The baby takes flight

We are back from our labor day weekend trip to a cousin’s wedding 3 states away. How did Miles do on the 1 hour 15 min plane rides? In a word- fabulous. On the way there, Nutella breastfed him during take-off. He was fussy afterwards for about 20 minutes, but on and off and there was no constant screaming or crying…just one quick wail here or there that was quickly quieted, and then he slept for the rest of the flight. On the way back, I fed him a bottle during take-off and he promptly fell right to sleep for the rest of the flight until 10 minutes prior to landing…during which he breastfed and then was calm and alert while we waited to get off the plane. We were so relieved (and I’m sure so were the people around us on the plane!).

It was a bit of a hassle getting through security, but nothing awful. We had to declare any liquids (breastmilk, baby medicine and a tiny bottle of baby lotion), and they analyzed the fumes off the top of the breastmilk bottle to make sure it wasn’t explosive or whatever (only at our local airport, not the one in the other state, since our local one is much more stringent). The car seat and folded-up stroller had to go through the X-ray, and we gate checked both before getting on the plane because both flights were full.

That said, we had a great time on the trip, though there were moments when Miles got overstimulated and turned into a wide-eyed zombie and/or became difficult to put down for a nap or to bed. But he enjoyed meeting lots of new people, and dancing with his mommies at the wedding. He slept very well both nights in the crib provided by the hotel. The first night he went to bed around 8pm and Nutella and I sat in the hotel room with the lights off, trying not to make too much noise, lamenting our complete loss of freedom for the rest of our Saturday night. The next night we wised up, put him to bed with the lights low but not off, his crib covered with a sheet, and the tv on, and then got grandma to babysit while we went out to a late dinner. Lesson learned- if he’s tired enough, he’ll eventually go to sleep regardless of most of his surroundings. Life then does not have to be so quiet and dark for the moms.

Oh, and the update on the mastitis situation is that 24 hours after taking the antibiotics, Nutella was feeling much better. She is continuing the prescription and has still been able to breastfeed, though not without some complications that may or may not be related….more on that later. We’re relieved and happy that our trip went well- Miles, you’ve earned your wings!

Baby's first flight

Hey, I match the hotel bedsheets!