Bringing back my breast milk:

To be honest, when I purchased my flight tix to Lombok last year, I've actually forgotten that I was breastfeeding! Yes, I forget that I was a mummy to a 7 months old #babyjedi  -__-' . I guess the travel bug just caught me after a year long of hiatus from travelling.

That aside. A week before our departure, I've never actually secure any accommodation for the both of us. I was contemplating of cancelling this trip because I realized that I had to leave #babyjedi behind and I'm worry that I'm gonna miss him. Uurrgghh. But apart from that, I was thinking that this will be a good time for me to get out of mummy zone and find some time for myself, away from my daily routine. Recharge and re-energize before going back to 'war' again.

I have prepared myself with everything I needed in order to ship my breast milk back to Malaysia. Because I produce soooo much of breast milk, I decided to check in a medium size polystyrene box. I didn't want to bring my 3.2 liter cooler box because the box itself could weight around 2 kg, excluding my luggage and other stuff. Alhamdulillah the process was soooo smooth and all my milk were still in good condition and they were still chill when I arrived home. So how did I do it?

Things you need:

1. A cooler box/ polystyrene box
2. 2 to 3 pieces of towel cloth
3. Newspapers to close the gap in between the breast milk bags
4. Cling wrap (just in case) to wrap your box
5. Scotch tape to tape around your box
6. A printed label
7. Ice gel, around 6 packs (Techni ice sheet is the best). You can get it from Lazada or 11th Street.

KLIA2 and Lombok International Airport do provide wrapping service. Lombok airport cost around standard price of 60,000 rupiah (RM18) for any sizes. While KLIA2 cost around RM15 for a medium size polystyrene box. Penang International Airport cost around RM21 for the same size. Wrap your box to and fro your destination to protect your box from scratch.

I stored my milk in the mini bar in our room while my gel pack were stored in the kitchen freezer (call your homestay/hotel beforehand in regards to this). I was so lucky that the staffs at the homestay were so accommodating and understand my situation.

Because I only travel for 4 days, therefore I didn't  freeze my breast milk. I didn't want to go through the hassle of having to maintain the freezing temperature during my flight back. So refrigerator temperature is good enough. The weight of my cooler box is around 5kg (include breast milks, newspapers in between, ice gels)

1. Layer the bottom part and around your cooler box with ice gel pack/Techni ice sheet.
2. Place your milk on top of the ice gel.
3. Place some scrambled newspaper in between the gap and layer the top part of your breast milk with 2 to 3 layers of clothes to trap the cool air inside the box.
4. Wrap the box with cling wrap (please check if the airport provide wrapping service) and label your box so that the airline staff is aware of the content.

Your cooler box will need to go through the Xray machine in Lombok and Malaysia airport but the Xray emits minimal rays and for just a few seconds. So your breast milk are still safe for baby's consumption.



Here's a simple guide on how to pack your breast milk. I've forgotten to catch mine on video


Pumping during outing:

Based on my recent experience to Lombok, it was a breast feeding friendly island. They encouraged breast feeding for new mothers in the first 6 months or when the baby is ready to wean themselves from latching. They don't really have pumping concept therefore don't be surprised if they asked you why do you need to pump. Most of them direct latch at night and formula milk when the mother are out for work.

I managed to pump in a massage center. They provide me with a small room to pump. But because my travel buddy was pregnant, we spent most of our time in the hotel. The culture also prioritized mothers with infant or toddler especially when you're queuing up at the immigration,
restaurant, public places. But for this time, I tried dragging my pumping time from 3 hours plus to 4 to 5 hours in between.

I even pumped on flight too. The flight attendant was kind enough to give a whole row of empty seats. I hand carried my pump bag with ice block. No issue during immigration check. They only wanted me to show them the pump because it contain rechargeable battery.

Places where there is no mother's room available, I will normally pump at one corner while wearing my nursing cover. Lombok has one nursing room at the departure hall (beside customer and immigration counter).

*Towards your travel date, make sure you call up your hotel/homestay to inform them that you're breastfeeding and you need a mini bar or if you can borrow their refrigerator to store your breast milk. As for mine, they're accommodating and understands my situation. I just removed the drinks in the mini bar to make space for my breast milk.

Things you need in your pumping bag when traveling:

1. NURSING COVER. This is very, very useful.
2. Power bank (at least 10,000 mH). Don't forget the cable that can connect the power bank to your pump. Lombok has different power outlet. make sure you check them first
3. Tissue and wet tissue
4. A very good ice pack/block
5. Ice gel and ice block
6. A small size tupperware to store your breast pump
7. Breast pump power cable
8. Hand sanitizer

I will share with you my current purchase of a breast pump bag that duo as my work/travel bag as well. So less bags to lug around *phewwww*. Very convenient