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Not all US airports have followed the lead of Burlington International Airport in Vermont. They have the most modern of lactation stations, designed by Mamava- for the breastfeeding and pumping travelers:The modular lactation station allows a mother to breast-feed her baby or use a breast pump in a private spot designed with her in mind, with Corian surfaces, soft lighting, a fold-down table and even a power supply for a pumping machine.The first one was unveiled Thursday at Burlington International Airport in Vermont and the company behind it, Burlington-based Mamava, is hoping many more will follow.
Au Contraire! The major US airports nor US airlines, have followed suit.
At all.
(CNN) Nursing mother Lauren Modeen has taken to Twitter to ask why Delta Air Lines forced her to check her breast pump.Modeen was boarding Delta Flight 2034 in January 2015, traveling from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. It was her second flight of the day for a business trip that would keep her away from her baby for four days.The gate agents wouldn’t allow Modeen to board the January 19 flight with her breast pump, which was packed in her standard carry-on suitcase, Modeen said. She also had her purse and a cooler with ice packs to transport her breast milk.Delta and other airlines allow one carry-on bag and one personal item, such as a purse, for free. Medical devices, strollers and certain other equipment are also allowed and don’t count against a traveler’s carry-on allowance, according to airline policy.The gate agent first told her that she needed to consolidate her luggage, even after Modeen says she told the agent that the suitcase included a medical device. The airline has since apologized.
Bloggers of all sorts are posting about their travel woes. As if it’s not hard enough….the airlines and airports are going to make it more of a challenge?
“Someone went through and checked out the nursing situation of a hundred major U.S. airports, and the findings are spectacularly sad. Out of the 62 airports that were so bold as to pat themselves on the back for their friendliness to nursing mothers, guess how many actually offer a designated lactation room – one without a toilet in it? Eight. Eight whole airports where you don’t have to worry about whether you’re feeding your baby next to the toilet. 25 airports called themselves ‘breastfeeding-friendly’ for offering mothers a unisex or family bathroom to nurse in (gross), and another 25 are content to rest on their laurels of breastfeeding-friendliness without setting aside any designated nursing space at all. I guess it’s considered breastfeeding-friendly now if an airport employee doesn’t come screaming over to throw a tarp over you while you nurse in the most secluded part of the terminal you can find.”(Taken from a recent excerpt from Mommish- )
Read more: http://www.mommyish.com/2014/10/30/breastfeeding-friendly-airports/#ixzz3Wlsdi9yl
Do you have any stories to share? email me:
Heather Knott, RN-IBCLC
hknott@apenhospital.org
