My LO is a big fan of reverse cycling, so I spent a couple months when he was 4ish months old (last September/October) producing at least an extra 5-10oz/day. These days (he's almost 9 months old), he eats 10oz/day at daycare, and I've reduced my pumping to where I manage to just have an extra 5-10oz/week.
I've been sending frozen milk in on Mondays, and fresh the rest of the week, but I've realized that I have a huge stash that's going to be hitting the 6 month mark starting next week. I know it won't magically go bad overnight, but I also know that at the rate of 10oz/week rotation, I'm not going to get through it all. WWYD?
The only options I can think of so far as as follows:
1) Maybe buy a deep freezer? Is it too late to stick it in there and prolong its life?
2) Start giving LO cups of BM with his solids (we're practicing open cups), and then be totally okay with the spillage because I have too much anyway.
i know it's a pain, but can you freeze everything that you're pumping and give him all frozen milk for a couple of weeks? would that use up enough?
i'm sure if you put it in an open cup it will ALL get spilled. (but if you're okay with that, it would use it up!)
i second human milk 4 human babies as an option, though- they have community pages on facebook where you can offer up milk. i'm sure you would find someone who wanted it.
Thanks ladies! I'll try rotating more often next week and see how that dents the supply. If there's still too much, I'll definitely look into human milk 4 human babies!
As others have suggested - give your LO all frozen milk now and freeze the fresh ones. I never had a huge stash but I SAH and EBF, so my small stash was about to expire. I ended up using the BM to make oatmeal for DS. I'm sure there are other ways you can use BM in foods, like muffins or pancakes!
TTC since 10/2008 RE consult 6/2010 Dx:Unexplaied IF
Failed multiple cycles of Clomid+TI and Clomid+IUI
IVF (BCPs starting 10/30/12, ER 11/18/12, 5dt of 1 beautiful, healthy embryo 11/23/12)
BFP 12/02/12, u/s @ 6w,5d showed 2 HBs! Identical twins!!
Bed rest from 21w-35w due to short cervix, hospital bed rest from 23w-32w due to PTL
Our rainbows were born 07/19/13 (36w, 5d)
Re: Large supply of milk in my freezer about to "expire"
i'm sure if you put it in an open cup it will ALL get spilled. (but if you're okay with that, it would use it up!)
i second human milk 4 human babies as an option, though- they have community pages on facebook where you can offer up milk. i'm sure you would find someone who wanted it.
DS born 6/2013
Failed multiple cycles of Clomid+TI and Clomid+IUI
3/2011 inj+IUI #1 BFP. 4/2011 missed m/c.
Fall 2011 inj+IUI #2&3 BFN
Jan/Feb 2012 IVF#1 BFP 2/23 EDD 10/31/2012 ~~~ Halloween ~~~
Our IVF miracle, Baby Boy M, arrived on 11/8/2012!
It's never going to warm up.at least that's what it feels like.
ETA I forgot to put the * in @AmyG*
Dx: balanced translocation and LPD
TTC since Oct 2011
BPF 02/19/12, EDD 10/31/12, natural m/c 02/28/12 (4w6d)
IVF (BCPs starting 10/30/12, ER 11/18/12, 5dt of 1 beautiful, healthy embryo 11/23/12)
BFP 12/02/12, u/s @ 6w,5d showed 2 HBs! Identical twins!!
Bed rest from 21w-35w due to short cervix, hospital bed rest from 23w-32w due to PTL
Our rainbows were born 07/19/13 (36w, 5d)