© 2026 ABC News

She said she asked to speak with a female agent, possibly one who was a mother, and was told she was speaking with the manager and that a female agent would tell her the same.

Calandrelli described the experience as \"embarrassing\" and said she felt the agents treated her like a \"petulant child.\"

Yesterday I was humiliated that I had to explain to 3 grown men that my breasts still produce milk when I’m not with my child. Yesterday I was embarrassed telling them about my fear of mastitis if I didn’t pump. Today I’m furious. @TSA

— Emily Calandrelli (@TheSpaceGal) May 10, 2022

\"They escorted me away from security to check my cooler packs,\" she said. \"And then as I was leaving, they said something along lines of like, 'And don't try to sneak it through a second time because this is all just going to happen again.'\"

Calandrelli told \"GMA\" she ultimately had to check her bag with the ice packs in them and did not pump until several hours later, when her flight arrived in Washington, D.C.

Moms share their own travel experiences

Calandrelli said hundreds of mothers have sent her messages and replied to her social posts.

\"Moms have said in the comments that there are some TSA agents that made them throw away their breast milk supply, because it wasn't frozen,\" she said. \"Multiple people have said that TSA agents have made them test their own breast milk to prove that it was safe.\"

This made her feel, she said, like it wasn't \"just an isolated incident.\"

\"PHOTO:
Courtesy Emily Calandrelli
PHOTO: Emily Calandrelli opened up about her difficult experience traveling as a working mother this week.
>

\"I remember flying to NYC from LAX without my daughter when she was 5 mos old and took my pump with me thru security. Two TSA agents as I'm standing there: 'I wouldn't want to sit next to her on the plane.' (Laugh) Weird to say and so telling of how they view mothers,\" tweeted one mom.

Another shared their own negative experience, writing in a tweet, \"I asked for breast milk to be hand checked instead of going through the scanner & TSA said it wasn't allowed. I explained that they had done it the week before and they told me I was lying. There is more to the story but overall it was a horrific experience I was in tears.\"

As Calandrelli pointed out in her tweets, the TSA does not require moms who are pumping breast milk to travel with their kids. The federal agency also permits breast milk to be transported in carry-on bags and liquids in excess of 3.4 ounces need to be declared to TSA agents. Ice packs are also allowed to be transported in carry-on bags, according to guidelines on TSA's website.

\"GMA\" reached out to the TSA for comment and an agency spokeswoman shared the following statement: \"We take all traveler concerns about our security checkpoint screening processes seriously and are committed to ensuring that every traveler is treated respectfully and courteously. We will look into all circumstances involving this situation and address it appropriately.\"

TSA also confirmed it is reviewing the incident Calandrelli described and could implement additional training or screening processes depending on the investigation's conclusion.

\"PHOTO:
Courtesy Emily Calandrelli
PHOTO: Calandrelli is a mother of two, including 10-week-old son Lincoln.
>

Calandrelli said she hopes going public with her experience will bring a shift in attitudes toward working parents.

\"I want people to realize how this impacts women getting back into the workforce,\" she said. \"This feels like it's just another system in place that discourages women from going back to work after they have a child and unfairly penalizes women more so than men who want to have a family and go to work.\"

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/GMA/Family/breastfeeding-mom-delayed-airport-security/story?id=84642885","legacySlug":"/family/story/breastfeeding-mom-delayed-airport-security-84642885","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"13:10","publishDate":"05-12-2022","updatedTime":"14:59","updatedDate":"05-13-2022","socialImage":{"alt":"Emily Calandrelli opened up about her difficult experience traveling as a working mother this week.","credit":"Courtesy Emily Calandrelli","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/emily-calandrelli-ht-jt-220511_1652296263630_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"5/12/2022 13:10:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":84642885,"headline":"Breastfeeding mom shares airport security ordeal","mediaAssetTitle":"MOM SAYS TSA PREVENTED HER FROM TRAVELING WITH BREAST MILK (GMA)","description":"Emily Calandrelli said she wanted to show how unsupported working moms can feel.","duration":"2:35","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2022/01/220111_gma_ashton_0823_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["64840274","62904874","61050172"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"story","date":"August 21, 2019","headline":"Breastfeeding basics: All of your questions answered","section":"wellness","slug":"/wellness/story/breastfeeding-basics-questions-answered-64840274","id":64840274,"image":{"alt":"Breastfeeding basics: All of your questions answered","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/GTY_breast_feeding_as_160426_hpMain_5_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"May 8, 2019","headline":"Hilary Duff gets candid about breast-feeding, pumping at work","section":"culture","slug":"/culture/story/hilary-duff-candid-breast-feeding-pumping-work-62904874","id":62904874,"image":{"alt":"Hilary Duff gets candid about breast-feeding, pumping at work","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/hilary-duff-gty-ps-190508_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images, FILE","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"February 13, 2019","headline":"Breast pumping sign shows 'moms gotta do what they gotta do'","section":"family","slug":"/family/story/breast-pumping-sign-shows-moms-gotta-gotta-61050172","id":61050172,"image":{"alt":"Breast pumping sign shows 'moms gotta do what they gotta do'","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/store-sign-ht-ps-190213_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Codey Burghard","ratio":"1x1"}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Breastfeeding mom shares airport security ordeal","description":"Emily Calandrelli said she wanted to show how unsupported working moms can feel.","duration":"2:35","uploadDate":"05-12-2022","publication":"05-12-2022","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2022/01/220111_gma_ashton_0823_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2022/01/220111_gma_ashton_0823_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/family/story/breastfeeding-mom-delayed-airport-security-84642885"}},"playlist":[{"id":"134179882","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134130187","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134161969","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134164484","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134145709","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134134667","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134099631","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134041491","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134033809","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"78356537","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133929295","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133958398","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133882828","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133810954","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133779647","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133810835","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133749799","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133777519","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133748258","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133730535","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:family:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"family","title":"Breastfeeding mom shares airport security ordeal","pubTime":"09:10","pubDate":"05-12-2022","modTime":"10:59","modDate":"05-13-2022","taxonomyTags":"none","id":84642885,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Breastfeeding mom shares airport security ordeal","mediaAssetTitle":"MOM SAYS TSA PREVENTED HER FROM TRAVELING WITH BREAST MILK (GMA)","videoId":84642885,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/family/story/breastfeeding-mom-delayed-airport-security-84642885"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/84642885","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/84642885","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};