lower temperature is enough to give it an extra hour or so

Thanks!

Just feed in the queue I’d say. But if you want to take a pouch, take a frozen one which will slowly defrost over time

I think you’re going to have to get comfortable feeding anywhere. It’s hard at first, but I have fed everywhere (planes, airports, GP surgeries, visits with family, days out, trains, etc.) and honestly no one is ever really bothered, even when we visited my sister in the USA no one said anything. 3 months old is still quite light, so you might want to practice feeding while standing. Get some proper feeding tops or dresses and nothing will show. It is really hard to start but it gets easier. Definitely keep baby in a wrap as well, they’ll hopefully just sleep and you won’t need to worry and you can push the wrap to the side to feed and it provides more boob cover. I wouldn’t trust the milk no matter how it was packed personally.

It would be so much easier to take a portable stool and breastfeed wherever. Agree with the previous posters. One of those tripod camping stools would do it, they fold up really small.

How is faffing around with bottles and pouches of breast milk in an immigration queue a more practical solution than just latching the baby on?

Surely the benefit of BF is that you can feed anytime and anywhere. I’ve done it in a supermarket checkout queue.

I know I’m probably terribly old fashioned but this fashion for expressing while BFing just seems to make everything far more complicated and stressful.

Option 3: feed him yourself wherever you are. You will need to do this goingbthe other way, so prepare for it in both directions.

You can’t take frozen or partially frozen milk through security.

If you need to breastfeed at immigration I would simply leave your husband in the queue and ask an official to direct you to somewhere you can sit down to feed.

Try not to worry, they often pull you out into a separate family queue anyway!

I'd be really surprised if there was anywhere you couldn't feed while travelling, even US immigration were nice (!) when travelling with an under 1.

OK that is reassuring, thanks everyone!

I normally agree with this, but my husband wanted me to have some for emergencies (like if I ended up hospitalised) and since I had these bags left I was wondering if having them as back up with me makes sense, but it sounds like not really in this case. 😆

Defrost in the fridge sounds good.

Op i get the theory having some frozen milk incase of emergency. Great for being at home. Nightmare travelling.
If shit happens and you end up in hospital then sorry if they were my baby they'd be getting some formula and they better like it!

I'd consider a soft sling so you can position baby on the boob in the sling.

Actually you might want to experiment in the comfort of your own house or local breastfeeding support group, sling or a blanket/ scarf or even a baggy top.

Breast milk is the absolute ultimate in fast food, on demand at the right temperature!

Honestly there’s nowhere you can’t breastfeed. I’ve breastfed in a carrier (very discreet by the way), I’ve breastfed at the altar rail. I was very much a “when in doubt whack a tit out” kind of breastfeeder. Also, in the example of immigration you’ll be feeding during landing to help pop her ears, so she will have just fed, and you can always feed in advance if you think it might be tricky.

Op, to reassure you - you really can feed anywhere in an airport while traveling (eg I’ve asked to step to one side of queue’s to a quieter space to feed and helpline the family once a VERY distractable baby was latched and security were fine with it!). Re joining family at the top.

Ive also traveled fairly frequently with breast milk (often as family live abroad so eg if my mum is taking wee one for a few hours - I’d need milk!). I’ve tended use an insulated lunch box type bag with pouches and a cold pack. Typically I’d bring fresh (in hand luggage) and frozen in hold. It’s a lot of faff to have an airport bottle but is possible should you want too. One thing to consider is once on the plane - they’ve often got hot water but no microwave. So heating can be a slow process.

Hope it goes well

I travelled quite a bit when mine were that ages and also suggest not faffing with bottles, etc! EBF is magic when you're travelling!

I agree with the others about just feeding but for reference, I’m sure breast milk is good for far longer out of the fridge than 6hrs.

I agree with @Needspaceforlego that in the extremely unlikely event of you ending up in hospital then your baby would be fine on formula.

I’d say ignore your husband, stop all the expressing and make your life easier.

thank you everyone for the advice!

It might last a bit longer but probably not much.

I wouldn't use cows milk thats been out the fridge much longer than a shift and would pretty much treat breast milk the same. There's a reason why milk men traditionally delivered milk first thing in the morning.

If you feed as the plane is landing, which is a good idea for their ears anyway, baby isn’t going to be starving hungry in the immigration queue so they can wait for a feed until you’re through. Even if it’s the US it shouldn’t be more than an hour and is often much quicker. Don’t overthink it. You aren’t going to manage faffing with containers and pouring out a bottle whilst standing any more than breastfeeding and it really shouldn’t be needed. I also think the expressing in case you randomly and unexpectedly go into hospital is bonkers. Wouldn’t you just give formula under those circumstances? I’d only bother with pumping if I actually had a proper use for it e.g. DH does weekend bedtimes with a bottle so you can have a night off.

100% agree.
Just for your info, Some breastfeed babies will reject a bottle, regardless of whats in, so try a cup let them lap it like a kitten.