The medical preparation of a traveller who is breastfeeding depends on whether the mother and child will be separated or together during travel.
Breastfeeding mothers should be encouraged to continue breastfeeding during travel. For the first 6 months of life, exclusive breastfeeding is recommended. This is especially important during travel because exclusive breastfeeding means feeding only breast milk, no other foods or drinks, which potentially protects infants from exposure to contamination and pathogens via foods or liquids.
Frequent, unrestricted breastfeeding ensure the mother’s milk supply remains enough and the child’s nutrition and hydration are ideal.
Travelling without a breastfeeding child
Before departure, a breastfeeding mother traveling without her breastfeeding infant or child may wish to express and store a supply of milk to be fed to the infant or child during her absence.
Building a supply to be fed in her absence takes time and patience and is most successful when begun gradually, many weeks in advance of the mother’s departure.
A mother’s milk supply can diminish if she does not express milk while away from her nursing child.
It is advised that the mother visits her clinicians who would help her determine the best course for breastfeeding based on a variety of factors, including the amount of time she has to prepare for her trip, the flexibility of her time while traveling, her options for expressing and storing milk while traveling, the duration of her travel, and her destination.
A mother who returns to her nursing infant or child can continue breastfeeding and, if necessary, supplement as needed until her milk supply returns to its prior level. Often, after a mother returns from travel, her nursing infant or child will help bring her milk supply to its prior level.
However, nursing infants or children who are separated from their mother for an extended time may have difficulty transitioning back to breastfeeding. Mother might therefore need support in reuniting with her infant or child.
Breast pump safety Mothers using a breast pump should be sure to follow proper breast pump cleaning guidance (www.cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene/healthychildcare/infantfeeding/breastpump.html) to minimize potential contamination. Related guidance for cleaning infant feeding items such as bottles and the nipples, rings, and caps that go with them is available at www.cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene/healthychildcare/infantfeeding/cleansanitize.html.
Hand washing with soap and water prior to pumping and handling expressed milk is best, but if safe water is not immediately available, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60percent alcohol may be used. If cleaning the pump parts between uses will not be possible, mothers should bring extra sets of pump parts (for example, flanges, membranes, valves, connectors) to use until thorough cleaning of used parts is possible.
Mothers may also consider packing a cleaning kit for breast pump parts, including a cleaning brush, dish soap, and portable drying rack or mesh bag to hang items in to air dry.
Air travel X-rays used in airport screenings have no effect on breastfeeding, breast milk, or the process of lactation.
Airlines typically consider breast pumps as personal items to be carried on-board, like laptop computers, handbags, and diaper bags. Before departure, people who will be traveling by air and expect to have expressed milk with them during travel need to carefully plan how they will transport the expressed milk.
Airport security regulations for passengers carrying expressed milk vary internationally and are subject to change.
In the United States, expressed milk and related infant and child feeding items are exempt from Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regulations limiting quantities of other liquids and gels.
The Infant and Child Nourishment Exemption permits passengers to carry with them all expressed milk, ice, gel packs (frozen or unfrozen), and other accessories required to transport expressed milk through airport security checkpoints and on-board flights, regardless of whether the breastfeeding child is also traveling.
At the beginning of the screening process, travellers should inform the TSA officer and separate the expressed milk and related accessories from the liquids, gels, and aerosols that are limited to 3.4 oz (100 mL) each, as subject to TSA’s Liquids Rule (available at www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/liquids-rule).
Travelers may find that having on hand the related TSA regulations for expressed milk (available at www.tsa.gov/travel/special-procedures/traveling-children) facilitates the screening process.
Travelers carrying expressed milk in checked luggage should refer to cooler pack storage guidelines in “Proper Handling and Storage of Human Milk” on CDC’s website (www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/recommendations/handling_breastmilk.htm).
Expressed milk is considered a food for individual use and is not considered a biohazard. International Air Transport Authority regulations for shipping category B biological substances (UN 3373) do not apply to expressed milk.
Travelers shipping frozen milk should follow guidelines for shipping other frozen foods and liquids. Travelers planning to ship frozen milk may need to bring along supplies such as milk storage bags, coolers, shipping boxes, labels, packing tape, resealable bags, newspaper or brown lunch bags for wrapping frozen milk, and gloves or tongs for handling dry ice. Some shipping carriers provide temperature-controlled options that can be used for transporting expressed milk.
Travelers should make sure in advance that transporting expressed milk will meet customs regulations, as these can vary by country.
Adeniyi Bukola,
Consultant Family Physician and Travel Medicine Physician
Q –Life Family Clinic
