Thursday, August 10, 2006

On Disliking Baby Formula...

The airports are being careful with flights due to a new plot discovered in Britain. One of the restrictions that has come out of this is a ban on bringing liquids onto planes. That's right, the skies will soon be filled with high-strung passengers who had to chug their venti macchiatos between security and boarding the plane.

How does this most recent protection of our air safety affect me, you might wonder? You may know that Will and I travel a lot on planes. So far, including connections, we have taken 16 flights since Will was born. In order to make Will and the others around us happy passengers, I have to feed him when we take off and land so that his ears won't hurt. Unfortunately, since he is now 27 inches long, this has proven difficult since he tries to kick the arm of the seat when I nurse him. The solution? Breast milk in a bottle. Very convenient.

Convenient... until now. Of course the ban on liquids on planes has some exceptions. Baby formula and breast milk can be brought through security. However, they must be "tested," by the person carrying them on.

Now, I believe that breastmilk is the bestfood for my baby. I have even considered having T-Shirts printed saying, "Breast is Best," a common saying at Le Leche League meetings. (What else would you wear to such a meeting?)

But the question now is... Do I want to drink the breast milk? That just seems kind of weird. I'm fine with removing my laptop from my bag, taking the baby out of the baby carrier, removing my shoes, all without dropping Will. But after going through all of this while trying to balance the baby while standing there in my socks, and then being asked to taste the bottle of breast milk? I'm a little unsure. Perhaps I should prepare some baby formula.

We travel next week.

2 comments:

watterflower said...

Yeah, Airport security thinks you are going to blow up the plane when taking your baby on the plane. Good thought process, guys.

Stupid security.

Anonymous said...

Hmm. . . My thought is -- take your pump onto the plane. After you get through security, etc. you can hopefully get enough for takeoff. Then, pump some more on the plane for landing. This is provided that you have someone who can hold and entertain Will while you are occupied. Far from perfect, but I share your reluctance to partake of one's own breast milk. Not that someone else's would be better. Boy, am I repressed, or what?!

Anyway, good luck!

Oh, and my local La Leche League people were just selling t-shirts with a waitress holding a baby on them. The logo: "Eat at Mom's - Fast, Fresh, Fabulous". I didn't buy one because I am too repressed to wear it. But I definitely thought it was cute! Here's a pic.