Alyssa Milano Reacts To Breast Milk Being Confiscated At Airport
By Jenny Erikson for The Stir Cafe Mom
Dude. Not cool, Heathrow, not cool. Just hours after proud breastfeeder Alyssa Milano tweeted that "pumping on a plane is difficult," she unleashed her fury on Twitter over her pumped breast milk being confiscated by airport authorities.
Her rant began after she said that her pumped breast milk, A.K.A. liquid gold, was thrown out for non-compliance.
Heathrow's official Twitter account responded, but didn't exactly appease the actress (or likely any breastfeeding mamas anywhere).
Image via: Alyssa Milano/Instagram
Unless you're traveling with the baby, all liquid is restricted to 3.4 oz. But like Milano pointed out, why the heck would she need to pump if she had baby Bella with her?
Not one to back down when it comes to standing up for moms' rights and breastfeeding, the mom-of-two continued to demand that Heathrow explain their insane policy about breast milk. She questioned, "Why can you test my toiletries to make sure they are safe but you have to throw away my breast milk?"
She also replied to a fan that the authorities took away her cooler, so she didn't even have a way to store any breast milk she pumped after leaving the plane. And while we're hoping it's just an unfortunate coincidence, Milano shared that the hospital grade pump that she checked has mysteriously gone missing, and she had to fill out a lost baggage claim.
I don't always personally agree with the stances Alyssa Milano takes, but I'm 100 percent on her side on this issue, and I'm glad she's making it public. As a celeb mom, her message can be spread much further than most other mamas, and this is a serious issue that needs addressing.
Sometimes breastfeeding moms need to travel without their babies. They needto pump, and unless they've indulged in one too many of those mini cocktail bottles before takeoff, there is absolutely no reason that the milk should be dumped. Pumped breast milk is what allows exclusive breastfeeders from having to supplement with formula. The baby needs that nutrition, and Heathrow Airport thinks it's perfectly fine to throw it away?
I'm glad she's not backing down from this, and I'm not impressed at all with Heathrow's reply that she can't travel with that much milk without her baby. It seems like they need to take a good, hard look at their policy, and implement some change when it comes to nursing mothers' rights. Mamas traveling with breast pumps should be allowed to keep every drop of milk they manage to squeeze out. End of discussion.
Are you offended that an airport threw out a nursing mom's breast milk?