Storing Breastmilk Help

mbrenda12

How do you store your breastmilk? Do you have a system? I need help setting my system up.

Vstille2712

I only usually am getting 1-2 oz when I pump which is every morning. I keep that in the fridge until I have enough for a full feeding, usally 3 oz, and then put into storage bags to keep in the deep freezer. Im returning to work in a few weeks so I'll need a supply for daycare, but I didn't want to establish too far in advance so I don't have too much of a stock yet for that reason. What step of the process do you need help with?

mbrenda12

@Vstille2712 everything lol I just don't know how much should I keep in fridge just in case we go out and when should I freeze?

danniellemichelle

@mbrenda12 it's really easy and quick to thaw breast milk .. I exclusively pump so for me I always keep whatever I've pumped for the day in the fridge ... Usually I have about 10 or more ounces extra left over by the end of the day so I will freeze and store that if I am going somewhere I will wait to freeze that milk for a couple days incase I need to use it if I'm out and about and can't pump ... I don't want to waste any frozen breast milk because once you thaw it it's only good for 24 house I'm literally out of room in my freezer and don't have a deep freezer so hopefully some mamas will have some good storage tips on this thread !!

Vstille2712

I agree with @danniellemichellexox you definitely don't want to waste anything so make sure and use your oldest first. My lc said rule of 5 so no longer than 5 days in your fridge after pumping. Also helps to freeze a couple 1oz or even half oz portions incase lo needs a bit more, spillage or whatever so you don't have to thaw a whole new feedings worth

omgladypirate

Start small (you'll see why I recommend this later). Freeze 2-4 oz at a time in breast milk bags and lay them flat so they don't take up as much space and are easier to defrost. Make sure you store them in the back of the freezer, rather than in the door.

I would play around with how long you store them. I have over 120 ounces in my freezer from my LO's first month of life (I had an oversupply at the time) that I think are unusable. I've found that the bags that have been frozen for a month smell and taste horrible, but the ones that have been frozen for a week or less smell and taste fresh when defrosted. I think it has less to do with how I stored them and more to do with the milk itself, but nonetheless I wouldn't worry so much about quantity as I would quality!

MandahGirly

omgladypirate said:

Start small (you'll see why I recommend this later). Freeze 2-4 oz at a time in breast milk bags and lay them flat so they don't take up as much space and are easier to defrost. Make sure you store them in the back of the freezer, rather than in the door.

I would play around with how long you store them. I have over 120 ounces in my freezer from my LO's first month of life (I had an oversupply at the time) that I think are unusable. I've found that the bags that have been frozen for a month smell and taste horrible, but the ones that have been frozen for a week or less smell and taste fresh when defrosted. I think it has less to do with how I stored them and more to do with the milk itself, but nonetheless I wouldn't worry so much about quantity as I would quality!

Do they smell or taste kind of like soap? You may have a high amount of lipase in your milk. I have this too but it is safe for LO to eat. My baby takes the frozen milk just fine. I believe you can boil fresh breastmilk before freezing it to stop the excess lipase. Don't quote me on this though but I believe there is an article on Kelly Mom that gives some advice on how to do this. If your milk smells like sour milk then that is not good and will probably need to be thrown out.

ALso I have used breastmilk that has been thawed and refrigerated for more than 24 hours. As long as it still smells fine it should be OK. Haven't had any problems yet.

smnewby

I dont think you want to boil the breastmilk as it denatures the protiens just like they say dont shake the bottle stir it.

