Here come the Holidays. The last 5 holidays for me were a total drag. In the sense that I consistently had a flare up making it hard to really enjoy festivities! And even harder to travel! But I’ve learned somethings over the years, especially after having Jax. Traveling with a child is already a process in itself, but tack on pain and frequent bathroom trips…you gots yourself once heck of an experience. I have travelled quite frequently with Hippo since he’s been born. Sometimes with a companion, sometimes just me, him and my broken colon! How did I deal? Preparation and extra baggage.
One thing I’ve learned is that you get a carry on and a purse. With a baby, you get a carry on, a purse and a diaper bag. First thing was figuring out the packing situation. What could I carry on? What did I need to carry on? Well for the baby there were the diapers, wipes, two milk bottles, two clean bottles, pacifiers, change of clothes, blankets, burping cloths… *whew*… a toy or two, bottle of water, extra formula and a hand breast pump! Yea, a hand breast pump! What if your flight is cancelled or delayed and your boobs start to fill up but the baby is full and, and, and…you get the picture! When travelling always be prepared. Okay, so the kid is good. What about mom? Okay so I dumped out my normal purse and found one of my large nifty purses and grabbed a whole lot of ziplocs. I began infusing my normal life needs with my UC life needs.
1. Wallet
2. Cell Phone
3. Travel Cell Charger
4. Regular Cell Charger
5. Hand/Portable Fan
6. Sanitary Napkins
7. Travel Roll of Toilet Paper
8. Travel Size Toilet Wipes
9. Travel Hand Santizer
10. Aquafor Lip Balm
11. Lipgloss
12. Travel Size Hand Balm
13. iPod
14. iPod Travel Charger
15. iPod Regular Charger
16. Over the Counter or Prescription Pain Relief
17. Zofran (nausea prescription)
18. 2 changes of underwear
19. 2 clean baggies and disposable bags
20. Smart Water or Gatorade (for before you get to security)
21. Pouched Applesauce
22. Pretzels or Rice Cakes
23. Ensure
24. Gum
25. Magazines
I said it was a big bag! LOL! Now if you don’t have an oversized purse, then I would suggest packing this in a backpack.
I usually travelled with my laptop and/or iPad for work reasons. So there was that bulk. But I also had a change of pants and top just in case. Pack SNACKS!! Lots of Snacks, just in case! I have some great travel healthy snack ideas here. If you have an Ostomy, I would suggest bringing a whole kit. Not just a couple of bags, but a wafer, stoma paste, adhesive removers, etc. Just in case! Those pregnancy pops also work very very well to take the nausea down. If you’re travelling with your spouse, it makes it a lot easier to divide up everything for your carry ons.
Also if you’re like I was and had a hard time standing up for a long period of time during a flare up or not, ask for a wheelchair! Don’t be ashamed! Who cares what people think! When checking in as for a wheelchair whether with a companion or not. I travelled with both a stroller and a Bjorn! I also found some other nifty travel accessories from Right Start. Just stuff that made life a whole lot easier on me! Worth the investments! When Dad was travelling with us it was easier to go ahead and let him push the stroller or strap the baby to me and either move through security or be wheeled through security. When I was alone, I still travelled with both. I usually needed a wheelchair and the person who took us to the airport was allowed a special pass to travel through security with us to the gate pushing the baby as I was wheeled through the airport. It will also allow you time to go the bathroom before your flight, get on early and rest before taking off. While boarding I informed a flight attendant about my disease and the possibility that I would need to go to the bathroom urgently during flight. The first time, I didn’t let the flight attendant know and almost had an accident. But the flight after, I did inform her and it made it a less stressful situation when I did have to go and hand my baby over to her. So two things to remember:
1. Get a wheelchair
2. Talk with your flight attendant
Try and get plenty of rest before you travel and don’t stress about the people around you. Give your baby a bottle when you take off and when you land so that the sucking motion will stop their ears from clogging and prevent any fits. I changed Jax right before we boarded the plane and rocked him in the stroller to get him to sleep. Made sure he was nice and warm. As he got older, I gave him things to do while on the plane. Snacks, toys, a movie, etc. For the most part he slept, which I was very grateful for! Take some food on the flight with you if you have a toddler, just in case. It’s gonna be all good! Enjoy! Happy Travels!
