Working and breastfeeding mothers face a number of challenges. One of the most unspoken struggles is travelling with breastmilk in public transport.
Zipporah Gakuu, a 25-year-old mother of one, experienced what she describes as “punishment for being a working mum” when she was met with hostility from airport staff for travelling with breastmilk.
“I left the country (Kenya) at about 5.45am with my work bag, breast pump and milk storage bags. I was going to be away from my child for the day, so I knew I would have to pump at least three times before I returned home,” Ms Gakuu recounts.
Zipporah Gakuu, a 25-year-old mother. She says airlines and airports should formulate guidelines for travelling with breastmilk.
Photo credit: Photo | Pool
She flew out of the country with no incidents as she had not yet expressed milk, but when it was time to return to Kenya, she had a difficult time explaining to airport security officers why she was travelling with breastmilk, yet her child was not with her.
“I had two bags of 220ml of milk and I knew they have a limit of 100ml of liquids for hand luggage. I asked the attendant at the check-in point whether I could put it in my checked luggage and they said it was fine but they would have to mark it as fragile luggage.”
The fiasco began at the security checkpoint, where another attendant was astounded that she was travelling with breastmilk.
“She took the two packets of milk and held them up for everyone to see while shouting ‘this is breastmilk! this is breastmilk!’ while massaging the bags. I explained to her that I had pumped the milk and was storing it to take to my baby back at home, but she still retorted, ‘But where is the baby?”
Ms Gakuu recalls.She had to explain to the attendant that one can pump breastmilk and store it for later use. “The attendant proceeded to call her other colleagues, causing a scene. Everyone was staring at me and my breastmilk wondering why I was holding up the line. It was a very undignifying moment for me as a mother.”
Ms Gakuu says the airport staff continued monitoring her throughout the boarding process and confiscated her breastmilk. Looking back, she says that she felt she was being punished for being a working mother when she should have been at home with her child.
“Any mother can tell you that pumping, especially when travelling, is very draining. I wish there were guidelines for breastfeeding mothers travelling with breastmilk. We can obey rules; they just have to be formulated.”
A spot check by Nation.Africa of airlines such as Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines shows general provisions for pregnant women and mothers travelling with minors. However, there are no explicit guidelines for travelling with breastmilk.
Kenya Airways has provided a list of restricted baggage items, including knives, scissors, weapons, toys and sporting equipment such as baseball and cricket bats. However, breastmilk is not in this list.
Ethiopian Airlines has an almost similar list of restricted baggage items. In explaining why the listed items are restricted, its website reads: “Passengers are not allowed to carry the items in their hand baggage for passengers’ safety and security reasons. Further, restricted items may be confiscated at the boarding gate by the local authorities and depending on local rules and regulations, the items may not be returned to the passengers.”
Noami Mwaura, the executive director of Flone Initiative, an organisation that works to ensure women’s safety when using public transport, says security guidelines provided by airlines and airports are necessary, but guidelines for mothers travelling with breastmilk should be formulated.
