Haute Mom Dilemma #19 ~ Leaving Baby - The Final Installment

So less than 24 hours ago I was in Boston and now I am back in my role as mommy. The grandparents are on their way home to San Francisco and the only remnant of mommy's trip away is my beloved backstage pass to the Dave Matthews concert. One of the things that is most comforting is how quickly mother and baby can come back together without a hitch, as if they were never apart.

I left off with trying to figure out how to get my pumped BM back to Los Angeles. I pumped all day Wednesday and packed my BM in a lunch sac filled with Ziploc baggies of hotel ice. I store my BM in the Medela storage bags so I already had those with me. I was able to fit five bags in the lunch sac, surround them with the ice. I then put the lunch sac in the dry clean bag from the hotel and tied it up. My homemade package was tucked neatly in my suitcase. I got to the airlines and the Grinch-like American Airlines employee checked us in and threw my suitcase on the conveyor belt. My hopes immediately diminished - Operation BM was not looking so great. I had called American Airlines prior to leaving and they assured my that there were outlets on the plane which would allow me to pump and at least bring that BM home with me. This was NOT true and the flight was agony. The good news is when I landed, my suitcase was completely dry. Operation BM was a success and I was able to bring almost five bottles worth home.

Overall, my quick trip across the country was a good one. I missed Stella terribly but know that the night away was good for all of us. I intend to write a few letters to both American Airlines and TSA about this situation. I know they have to do what they can for security but moms who BF should not have to deal with this in any situation. In the meantime, I will not be flying without Stella, and I think she is happy about that!

Haute Mom Dilemma #19 - Leaving Baby Part 2

It is Wednesday morning and I have been away from Stella for over 24 hours. Yesterday I snuck away in the early morning darkness to catch my flight to Boston. I stole a couple kisses from my sleeping baby and disappeared into the night. I felt sad on the way to the airport but with the craziness of checking-in and airport security, my mind was filled with other thoughts. I had a video of Stella laughing on my phone and decided it would be helpful to watch her while I was waiting for our flight to board. BIG MISTAKE. I immediately started crying. Not sniffly crying, like when you get choked up about something but CRYING like when you are PMS-ing and you see a Hallmark or Folgers commercial (Remember that one where the college son comes home and surprises his family on Christmas morning? Yea, I have goosebumps right now.) My brother walked up to us and said he saw me and thought, "Oh, oh. Something just happened while I was gone and I am not going to say one word." The tears were flowing while I boarded, during take-off, and still three hours later when I was landing in Chicago for our layover. Once I checked in with my parents, and they sent some pictures, I finally was able to relax. I am sure the beer I had during lunch didn't hurt either.

I went wandering through the airport looking for a place to pump...yes, and dump. According to American Airlines I am not allowed to carry breastmilk on the plane unless I was traveling with a baby. TSA did say I could take milk on the place but it would have to be frozen. Since I didn't happen to bring my freezer with me, I decided I was going to have to dump this liquid gold until I could figure something else out. Since airports aren't exactly private, I chose to wait to pump on the plane. The nice flight attendants allowed me to use the back row and once they figured out how to turn the outlets on I was good to go. (Did you know there were outlets under each seat? I didn't. Pretty cool though.) Thanks American Airlines flight attendants for making it the friendly skies!

After checking in to the hotel, we went to a nice dinner and then partied like rockstars at the Dave Matthews concert (enter teenage fan scream here). I love Boston! We were able to have access to the backstage area, the VIP lounge, and also had amazing seats. It was a great time! After the show I checked in on grandma and grandpa who assured my all was good on the homefront.

Fast forward to now. I am getting ready to pack up and head back home. Who thought it would go this fast? I am so excited to get back to Stella and feel very fortunate having my family to take care of her while I was gone. It was a good test for me, and for her. Looks like mommy and baby passed. Now, I am off to go formulate a plan to bring home some breastmilk. I am actually considering packing it in my suitcase in bags of ice....Hmmmmmm.

Here are a couple pics from the side stage viewing area:

Haute Mom Dilemma #19 - Leaving Baby Part 1

Haute moms, I need you now. Please come in full force and bring your haute powers. I am leaving my baby tomorrow for approximately 40 hours and I am feeling a little, well, panicked. This post is labeled in parts because I know that there will probably be a number of entries in the next 40 hours where I will feel the need to blog. My flight leaves in 12 hours and I feel like a brick is sitting on my chest. Oh wait, that may be Stella sleeping.

I have a favorite band. Not favorite like, "Oh they are really good" favorite but FAVORITE like 14-year-old Justin Bieber "aaaaaaaaahhh!!!!" favorite. The band is the Dave Matthews Band and I have seen them eight times, since I became pregnant with Stella. Stella has seen them six times in utero. Overall, I have seen them over 50 times.

For that reason, and a small work venture, I am flying from California to Boston to see the Dave Matthews Band...backstage passes baby. You know it would have to be big for me to leave Stella behind. I even thought about bringing her but figured logistically, that would be unfair to her. My parents, as mentioned in my last post, will be taking care of her. I have to pack and do some things because our flight leaves at 6 a.m. but can't stand to put her down long enough to do much of anything.

On a separate note, I called American Airlines (had to because they cancelled our flight - argh) and talked to them about traveling with my breastpump and pumped milk. They told me that I was not allowed to travel back with the milk I pump while I am gone. Apparently, having my baby with me is proof that it is real milk but traveling without a baby means it could be anything. The kind lady did tell me I could check the milk in for an extra baggage fee. Gee thanks. Um, what exactly am I supposed to do? All of you pumping moms out there know the stuff is like gold! Can this really be the rules?!

Well, I will keep you posted but for now I am going to pack, starting with my travel pack of kleenex since I am sure I will be blubbering all the way to the airport...and to Boston for that matter. I hope I can clean myself up long enough to fulfill one of my lifelong dreams, being backstage at a Dave Matthews concert. I keep telling myself to be strong, kind of like the end of the Karate Kid when Daniel-son is trying to get up off the mat. I know I can do it - send me some haute vibes ladies.