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BM Storage


holley79 wrote: Everything that I have read and what I have read on here so far says to store milk for freezing in 2 to 4 oz increments. I am just curious or maybe I'm being cheap minded here.

Is it possible to store BM in 6 to 8 oz increments for when I go back to work. That way all I have to take out if a couple of bags to thaw in the fridge. Then DH just shake the milk up and pour 2 to 3 ozs in a bottle to warm up?

Just wondering.

Lynda836 replied: I think the reason they recommend the small amts is to prevent waste initially....that way if you need a bit more you're not thawing out an 8 oz bag. I used to freeze 6 oz because that's what Ethan was eating at that time. I found the freezer bags fr Gerber great because they were ziplock,didn't take up much space and easy to thaw in hot water.

holley79 replied:
I bought the Gerber also. I work 12 hour shifts so I don't know. I'm sure that if I did 6 oz bags then they probably won't go to waste. She will be 12 weeks when I go back to work, give or take.

MomToMany replied: I've never had to store BM, and I'm sure Karen or Amy will have more advice for you.

Breastmilk Storage & Handling

But DON'T shake the milk to mix it back up: Don't Shake the Milk

And here's some tips on how to bottlefeed the BF baby:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/bottle-feeding.html

holley79 replied:
Mollie thank you for the links.

I read the "Don't Shake BM" but it didn't say what to do about getting the milk back together once it seperates. (I don't make sense, sorry.)

I'll do some research and figure it out. wink.gif

kit_kats_mom replied: its fine for it to seperate. think of the fatty layer on top like whipped cream. tongue.gif
I did "gently swirl" mine to get it off of the sides though

MomToMany replied: thumb.gif Yep, like Cary, said, gently swirl it until it's mixed.

(Sorry Cary, for not thinking of you earlier sad.gif )

amynicole21 replied: I would try to freeze it in smaller increments at first, at least until you are sure about how much she is eating in a day. At 12 weeks, she might be drinking 12oz during a 12hr period, so 6oz bags would work I guess. The problem is that 6oz doesn't thaw very quickly (even overnight in the fridge). Also, never thaw in hot water, only cool water from the tap. If you thaw it, you have to use it that day, so you never want too much, you know?

Also, when you have been back at work for a few days you should try to always send the milk you pumped the day before rather than always sending frozen milk. Frozen milk loses many of the antibodies that fresh milk has, so it's always better to give her the fresh stuff when possible. You can add a frozen bag from your stash every once in a while to make sure you are rotating and not letting the milk go bad in there.

Let me know if you have more questions!

kimberley replied: glad you asked this. i had no clue. thanks for all the tips ladies thumb.gif

coasterqueen replied: I agree, always try to send fresh milk as much as possible. I only use my frozen stash as emergencies or if I have to "rotate" it. The fresh milk is MUCH better and you do lose some of the antibodies when freezing, not all but some.

If you don't want to waste bags, why not freeze your milk in ice cube trays? Tupperware and others have those ice cube trays with lids on them. You can also just use a regular ice cube try like I did and put it in a ziploc bag in the freezer. Each cube is roughly 1 ounce. Freeze a tray (or how much ever is in teh tray), dump that into a ziploc bag once it's frozen and right on the outside the date you pumped/froze it. Then your DH could just pick out enough cubes that he needs to thaw.

Also if you use gerber bags and freeze that way, lay them flat in your freezer. That way you can stack them and save room, plus they thaw much faster. Alot of times if I know I'm going to need frozen the next day I lay it in the fridge overnight to thaw and it will have to be used that day. That way my sitter doesn't have to hurry and thaw it with a fussy baby.

When I use gerber bags I double bag because I've punctured bags before. A mess.

I keep a freezer stash of about 50 ounces, for emergencies, etc. I never really need it, but for there is that fear that someday I might be in an accident and my baby might need it, then she'll have a few days of BM until we can come up with something else. But it is a pain to have to rotate it when it's getting ready to expire.

If you have any other questions ask away. thumb.gif

coasterqueen replied: BTW, a problem with freezing in large quantities also is that what if you freeze in 6 ounce increments and she only takes 8.5 ounces in a day? Then you've waisted 1.5 ounces of PURE LIQUID GOLD. I cry every time mine is wasted. sleep.gif

And you really never know how much she's gonna take when you are away. Kylie would take breastmilk from ANYONE and LOTS of it. rolleyes.gif Megan refuses to drink any more than 6 to 9 ounces at daycare and then waits till I get home and nurses like a mad woman all evening.

So smaller quantities or cubes are the best way to go IMO.

holley79 replied: Ok thanks for all the tips. I think what I have so far I am going to probably let DH use some this weekend so I might get some rest. He also needs daddy/ baby time. He is so afraid he is going to break her that he doesn't hold her much. He needs to get use to it though.

If you want to know about crying. I had 4 oz pumped this morning. I set it on the counter so I could give Peanut his insulin. Well Annika starting fussing and I got into a hurry. I knocked the darn thing off the counter. I bawling.gif All that hard work for nothing.

I will have an emergency stash also like you are all talking about. The milk that I pump while I am at work I will use the following day for her so she does have the "fresh stuff". That makes sense.

You ladies are the best!!!!!!!! hug.gif hug.gif hug.gif I don't know where I would be without you.


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