Most work travel isn't glamorous or fun despite what non-work travelers think. You commute by planes, trains and automobiles and sometimes all three and then check in, go to meetings day and night and crash before doing it all again the next day or traveling back home. Prior to having a child, it was easy to do this, come home, eat take out, sleep in and recover, and sometimes, even spend an extra day traveling as a tourist when visiting a new city.

With children, this type of routine is difficult even with lots of caffeine or being a superwoman. When I get home, all I want to do is spend time with my family and then there is a mommy “to do” list and follow on work that has built up even if I try to close my eyes and ignore it. Once I do lie down, there is usually little time for sleep before my son wakes up ready to play all day, and of course, I encourage this.

Beyond the craziness and exhaustion that comes with work travel especially when kids are waiting at home, breastfeeding difficulties top the list. I traveled to New Jersey from Boston a few weeks after returning to work and had mentally prepared to breastfeed on the short plane ride. You might ask why I didn't wait to land, but my colleagues who had booked the flight had scheduled it so that when we landed, we had just enough time to drive to the meeting, present and then drive back to the airport. Why would anyone do anything else? This is how I had always booked travel too, pre-baby. I didn't think it would make a great impression to introduce myself to the prospect and say "We looking forward to working with you and by the way do you have a pumping room?" I also couldn't wait to get back to the airport or there would be an additional “show” during our presentation.

I got on the plane, and once the seatbelt light went off, rushed to the only bathroom so that I could finish pumping before the seatbelt light went on. I said to the flight attendant, "I need to pump" and she said "ok, there is only one bathroom so people might knock wondering why someone is in there so long." Really supportive. I then asked if she could let anyone know since she was back there anyway with the biggest smile I could muster. Needless to say, a few people knocked continuously and it was nerve-racking, probably the reason that I got so little milk in that pump. Hopefully my baby understood.

One time I traveled to a large technology company’s office for an all-day meeting and when I asked to use one of their pumping rooms because I knew they had many, I was told they were only for employees. I ended up leaving the meeting three times to go pump under a cover in my car at the back of the parking lot. Again, I’m sure my baby appreciated how flexible and understanding this company was. Not one of my favorite memories and I remember all I thought about was that I couldn’t wait for one of my colleagues to see my car and walk over.

On top of doing all of this while trying to keep some level of respect with your colleagues, you then have to decide if it’s worth saving the milk because as every breastfeeding mom knows, pumping and dumping and wasting milk is like losing a million-dollar deal? There is a mental fight that goes on in your head. It goes something like this. “I want to pump and save because it is good for my baby and I need all I can get. Plus, I’m putting in the time and doing the work.” Then the voice on your other shoulder says, “Saving it for the next two days is difficult and do you really want to ask client x to put it in his fridge.” Again, "nice to meet you, we hope to do business with you, and by the way, can I store my breast milk in your fridge until we are done?" Also, storing a lot of milk means another carry on, so probably a checked bag, added fee, tasting of the milk at security or worrying about the milk spoiling, all in all, a fun experience with colleagues around you.

If you are going to pump and dump, it is frustrating to have to ‘waste’ the time to pump. However, if you don't keep the routine going and generally around the same times of day (very difficult when you are trying to accommodate customers by meeting when they are available), then you might decrease your milk supply. Better yet, you may have an unpleasant leakage at a client meeting (as it is more likely to happen when you're presenting and this isn't just luck, it's an unfortunate fact) or you may not be able to fit into your shirt in the morning without a button popping. It's a dilemma that any woman in this situation wrestles with and usually keeps to herself.

I’m not so sure why everyone around you seems to not understand or acts like no one has ever been in this situation before, but I say pump if you want to, try to keep the same routine (difficult) and save all the milk you can. Whenever possible, use this time as an opportunity and excuse to remove yourself from the less exciting meetings or to put your feet up on your bed in your hotel room for 20 minutes.