Storing breast milk from fridge to freezer

Common Questions and Answers about Storing breast milk from fridge to freezer

milk

Basically if I pump when I wake up the most I get is 3oz from both breasts and end up feeding that to my DS bc when I try to get him to feed he gets desperate bc now my milk is on a bottle and the flow from my breast is super slow and very low. I breastfeeding him throughout the day for the most part and lately I only supplement 1 to 3 bottles a day, which doesn't allow me to pump bc when I try i don't even get half an ounce...

12 months in deep freeze.
Get the storage bags from lansinol. After it gets cold in fridge lay flat in freezer once frozen put in deep freeze. They do sell nifty little storage containers where first in first out. Laying flat will increase storage space. Hope this helps.

but I've started to store milk in freezer bags, 1 a day to get my stock built up... do I really have to get them out in 3months and start using them?
I know there are so many variations to these storing rules.. what is your thoughts ladies?

you can store it in the fridge for 2-3 days just make sure you date the milk also it can go in the freezer i think for upto 6 months and it is good to use the breastmilk storage bags so you can date them also and then you can take them straight from the freezer and put the bag in the baby bottle warmer. when you buy the breast pump there should be a little book about breast feeding and everything that comes with it.

I know how to do formula just from taking care of my little brothers but I never had to deal with breastmilk and I heard that you have to store it differently. Any advice would be great. Thanks ladies!!!

I have noticed that when I pull a bottle out from the freezer of expressed breastmilk, once it starts to thaw it has somewhat of a sour smell. I put the milk in the freezer within 24 hours of when I pump it and it doesn't have an odor when I put it in. I store it in either the Avent bottles or the Medela pumping bottles. I worry about feeding it to my dd for fear it will make her sick, but I have no idea how it could go bad. Does anybody notice the same thing?

I was wondering about storage...How long can breastmilk be stored on the counter? in the fridge? in the freezer? How long is it good for once it has been thawed? I honestly can't remember from a few years back..Thanks to all, and I hope all the Dec. Mommies/babies are well, and for those left to go, hang in there, your babies will be in your arms before you know it!

How does everyone defrost their frozen breastmilk? Can it be put in the fridgeto defrost the night before? How much does everyone store in one container?
I use glass bottles to store mine...some in in 4 oz bottles...but then I have 8 oz bottles....but I am not sure if more than 4 oz frozen would be to much to defrost at one time?

•are glass or hard-sided plastic containers with well-fitting tops
•containers not made with the controversial chemical bisphenol A (BPA)
•are containers which have been washed in hot, soapy, water, rinsed well, and allowed to air-dry before use
•containers should not be filled to the top - leave an inch of space to allow the milk to expand as it freezes
•freezermilk bags that are designed for storing human milk
•put only 60 to 120 ml (two to four ounces) of milk in the container (the am

Hi BabyTurnip,
If you need to make just a small stock of breastmilkto keep in your fridge for those special occasions, the best time to pump is after the first feeding in the morning. Your breasts are usually filled to the fullest degree after the night, even after the night feedings, and after your baby feeds in the morning, there is still usually milk left.

I started feeding Dameon straight from my breast, then DH decided he wanted to be able to feed him too, so I pumped, and he was able to feed him. It turns out the baby has gotten used to ONLY taking a bottle, because it's easier, not to mention my boobs are so full of milk all the time, it flattens my nipples and he has no nipple to latch onto.

I'd like to use Dr. Browns when I pump. Can I use those with breastmilk?
3. How do I store the breastmilk? Freeze it, and freeze it in what?
4. How long is breast milk good for when in the fridge or freezer?
5. How much of a diet change do I need to make? I drink a lot of caffeine.
6. I smoke, if I can't quit, how harmful is it while breast feeding?
7. What are some MUST HAVE'S for breast feeding?
I'm sure I will come up with a few more along the way.

Hi-
I can't imagine trying to pump enough milk to get a supply going to get me by when I go back to work. It seems that there's not much to pump (1oz at an attempt) from the breast that she didn't use. It seems like she gets it all and there's nothing left to pump. How is this even possible? My mother-in-law is even upset because she can't babysit for us without having the milk to feed her as though I'm trying to make excuses for her not to babysit.

Not only because I have read that it is healthier for the baby, but I heard it helps with weightloss...I also plan on supplementing with Goodstart which is very close tobreastmilk. My cousin nursed and supplemented with both of her children and they did not begin to get sick until they began preschool.
On a funny note, my Dh said that I will probably smother the baby..I am a natural 38DD (although I purchased bras on Friday and they are all too small, i am probably a F or G now...sigh)!

