Alyssa Milano Tweets Outrage After Airport Confiscates Her Pumped Breast Milk
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Actress Alyssa Milano was making waves Thursday morning on Twitter.
Just hours after the 42-year-old mother tweeted about pumping on a plane being "difficult," she said London's Heathrow Airport had taken away her pumped breast milk.
Heathrow Airport issued a reply to Milano explaining their actions.
"Sorry for any confusion caused. To confirm, if you aren't travelling with your baby, milk is subject to the 100ml/(3.4oz) liquid restriction. If you need further info this, I would encourage you to visit their website," the airline said.
"I would have happily spread milk in different containers (which I travel with) to comply to those liquid rules. Instead, milk was taken away with no discussion. Shampoo, lotions, etcetera were simply tested and handed back with no issue. Makes no sense at all," Milano replied.
To add insult to injury, the actress said her other breast pump that was checked with the rest of her baggage was lost.
"Everything arrived at my final destination except my hospital grade breast pump. Filling out a lost baggage claim now," she tweeted. "Hoping this is just a weird coincidence."
Moms all over the world have responded to Milano's tweets.
"I don't think a nursing mom is a security risk," Jamie Litvack, a nursing mom at Los Angeles International Airport, told CBS2/KCAL9's Kristine Lazar. "We're trying to do the best for our babies, and I think moms know best."
Mother of three, Melissa Livesay said of Milano's tossed breast milk, "I would be furious; it's like gold."
In the United States, TSA allows breastfeeding mothers to carry their milk onto a flight. There is no limit to how much they can take, and they don't need to have their babies with them.
The "Mistresses" actress released the following statement Thursday afternoon: "It's not the fault of the security in the airport; they're following orders to keep us all safe. But I do feel it is a policy that needs thoughtful reconsideration . . . I'm glad this has started a dialogue."
Milano is a mother to 7-month-old daughter Elizabeth and 3-year-old son Milo.
"I just think it's the most natural thing you can do as a woman, which is feed your child," Livesay said. "So, I don't know why it's such an issue."
