Traveling with a child is never easy, but flying without your baby when you are still nursing presents an entirely separate set of difficulties.

You have to painstakingly pump and store your milk in order to ensure that your baby's fed — and so you can maintain your supply — when you're apart, but that's not all: although there are laws protecting a breastfeeding mom's right to transport pumped milk (as well as any necessary equipment) on a plane, many airports haven't been following these rules simply because ransportation Security Administration workers aren't aware. They are, instead, forcing moms to throw out their hard-earned milk. (Cue audible gasps.)

According to the TSA, "formula, breast milk, and juice in quantities greater than 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters are allowed in carry-on baggage and do not need to fit within a quart-sized bag." In addition, the TSA states that, in what is quite obvious to mothers, "you do not need to travel with your child to bring breast milk."

Although these regulations are in place to protect parents, there are still issues with compliance.

"There have been too many instances reported by parents that TSA officials either didn't know or simply refused to follow these exemptions," Republican House Representative Jaime Herrera-Beutler said on the House floor. "Parents who are trying to follow these rules are consistently singled out for harassment-like scrutiny by the TSA. This has led to breast milk being forcibly tossed out, equipment being broken, and flights missed."

Because so many moms have experienced unjust difficulties transporting breast milk, the House's new law, the Bottles and Breastfeeding Equipment Screening Act, was enacted to help rectify the problem by requiring that TSA employees receive proper training.

Yet there are still cases of breastfeeding moms being harassed or having to stand their ground to those who are unclear about their right to fly with breast milk. For those who are going to be traveling, this is what you should know, even if you're told otherwise:

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