DENVER, CO (KDVR/CNN) - The TSA left a Colorado mother shocked after she said they poured out her baby's breast milk during a security screening.
The new mom believed the actions of the TSA officer goes against their own rules.
Last month, Britney Shawstad and her baby boy Harisson flew out of Denver International Airport to visit family in Seattle.
What was supposed to be a joyful trip, was ruined by turbulence before Shawstad said they even stepped foot on the plane.
The new mom familiarized herself with TSA guidelines, so she packed bottles with breast milk in a cooler in her carry on.
"I notified the officer that I was traveling with breast milk because they said that's helpful," Shawstad said.
She said the TSA officer passed the bottles through screening and then tested the outside of the bottle with strips.
"They basically said that it was setting off the alarm and that it wasn't passing," Shawstad said.
Shawstad said she asked the officer to check it again, but got the same result.
What the TSA agent did next left her shocked and full of tears.
"He walked away for a couple of minutes and came back with an empty bottle,” Shawstad said. “It's my baby's food so of course I'm going to cry and be upset. When someone dumps your child's food in front of you, it's not a good feeling."
Shawstad reluctantly found formula at the airport, and after an emotional start to her trip, went on her way with baby boy.
Weeks later, she can't shake off the upsetting ordeal especially because TSA rules allow for mothers to travel with breast milk.
Officers should not be dumping your child's breast milk. It's your child's food and you need to push back," Shawstad said.
She filed a complaint with TSA and said the agency has since apologized.
In a statement, the TSA said "Officers are trained to screen breast milk. In this particular case, standard checkpoint procedures were not followed to resolve the alarm."
The agency confirmed that they apologized for any inconvenience caused during the screening process, and scheduled a refresher briefing for the TSA officers at the airport.
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