Thread by @smashleyhamer

I'm off on a work trip -- first trip since baby. Since I'm a #breastfeeding mom, thought I'd keep a thread of my experience pumping during travel since it's something I wanted to see while researching this ahead of time. Here we go!

I fly out from Asheville and North Carolina has basically no regulations for pumping/#breastfeeding moms aside from not arresting them for it. So I was pleasantly surprised that there was a @MAMAVA lactation pod in the AVL airport. My first one, what luxury!

Waiting to board so here are some pumping basics: the best (i.e. most powerful) pumps plug into a wall, so a good breastfeeding spot has an outlet. There's also usually some cleanup after - you're technically supposed to wash all pump parts every time - so a sink is also clutch.

I'm lucky* enough to have a plug pump AND a handsfree battery-operated pump, which is more convenient for spots without outlets even if it isn't as effective.

*I was laid off while pregnant, so I switched insurance after I bought the plug-in one and got to purchase another.

There's also the problem of refrigeration. Pumped milk needs to be refrigerated within 4 hours, so the clock is ticking. I have a nifty thermos-like device called @CeresChill that can keep it refrigerated for 20 hours as long as you can get a cup of ice.

But refrigerated milk only lasts 4 days. My trip is 4 days, so I'm gonna need to find a way to freeze it. Most hotel rooms don't come with freezers. I called my hotel and arranged to put my milk in the staff freezer. Not ideal but it works.

I forgot to mention: when I told my husband about the @CeresChill he was like "Oh, so it's like the shaving cream can in Jurassic Park." Yes. It's exactly like that.

Now I'm pumping on the plane and NOBODY KNOWS

Pumping requires ALL the dishwashing, so I picked up this amazing gadget for the trip: it's a travel dish drainer by OXO with a brush that collapses. The whole thing folds down to the size of a paperback.

Our team meeting is at another company's office so I had to confirm there was a room to pump in. (It's technically the law, but you gotta check). When they told me it was "in the basement by the elevator" I got nervous, but it's just 1 flight of stairs and it looks like this! 🥰

A weird thing about pumping during the workday is that you CAN do it during meetings, but biologically, it works best when you're quiet and relaxed. I tried zooming into the meeting from the mother's room but things weren't flowing properly and I had to stop.

Last pump of the day here and off to cocktails. I've been heavily relying on these wipes for cleanup; way easier than carrying dish soap around.

At the bar, I asked for a cup of ice so I could refresh my @CeresChill. Not great, TBH, I thought it was supposed to keep everything cold for 20 hours but the ice keeps melting

My mother's generation could have never pumped in the Uber from the bar to the restaurant without anyone realizing a thing

When I gave my cooler of breastmilk to the front desk to put in the freezer, they gave me a tag like you'd get if they stored your bags! Idk why this feels so wild to me, I guess it just makes sense

Good morning to everyone except the people who said "you must be excited to get so much sleep away from your baby!"

Because milk production works on supply and demand, I need to pump when the baby would eat. And that also means 2 am.

Working from a different office today means pumping in a new mother’s room. This one is clearly used regularly! And it has a freezer!