A Mama on Work Travel

There are some things I want to share on what it looks like to be a mama on work travel. I haven’t read much around the internet and I felt there was a void that needed to be filled.

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When Kian was turning 4 months, I went for my first week long business trip. I left for the airport on Monday afternoon and returned back at home in the Friday afternoon. I spent a total of ~96 hours away from Kian during this time period. 

My second trip was just 2 weeks after. This time, I spent a total of 120 hours away from Sunday afternoon to Friday afternoon.

I know many moms look down on me or feel sorry for me. 

Some of the comments were along the lines of:

• “Who’s taking care of him?”

• “Wow, that’s so fantastic you trust your partner. Some of my friends would NEVER let their husbands take care of the kid overnight.”

• “Weiting, are you alright?”

• “Oh that must be hard on you. Do you have to go?”

• “Business trips already?! Aw, that sucks!”

Every single day away from Kian, there would be moments of guilt that creep up in my mind. The self-doubt begins where I think “do I really have to do this?” Or “I could be sleeping in my bed instead of a hotel bed.” 

When Serena Williams wrote her post at retirement, she mentioned that she was never away from her little one for more than 24 hours at a time. I realized how privileged that one statement is amongst all of the career women out there. 

Well, I’m not that rich to bring Kian everywhere with me! Because of that, I have to make it work in my own way!

Here's what I learned doing business travel as a mama to a brand new baby.

Pumping Breast Milk, Multiple Times a Day

Just because I’m away, it doesn’t change the frequency I need to pump. You name it, I’ve probably pumped therel. Just kidding! The main ones are pumping in the washroom of the airport, pumping in the hotel room, and pumping in the office. The worst one is of course the washrooms because I’m trying to juggle not touching unnecessary toilet/door parts while trying not to spill the milk I just pumped. 

Security Screening with Breast Milk is Relatively Easy

On my first trip, I was pumping and dumping. That was so painful especially because my milk supply started decreasing after. On my second trip away, I decided to pump, freeze the milk, and bring the milk back. Security screening allowed me to bring ice packs and gel ice packs through the security gate - no limit. It did get flagged but they screened it rather quickly and I was on my way to the gate in no time. 

More to Pack on that Carry-On Luggage

To pump, I had to carry a slew of items with me - in an extra bag! I noticed that I start packing extra light for everything else. I don’t have as much of the “just in case” clothes or products I used to bring. It helped me prioritize what I wanted to carry with me. 

The list:

• Pump machinery

• 2 sets of pump bottles and flanges

• 2 extra bottles

• Microwaveable sterilizing bags

• Ice packs

• Zip Lock baggies

• Bra Pads

• A week’s worth of milk bags to freeze with

• Lotion or Cream

• Washing brush

• Bottle dish soap

Time Zone differences Make It Hard to Catch Availability

There is a 3 hour difference between Kian and I. When Kian is sleeping, I’m still in meetings. By the time I get back home, the entire household is already snoring back home. There is a very limited timeframe to do any video-calls. 

However, I will often remind myself that every decision is made intentionally, and made together with Vishal (my partner). Because I am conditioned to want both a career and a family, I make conscious choices to make it work (meanwhile sacrificing other aspects as talked about in ____ post). If I decide to go, then I will give it my utmost focus to make the trip count.

I believe the way I live my life differs from many mamas of infants. I don’t think they will ever understand why I do what I do. 

And, I’m okay with that. 

Kudos to the working mamas out there - I see you, I feel you, and I hear you!