Emily Calandrelli said she was told she couldn't take ice packs on a flight.
During a five-hour flight, Calandrelli needed an ice pack to keep her breast milk cool.
She was going to pump before her flight to avoid breast pain.
Emily Calandrelli, a California mother of a 10-week-old baby, said she felt humiliated and ashamed after she gave two male security agents at the Los Angeles International Airport a heads-up that she had two ice packs with her.
Between going through airport security and boarding her flight, Calandrelli wanted to pump breast milk. The ice packs would keep the milk cold until she could store it in a hotel freezer.
Calandrelli told Insider that when she got to the security checkpoint, two agents told her she couldn't bring them on the flight because one of them wasn't frozen solid.
When going through the check, the TSA allows frozen liquid items if they are frozen solid. Gel ice packs can be used on a plane if they are medically necessary.
A breastfeeding woman who skips pumping sessions is at risk for severe pain and infections. Breasts filled with milk can become engorged, which can result in a disease called mastitis. Mastitis cases can lead to hospitalization and antibiotic treatment.
Calandrelli said that pumping and feeding our child even when our child is not with us is medically necessary.
When she had her first child, Calandrelli, she used to have the same problem. The ice packs in her luggage were a problem for the TSA agents. She said that they normally would let it go and let her on the plane.
Calandrelli said that she was barred from bringing ice packs on the plane on Monday. She said that the two agents told her she wouldn't be able to bring them through.
Calandrelli wanted to speak with a female TSA agent instead of the two men in order to connect with a mother who had previously breastfed.
She said that a male supervisor told her to check her luggage and keep ice packs in it. She said that Calandrelli and the supervisor argued as other agents and travelers looked on.
The supervisor told Calandrelli that there wouldn't be an issue if she had the milk. She said that Calandrelli pumps every four to five hours. She said she tried to convince him that she wanted to pump before she flew.
She said the supervisor asked where the baby was. Calandrelli said she told him the baby was at home. Regardless of whether a baby is nearby, a person's breasts produce a continuous supply of milk.
Calandrelli said it was clear that they didn't understand how breastfeeding worked.
She said that she felt humiliated because she was trying to explain to the men how her breasts work. You need to be trained to know this. I shouldn't have to ask for a female agent who knows how to do your job better. I felt ashamed that I had done something wrong.
The agency takes all traveler concerns seriously and is committed to ensuring that they are treated respectfully and courteously.
The statement added: "We will look into all circumstances involving this situation and address it appropriately."
Calandrelli was afraid of getting on the plane without pumping. She left the security checkpoint to return to the bag-check station at the terminal after the argument. She said she cried on her way back, hoping she wouldn't catch an illness.
She said that she was trying to be a working mom and feed her child while she did it.
Calandrelli said she could feel her breasts getting bigger because she didn't pump before the flight.
She said that it felt like a lot of pressure and pain and that she needed to empty her breasts.
Calandrelli said that she didn't want to be in the bathroom for that long because she didn't feel comfortable pumping on the plane. She said that pumping outside the airplane bathroom was not an option because her pump required an electrical outlet.
Calandrelli said that it is hard to pump milk and that it is very precious.
A mom has run into difficulty at the airport over breastfeeding.
Shawn Johnson, an Olympic gymnast and gold medal winner, said that she was groped by the agents while she traveled through security with breast milk. A woman was told last year that she couldn't take breast milk with her on a flight because she had spent days pumping it for her sons.
Calandrelli told Insider that she had heard from other mothers who had similar experiences at the airport.
Calandrelli said that many women have this experience and it makes them not want to travel anymore.
The original article is on Business Insider.
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