Just be sure to cool it first, otherwise when you pour warm milk into chilled milk, you'll be warming the cool milk. Cool milk before putting it in the freezer. When you freeze milk, try to get as much air as possible out of the bag. Then, lay it flat in the freezer until it's frozen. This makes storing it much easier and space efficient. When 1 have 10 bags frozen, I put them into a gallon-sized ziplock and place that standing up in the back of the freezer.

it is possible to get ones especially for storingbreastmilk. Best is to store the milk in about 4 oz serves (which is about the amount that baby will drink per feed from 1 month on).
For milk that will not be used immediately (ie. before you go back to work) you could freeze the milk in the coldest part of your freezer. It can last for up to 6 months if properly stored.

i am trying to ump for him and giving it to him in the bottle, but i had couple questions about storingbreastmilk.
do i put it in the freezer or in the fridge?
if he ate some can i still return what ever left to the fridge?
and how much he should eat?

how am I ever supposed to get out of the house with my babies???
I am having to top up with nutriprem 2 when I haven't enough expressed breastmilkto feed my twins and I am trying to find ways to make things easier so that I can sleep instead of preparing bottles.

Wait, spoiled on breastfeeding? I don't understand the comment.
If you want to have extra bottles, then you must pump in between baby's normal feedings. I fed every 11/2-2 hrs round the clock, so didn't have too much extra time for pumping until about 12 weeks when she could go longer spans of time.
If you really want a bottle at one of the night feedings you could also substitute one bottle of formula for that feeding.

Yes. However, there's a certain way to do it.
1) Put tonight's milk in fridge. Not freezer.
2) Pump in the morning (in separate bag), then chill to the same temperature as the previous bag.
3) When both are the same temperature, combine the bags and put them in the freezer.
Good for you starting early! Just be careful. Nipple stimulation can cause very painful contractions.

I always like to have milk in the freezer just in case... in case I ever can't get home in time, we want to go out at the last minute, I'm ever hospitalized, etc. But, you can also pump on a day-to-day basis if you like. You'll find what works best for you.
It's great you're taking a class! My #1 peice of advice is to tackle breastfeeding issues *immediately* if they arise. Small problems become big problems when not dealt with quickly and correctly.

I guess I'm looking for suggestions as to how to handle this from a breastfeeding point of view. I can probably store up enough milk for him to have milk constantly available in a bottle, (i.e. one in the morning, one at noon, two or three in the evening... and then through the night - yikes - can I really store that much??) I know it's two months away but I'm really quite stressed about this already!!

You will just have to figure out a routine on how much breastmilk and how much formula. I myself nurse my baby exclusively but since I returned to work when he was 2 months old. I would just pump throughouth the day and he takes bottle brease milk just fine. It will probably be hard at first but once you have a schedule then it gets easier.
I wouldn't count on a doc to much on the topic since they always tell you breast is the best.
Good luck, whatever you decide.

you can pour what you get into a freezer bag and put it in the fridge. you can add the next pumping session's milkto that bag after it is chilled. here are some links
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/index.html
this link has a great chart showing storing basics- http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkstorage.

i know from pumping that it is normal to have different amounts at different times, but how do you apply that to a nursing baby? It wasn't a problem when I was storingmilk in the fridge.
about a week ago, i noticed that she would get very frustrated in the AM, and cluster feed until my boobs were totally empty. I continued to nurse on demand, but she would get super pissed and scream at the breast. The only thing that worked was rocking her to sleep to give my boobs time to recharge.

It named just about every brand on the market and said that continuous use of plasic bottles could be dangerous to your child. According to the article it said plastic breaks down and can taint the milk and your baby ingests small amounts of toxins. I had heard this about using disposable water bottles over and over again and other plastic reusable products. The article suggested using glass bottles or bottles with disposable one use liners.
So now I'm having my 2nd child.

I just wanted to know, if you are pumping and you start out pumping every 2-3hours, Do you always have to pumped every 2-3hours? So what if the babies sleeps a good 5hours can you wait to pump Or do you still have to get up and pump???
I’m so lost right now, I do plan on Bfing here and there, but mainly I’m going to be pumping as I am going back to work shortly after. And I just don’t know the "rules", as I don’t want my milk to stop coming in, if that makes any sense to you??

Once it's been stored, and you heat it for the baby, NEVER put the left overs back in the fridge/freezerto save for later.
If you have any further questions, or need help/advice with breastfeeding, I've breastfed my daughter for 8 months, and am currrently breastfeeding my son. I know everything and anything there is about BFing from research, experience and my mother breastfed me and my 4 other siblings. So don't hesitate to private message me if you need anything.

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