Stop airlines charging women extra for travelling with expressed milk

[SantasBigHelper]

Please sign and share if you agree:

www.change.org/p/justine-greening-mp-allow-women-to-fly-with-expressed-breastmilk-free-of-charge

*and that freshly expressed milk (ideally used within 72 hours) should be refrigerated.

How do you keep these bottles at a safe temperature when travelling?

I'm the absolute past mistress of storing/freezing milk and had various systems. I followed the nicu guidance

6 hours out at room temp (no more than 20 degrees)
6 days in the fridge
6 months in the freezer

None of mine ever had a hint of d&v so I'm comfortable with that regime - however, it is entirely predicated on having optimal storage facilities that I have control of (e.g. my own fridge with clear temperature controls and temp display) i.e. not randomly assuming that milk will definitely freeze on an aircraft

Also, if you're away, how do you even freeze freezer packs? Prrsumably guving them to the hotel but most hotels aren't very keen to store or freeze guests' food/utensils as the vast majority have very strict food hygiene protocols for what is taken in and out of their commercial fridge/freezers

Plus the mini bar fridge in the hotel room doesn't reliably chill down to the same level
as a domestic fridge so notguarabteed that the milk is being stored correctly

Honestly, the whole thing is bogging and so risky

I do not understand. You stay away for so long from your baby, that while away you fill up so many bottles with breastmilk, and this breastmilk is for when you leave your baby again (so soon and again for so long) that you cannot build up the milk when back home. You absolutely must use the time away to build up a milk reserve for the next time away?

As a freelancer, I, too was back at my desk within a couple of weeks each time (I love my job - I wasn't forced back) - but freelance is my choice. I could go and take a permanent job, and I would have had the maternity leave etc. We do have to take responsibility for our choices in these cases.

I had SMP, couldn't afford to take all of it and had to express in work. A full-time, permanent job doesn't automatically fix all these problems.

I had SMP, couldn't afford to take all of it and had to express in work. A full-time, permanent job doesn't automatically fix all these problems.

This is true - but (assuming UK) your job was required to give you a space to do that expressing, and facilities to safely store the milk. I was pointing out to the OP, that as her own employer, she was responsible for her own expressing/storage facilities.

I think the whole petition is rendered moot by using the example of the woman who had to dump 14L of milk. Some of that milk was weeks old and had been transported through hotels, airports etc. The airport that that woman's baby a favour by ensuring that the baby did not drink that bacterial soup breast milk.