? about STTN, nursing & pumping

queenbone · March 2011

We started sleep training last week and DS#2 has been sleeping 7-8 hrs every night. Yay! This is great for all of us except my chest. With DS#1 I would pump before I went to bed and then give him that bottle at some point the next day. (In hindsight I'm surprised that didn't seem to diminish my supply at all.) The week he turned 9 months he weaned himself and although I kept pumping for a few more weeks, I could never get him back on. So I switched to FF because I only had a single pump and got no joy from pumping.

Since I have no idea if DS#2 will wean early also I thought maybe if I pump now I could start a stock pile. I do have a freezer in the basement that could be a long term storage place for the milk.

So how do you freeze milk? Where do you get the baggies? Do the baggies have twist ties, or ziplocks, or vacu-seals? Is it a pain transferring the milk from the pump receptacle to the baggie? I used to get ~4 oz total when I pumped; should I store it in 4 oz increments or combine a few pumping sessions to get a larger amount? Are there any tricks to storing milk? Thanks

Cassian · March 2011

I store mine in the Lansinoh breastmilk storage bags. They are zip lock. My only complaint is that every now and then, one will get a hole in it, but I won't realize it until it is already in the warm water bath and leaking out. But it is rare. I get mine at Walmart. Way cheaper there than BRU.

queenbone · March 2011

Cassian:
I store mine in the Lansinoh breastmilk storage bags. They are zip lock. My only complaint is that every now and then, one will get a hole in it, but I won't realize it until it is already in the warm water bath and leaking out. But it is rare. I get mine at Walmart. Way cheaper there than BRU.

Is the warm water bath is how you thaw it? Or do you transfer it to the refrigerator before you need it and then warm it up in the warm water bath?

This is good to know so I can double bag them during this thawing process with a regular ziplock or something

cjsbdl · March 2011

Kellymom.com is a FABULOUS resource for info on pumping/storage/etc. I could tell you what I did but the memories are already fuzzy and I'd probably get it wrong!

sommerrayne · March 2011

As long as your son eats 4ish ounces at a time, that seems like an appropriate storage amount. You can also save money by freezing in ice cube trays - each cube is approx 1 oz. and then putting in a large ziplock bag.

Thawing methods vary. If you need it SOON, warm water bath. If you have time, refrige + warm water bath once liquid just to warm it is appropriate.

kellymom is great source of info!

Mouseygail · March 2011

I also use lanisoh bags, and freeze in all sorts of amounts so I canmale what he needs. At first it was two ounces, then four, now five. Milk has to be used within 24 hours of thawing. Good luck and yay for STTN!!

stepgirl21 · March 2011

Other people had good information also keep in mind that breastmilk is good in a normal freezer for 3 months and in a deep freezer(which is sounds like that is what you have) for 6 months.