I had a wicked oversupply for a while and pumped a lot to save for later during the first 6 weeks. I too do not have a deep freezer. My MIL will be watching LO when I go back to work so I found a simple way of organizing my supply for her. I use the medela 5oz pump bags and store various amounts 3,4,5oz per bag. Of course I label them w the date. Once I had accumulated a good amount I stuff them into a gallon size zip lock and label them "early november" or "late november." That way when MIL is rummaging in the freezer she can locate and use the olded milk first.

wack0032

You don't boil the breastmilk, you scald it (just under boiling). This deactivates the lipase. Regarding the nutrients, this method still yields better food for your LO than formula would and is fine as long as baby is not getting 100% scalded milk I.e. mother still nurses or feeds some freshly pumped milk. My LC said that if it was stored properly and the baby takes the thawed frozen milk, it should be fine, regardless of the smell, etc. Definitely read the Kelly mom article if you think this applies to you at all.

whitemn04

This is what I do.. I learned freezing them flat works best so the first bags look messy. I need to get gallon bags as it stores more, but put as many as you can in a zip lock with the same time frame of dates then label the bags in order so you know what to use first. I don't have a huge supply but it's a start.

danniellemichelle

THANK YOU times a million for the freezing flat idea !! I wish I had done that from the get go I have at least 200+oz in my normal freezer that are frozen standing up

So question for you ladies: what are you ladies going to do with the breast milk ?? I am a SAHM and exclusively pump so I have quite of bit of extra milk left over every day ... About 70oz a week extra or more ... I never use the stash of frozen milk and ive only had to use 5oz once when we had guests over. I'm glad I have it as a back up in case anything ever happened to my supply or God forbid there's a power outage and I can't hook up to my pump lol

I've heard you can make baby food with breast milk but would that mean the food is only good for 24 hours since thawed BM is only good for that long ???

Obviously I'm new to all this lol

whitemn04

I rotate my supply and use what I pumped in the beginning and putting the new stuff away, even if I know I will need some that night. I don't want the old to go bad.

cbolton19

danniellemichellexox said:

THANK YOU times a million for the freezing flat idea !! I wish I had done that from the get go I have at least 200+oz in my normal freezer that are frozen standing up

So question for you ladies: what are you ladies going to do with the breast milk ?? I am a SAHM and exclusively pump so I have quite of bit of extra milk left over every day ... About 70oz a week extra or more ... I never use the stash of frozen milk and ive only had to use 5oz once when we had guests over. I'm glad I have it as a back up in case anything ever happened to my supply or God forbid there's a power outage and I can't hook up to my pump lol

I've heard you can make baby food with breast milk but would that mean the food is only good for 24 hours since thawed BM is only good for that long ???

Obviously I'm new to all this lol

If you have that much extra, you may consider donating it. Look on Facebook and you may be able to find a local group Human Milk for Human Babies. Or if there is a birth center in your area they may be able to direct you somewhere as well. The birth center I was at has an unofficial stash (for local moms that need milk) and an official stash that is sent to Denver to be pasteurized and bottled. We used donor milk for a few days before my milk came in. I was so thankful! I seem to have a healthy supply so I would love to pay it forward if I can.

kaza512

I am an EP too. I have quite the stash in my deep freezer now too. I am hoping my supply stays the same, but if it doesn't that is what the stash is for. Also, if it does stay, than I can either stop pumping around 9-10 months and have enough frozen to last to one year, or continue to give breastmilk past the one year mark. I am going back to work, so I plan I starting to use the freezer stash in February, but if I were you, I would just start using some of the freezer stash each day to keep the stash updated and prevent expired milk. There are good recipes (I haven't looked into that yet) in too. I would just make in small batches to prevent waste. Finally as others mentioned, donating is an option.

mbrenda12

Thank you for all the help. I'm about to pump and save. Thankfully my father gave me a deep freezer about 6 months ago. I always thought it was a lame gift but now that I know breastmilk can be stored in a deep freezer for a total of 12 months I'm loving it!! Thanks again!!

dwaldrop

I have an oversupply too. I only pump to relieve engorgement and I have tons of frozen milk. I looked into donation but you have to have a bunch of tests done and notes from doctors before you donate. Which is totally reasonable but doesn't actually help me now. Haha.
I like the idea of putting the little bags in a big ziploc for the deep freezer by month. That might help.