Working mothers face a lot of unique challenges, but breastfeeding? We’re going to go out on a limb and say that this one is pretty high on the list of concerns.

When breastfeeding moms have to travel for work, there are a few things they have to consider:

• How to maintain their supply while they’re away
• Ensuring they have enough milk stockpiled to last baby
• Having a way to get baby to sleep other than nursing

It’s a scenario that can be incredibly stressful for moms, dads, and babies alike, and we don’t think anyone should have to figure it out alone.

It’s well known that breastfeeding mothers don’t respond as well to pumps as they do to their babies. As a result, many working mothers struggle to maintain their milk supply while working. Pumping five times a day sometimes just isn’t enough to keep up, and they wind up in the circular formula supplementing cycle until eventually, their supply wanes completely.

The good news is, with plenty of planning and hard work, you can keep nursing your baby even with business travel on the horizon.

Don’t stress — take a deep breath, and start planning now.

Get Consistent With Using Bottles

If there’s one thing a breastfeeding mother knows, it’s that her baby won’t always be thrilled about being offered a bottle.

To get the baby used to be bottle-fed, it’s recommended that you start offering one when the baby is about six weeks old (to avoid nipple confusion). Babies sometimes won’t accept bottles if they’re offered too infrequently, so get consistent about offering one without affecting your supply or forcing yourself to pump too excessively.

Have your spouse or the baby’s caregiver practice bottle feeding your baby while you’re still in town, but be prepared to leave the house — some babies won’t take a bottle if they sense mom is close by. Make sure you also have a few different types of bottles for your breastfed baby to try out. Many have super specific preferences, and not just anyone will do.

Find New Ways to Get Baby to Sleep

Nursing to sleep is super common, but it’s not something Dad can do while you’re away. Start working on getting baby to sleep without offering your breast, and have whoever will be caring for your baby practice too.

It’s going to be tricky, particularly if the baby is used to being nursed to sleep, but it’s something you’ll want to make sure is possible before you leave. Try a variety of pacifiers, white noise, lots of soothing motion, and of course, a bottle that mimics the feel of your breast.

Leave Something for Baby

If your baby is particularly used to being fed and put to bed by you, it may help if you give your spouse or nanny something that smells like you to wear. Go through a normal day wearing a soft, cotton shirt, and leave it unwashed for them to use as a comforting measure. Baby will smell you, and it can sometimes help with the separation.

Do Some Trial Runs

Don’t make a business trip the first time your baby is without you. It’ll save both you and your family some stress if you start doing some practice runs while you’re still in town.

Start leaving your baby with your husband for extended increments of time, and give them some space to figure things out while you’re still around to back them up if they need it.

Don’t Backseat Parent

One thing that’s incredibly hard for any mother to do is to let go of control and let fathers parent in their own way. It’s tough because they’re not going to do it the way you would, but you have to let them get comfortable and find their own rhythm.

Offer support, but try to resist the urge to tell him how to do something unless he absolutely needs your help. Make him comfortable with asking for help, but don’t hover over his shoulder and intervene at the first sign of trouble.

Have a Pumping Plan

Pumping is probably the most challenging part of leaving a little nursling behind, but with a plan, you can make it work.

Plan to pump every three hours for about 20 minutes per session while you’re away and at least once at night. If your baby is a little older, you might be able to get away with pumping less, but make sure you’re at least replacing every feed with a pumping session.

Talk to the office manager at the location you’ll be working in about where you can pump in private, and make sure they understand this is something you’ll be making time for while you’re there.

Know How to Ship and Store Your Milk

Before you leave for your trip, have a plan for how you’ll store your milk and whether you’ll need to ship it home (heads up: this is probably going to require a phone call to your hotel).

Milk can keep in a refrigerator for 3-8 days, but three days is typically what’s recommended. If your trip’s going to be a bit on the longer side, you’ll either need to call your hotel and see if they have rooms with freezers available or make arrangements to ship your milk back during your stay

Some hotels can help you out with the shipping part, but always make sure you’re crystal clear about the directions and get everything down in writing on both sides of the conversation. The last thing you want is to find a cooler of milk that was supposed to be shipped sitting behind the front desk spoiled.

To ship your milk, you’ll have to overnight a styrofoam cooler packed with dry ice. Many hotels will allow you to ship directly from the front desk. If you’re worried about bungling the logistics, try a milk shipping service like Milk Stork. They’ll take the guesswork out of the whole process and give you everything you need to get your milk back to your baby fresh and cold.

Know Your Rights

Before you leave, it’s important to know the breastfeeding legalese:

• You have the right to pump or breastfeed anywhere, including a plane
• The TSA isn’t legally allowed to open your milk, even for testing
• You’re allowed to refuse an x-ray on your milk (you just may be subject to an extra pat-down)

When you go to check-in for your flight, be sure to notify security that you’re carrying medically exempt liquids, and that you’re allowed to bring them with you on your flight. Most agents have run into a traveling breastfeeding mother at least once before, so don’t worry about making a scene — there’s nothing obnoxious about trying to feed your baby.

Have An In-Flight Pumping Bag Prepped

If you’re in for a particularly long flight, plan and prepare for pumping on the plane. There are a lot of parts involved, so keep everything in one bag and keep it organized.

Have a battery pack at the ready for your pump, and bring some hand sanitizer along to wash your hands with — the water on the plane won’t be ideal.

Its Ok, You’ve Got This

Being a working mother is hard for anyone, but when it comes to nursing a baby while you juggle it all, life definitely throws you a few extra curveballs.

Don’t sweat it, mama.

You didn’t get to be the rockstar you are now by buckling to a challenge, and with a little planning on your end, this will be smooth sailing. Do everything you can to prepare, then leave for your business trip with 100% of your focus on nailing it.

Have you ever had to go on a business trip while nursing a baby? What did you learn from the experience? Share your tips and stories with other moms in the comments below!