Here’s my experience of traveling Sept. 1 – Sept. 8 on American Airlines through several major cities in case it helps. It was a very, very challenging trip.

Preparation: Packed sturdy cooler with enough space to store individual bags of breastmilk for weeklong trip along with 1 large and 1 small freezer pack and put in checked luggage. At the hotel, I pre-requested an individual mini fridge to freeze the packs and store milk. Plan to carry Medela pump bag with parts and hand pump parts on to plane.

Then for travel:

I carry on my Medela pump bag through at least 5 airports with no problem (Austin, Chicago, LaGuardia, BWI and Dallas). Bag gets detailed search in Austin, Tx and BWI where they have to assess what’s inside the bag, including the pump component.

The milk:

Depart Austin, Tx (ABIA): TSA checks for liquids at main security gates but not within the secured area. They make an announcement and that’s it. I board with no liquids whatsoever.

Transfer in Chicago, Ill.: I pump at airport (family restroom) and store milk in my Medela bag. There is no announcement and no bag check within the secured area.

Depart Laguardia NYC: store milk in cooler, layering the bags on top of each other. zip up cooler and store inside checked luggage that also has clothes and files/paper. No one searches my carry-on for liquids, though none in my bags. But there is several announcements not to bring liquids into the secured area. No other checks within secured area.

~2 hours later, arrive in D.C., and a few bags of milk (some frozen, some not) have ripped from the pressure and spilled milk into my things. But most of the milk made it okay.

Depart BWI: pack week’s worth of individual bags of milk in cooler, some frozen, some not, with two frozen cold packs, inside my checked luggage. I wrap socks/small clothing items around the milk bags this time in hopes it won’t rip. It helps.

At the airport, they check for liquids at the main security gates and TSA sets up impromptu checks at the actual gates within the secured areas. I see them pulling any bottles, liquids, out of people’s bags and tossing it. So I wait to hand pump until I am on the plane (yes, that’s a tiny restroom, but I did it before takeoff and during flight).

Our flight is dlayed and my bags don’t make my connection. But arrived on the next (and last) flight that night.

The milk arrives ~12 hours after I packed it in my luggage in great shape. No spills. Some of the frozen milk was slightly defrosted, but all cold. When I complained about my missing bag to the AA agents, however, they could care less. So if the bag is lost, don’t hope for any sympathy. Lucky for me, it came on the next flight, which was the last flight home that night.

By the way, I realized later that I got through BWI/Dallas Love all with mosturizer in my purse. Oh well.

I love the name…love that you use Nate as a nickname, and son #2 is named Dennis…I know Dennis is in your family, too. Wonderful!

And if birthweight plays any part in it, it looks like Nate may be the “big” brother eventually. He can join our club…my boys were 9 15, 23″ and 9 1, 22″. It looks like you were doing some last-minute growing in Mommy’s womb, Nate…no wonder you were in no rush to leave!

And it is WONDERFUL to see that Nate has taken to the breast already in your photo. Super, super, super!

Enjoy this precious time bonding as a family.
**So** happy for you!
Connie van Hoesel