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June 2011 Moms
SavedByLove
member
Using breastmilk from storage bags
SavedByLove
member
Hi all: I will be going back to work in September so I have started pumping here and there to start creating a "stash." I have a couple of questions since this is my first LO. I'm sorry if this has been asked before (I really wish the bump message boards had a search feature!!). Any help is greatly appreciated!
1) For Daycare, do you send them the thawed bags or move the milk to bottles and give them the bottles?
2) I've noticed that the milk separates (fat/hindmilk rises). Additionally, the hindmilk tends to stick to the inside of the bags. I obviously don't want that important hindmilk left behind when I transfer it into the bottle. I know if I warm up the BM in the bag, it unsticks but I'm pretty sure you shouldn't warm up BM and then refridgerate again, right? So, how do you get all the good stuff out of the bags?
3) Do you have to refrigerate the milk prior to placing in the freezer?
4) Should you get the air out of the bags or leave the air in?
Sorry - I have a lot of questions! 
Any and all help is appreciated. I think I may XP this just to get a wide array of responses. TIA!
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Re: Using breastmilk from storage bags
We haven't gone back yet but here's what I heard...
1) we were told we had to bring prepared bottles-- no frozen bags
2) I have no idea-- this drives me nuts when I pump and put the bottles in the fridge too- I have the urge to scrape it out
3) I was told you don't have to, but when I don't pump much I put it in the fridge and then combine my fridge bottles at the end of the day
4) air out-- that's what my bags say in the instructions- helps keep it fresh
1) For Daycare, do you send them the thawed bags or move the milk to bottles and give them the bottles? I'd ask your daycare to see if they have a preference. You may want to leave it in bottles to make sure the bags don't get busted open somehow or the dc provider doesn't spill the milk during transfer.
2) I've noticed that the milk separates (fat/hindmilk rises). Additionally, the hindmilk tends to stick to the inside of the bags. I obviously don't want that important hindmilk left behind when I transfer it into the bottle. I know if I warm up the BM in the bag, it unsticks but I'm pretty sure you shouldn't warm up BM and then refridgerate again, right? So, how do you get all the good stuff out of the bags? I haven't had problems with the hindmilk sticking to the bags once thawed. I make sure the milk isn't seperated before putting it in the freezer (by swirling it around, you're not supposed to shake it as that can kill some of the good stuff) and when it thaws, it's still mixed up.
3) Do you have to refrigerate the milk prior to placing in the freezer? Don't know if you have to but most of mine is usually cold when I put it in the freezer.
4) Should you get the air out of the bags or leave the air in? It's probably best, plus it makes it easier to freeze flat and store that way.
1. I'm a SAHM, but I would guess daycare would want it in the bottles, all ready to go.
2. I put the milk into the bags when it's already "mixed," then freeze it, that way it stays mixed. Sometimes a bag or 2 will sit in the fridge for a couple days and separate. In that case, just kinda swish/swirl the bag around to get all the hindmilk unstuck.
3. I'm not sure if you have to refrigerate milk before freezing, but I always do.
4. Get all the air out.
HTH!
1) My daycare allows me to send thawed bags or I can put it in the bottle myself. I plan to put it in the bottle myself b/c I don't want people handling my sterilized bottles.
2) You should not warm the milk in the bag. That's a no-no. Also you should never refrigerate milk once it has been warmed. It must sit at room temp and then it can be rewarmed to be used at the next feeding. I have never had anything stick to the insides of the bags. I am using the Lansionoh bags.
3) You do NOT have to refrigerate the milk prior to placing in the freezer but I usually do so I only have to make one daily trip to my deep freezer
4) You should try to get the air out of the bags so that you do not get freezer burn and so that it will freeze flatter.
here's what we did with dd1 and will do again with dd2:
we sent the milk to daycare in bottles.
the milk i pumped one day would be sent with her the next day, so it never went into the breastmilk storage bags. monday's pumped milk went to daycare on tuesday, etc. i pumped into the medela bottles and then transferred that milk to breastflow bottles.
i froze any surplus milk to get a stash. i gave some of this to the daycare provider in case dd was particularly hungry one day. some also ended up being used when i traveled. to thaw it, dh placed the bags in warm water. the rest of the stash got donated.
i did not refrigerate milk prior to placing in the freezer. i did squeeze as much air from the bags as possible prior to freezing.
1> I prep bottles at home and send them to daycare.
2) I'm confused; will your milk be in bags because it's coming from the freezer, or is that how you're storing it after pumping? If frozen, put it in the fridge the night before and it will be chilled but not separated by the morning. If it's just stored in bags, swirl it gently to shake the fat loose.
3) No.
4) I get the air out.
1. Depends on your daycare, but I moved mine into bottles, so I knew exactly how much he was getting. Including the hind milk, segue into question #2...
2. This depends on how you're defrosting them. It sounds like your are putting them in the fridge to defrost? That's what I used to do, and that's how my milk bags looked. I would not warm up the bag in water before you re-refrigerate them for the day. It's not that big of an issue with bm, BUT, the easiest way to get that hind milk without warming up... take it out of the fridge, leave it on the counter while you're getting ready, and then swish it back into the milk before you pour into bottles.
3. No, just flat out, the answer is no, you don't need to.
4. Squeeze the air out, or you could get freezer burn.