UPDATE: On Friday, Milano told Us Weekly in a statement of the incident:
"I realize there are much larger issues going on in the world. And I don’t want to turn this into a bigger issue than it is but I will say this … breastfeeding my children has been one of the greatest joys of my life."
“Every ounce of milk I’m able to produce for my child is nothing short of a miracle and to watch that milk be thrown away without any regard for my baby, was heartbreaking. It’s not the fault of the security in the airport; they’re following orders to keep us all safe. But I do I feel it is a policy that needs thoughtful reconsideration. I’m glad this has started a dialogue. My only hope is to make things easier for moms, breastfeeding and formula feeding moms, everywhere."
The skies may be friendly, but Alyssa Milano is not feeling the love from Heathrow Airport. The Mistresses actress took to Twitter to vent her frustrations on Thursday, April 9, after officials at the London travel hub allegedly confiscated her breast milk.
Milano, 42 — who welcomed her second child, daughter Elizabella, in September 2014 — documented the incident online, prompting Heathrow's own Twitter account to respond in a series of posts on Thursday afternoon. It appears as if the mom of two's troubles actually began on the flight over to the UK, when she attempted to pump en route.
Pumping on a plane is difficult. Small FYI.
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) April 9, 2015
Hours later, she tweeted that her hard work had been for naught.
(1 of 2) @HeathrowAirport just took my pumped breast milk away. 10 ounces. Gone. Not okay.
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) April 9, 2015
(2 of 2) They said they would let the pumped milk through if I had the baby with me. Why would I need to pump if I had the baby with me????
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) April 9, 2015
Heathrow then piped in with an explanation, noting that breast milk is subject to federal guidelines for carry-on liquids.
@Alyssa_Milano Hi Alyssa. Unfortunately, without a baby present, the government requires all liquids in carry-ons to follow the 100ml rule.
— Heathrow Airport (@HeathrowAirport) April 9, 2015
The Who's the Boss? alum was apparently unsatisfied with the response, because she continued to tweet.
.@HeathrowAirport Why can you test my toiletries to make sure they are safe but you have to throw away my breast milk?
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) April 9, 2015
.@HeathrowAirport I was told I would be fine if the baby was with me. Plus, it was less than 5 ounces per container. Why is my shampoo okay?
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) April 9, 2015
.@HeathrowAirport I would have happily spread milk in different containers (which I travel with) to comply tŠ http://t.co/I1kmVXufhv
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) April 9, 2015
PS. Another reason it makes no sense – when I got past security it was time to pump again so… I did carry on 5 ounces of breast milk.
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) April 9, 2015
Heathrow responded:
@Alyssa_Milano Hi Alyssa. We replied to your first tweet with the answer, but more info can be found here: http://t.co/poCZcEWkLm
— Heathrow Airport (@HeathrowAirport) April 9, 2015
@Alyssa_Milano Sorry for any confusion caused. To confirm, if you aren't travelling with your baby, milk is subject to the 100ml/(3.4oz) 1/2
— Heathrow Airport (@HeathrowAirport) April 9, 2015
@Alyssa_Milano liquid restriction. If you need further info this, I would encourage you to visit their website- http://t.co/tl8R8nj0FA 2/2
— Heathrow Airport (@HeathrowAirport) April 9, 2015
Unfortunately, Milano's breast milk isn't the only thing she lost on Thursday. According to a follow-up tweet, the former child star's second breast pump went missing somewhere between her origin airport and her destination.
PPS. I travel w/ a portable Medela breast pump on the plane. Hoping this is just a weird coincidence but my Š http://t.co/i5ocz7W6o2
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) April 9, 2015