Originally Posted by
Eclipsepearl
I pumped on the airplane. I was a Flight Attendant and I picked a moment in the flight when the lavs were not tied up.
You're in First? then it really won't be a problem tying up one lav for the time it takes.
For the record, I do know women who pumped in the seat but that was on long-haul, overnight flights and they were flying with someone else. Yes, no one hears the noise over the jet engines inflight.
Are you storing your milk or "pumping and dumping"? I assume the baby will not be with you. My biggest problem in the 4 months I pumped at work was keeping the pump clean. I had to pump and dump, which was tough. If you can avoid it by bringing a small cooler, do so.
Remember that completely frozen ice packs will be allowed through security. BM is a "medical liquid" so there is no limit to how much you can carry. Just an added tip, if they inspect it (which they will only do by putting a test strip over it, not touching the milk), ask that they change to a fresh pair of gloves.
Thanks for the advice. My trip has been postponed until Monday (more time to stress!).
Baby will not be with me and I plan on pumping and dumping on the airplane both ways. I just don't think I can keep it clean enough, unless anyone has tips for that. I have wipes but lavs are just so disgusting. I will have a cooler to bring back what I pump on my trip but was planning on checking it and my flight is over the time limit for room temperature milk.
Anyway, my big concern was tying up one lav 3-4 times for that long at a time but it just occurred to me there is more than one in 777 F. So I should be ok. And I can never keep track of the rules about using lavs in other cabins - seems like it changes daily.
I've traveled with baby and milk before - including horrible interactions with the TSA, of course - but this is only my first time needing to pump on the plane. Hats off to women who exclusively pump. It's tough!