Just curious: What's in your freezer stash?

RDK24 · March 2014

My LO is about to turn 8 months and my freezer stash is slowly dwindling … mostly because I noticed I had a lot of milk in there from five months ago, so I started defrosting a bag every Monday and having the nanny feed her that. I'm pumping 2x a day and getting just about enough for LO's two bottles a day with some leftover for mixing with baby oatmeal.

Looking ahead, I'm not sure how much I really need in my stash. I'd like to be able to go away overnight next month, and mentally, I like to know that I have extra in case of some kind of emergency. I probably have 100 oz in the freezer right now. I can't really replenish it unless I add in a pumping session before I go to bed (which I recently dropped and do not miss!)

So, just out of curiosity, how old is your LO, how much is in your freezer, and when do you plan to use it?

RDK24 · March 2014

theresat858 said:

Rotating your stash shouldn't be causing you to dip into it...I'm confused as to why that's happening? If you defrost a bag on Monday, you can replenish it with the milk you pump on Monday to replace that feeding…

Yeah, I'm not really rotating, that's the problem … I first took a chunk out of my stash when I was away for a day and night and wasn't able to bring home all my pumped milk (I goofed and didn't bring the necessary containers with me).

Now I'm at a point where I'm pumping about 12 oz during my work day, so LO is getting that milk in bottles/mixed with oatmeal so there isn't any extra to stick in the freezer, if that makes sense. And by Mondays, I don't have quite enough for LO's first bottle before my first pump, so I dip into the stash, because I figure I should probably use the oldest milk within 6 months anyway.

I used to pump before I went to bed, so that extra milk would go to the freezer stash. But it's been really nice dropping that pumping session so I'd rather not add it back in. So I'm trying to figure out whether having a smaller stash/not replenishing will work for us or if I'm going to screw myself down the line.

cinderin · March 2014

I have about 100 ounces. I was really good about rotating it each Monday and lately I have gotten lazy about that. DS is 7.5 months old.

It is in deep freeze and I think some of it is still from December.

I pump quite a bit (sometimes 6 times a day) to get what DS eats while at dc.

I don't get the not wanting to pump at night thing. I have heard moms say that. For me it is the most relaxing pump. I keep my pump in front of the tv. DS goes to bed around 8 pm. I pump from 8:30 to 9 pm and go to bed. Often it is the only time I get to sit and watch tv during the day. I even give myself a little treat/snack while I am pumping. I always look forward to my tv time.

RDK24 · March 2014

cinderin said:

I have about 100 ounces. I was really good about rotating it each Monday and lately I have gotten lazy about that. DS is 7.5 months old. It is in deep freeze and I think some of it is still from December. I pump quite a bit (sometimes 6 times a day) to get what DS eats while at dc. I don't get the not wanting to pump at night thing. I have heard moms say that. For me it is the most relaxing pump. I keep my pump in front of the tv. DS goes to bed around 8 pm. I pump from 8:30 to 9 pm and go to bed. Often it is the only time I get to sit and watch tv during the day. I even give myself a little treat/snack while I am pumping. I always look forward to my tv time.

That's a nice way to think about it. I guess that through the ups and downs of pumping, I was happy to have "me" time in the evenings that didn't have to do with my boobs haha. At this point, I think I need to decide/predict how long I'll actually want to have a stash. Because if I keep dipping in slowly, it will eventually disappear, and that evening pump is the only way for me to rebuild.

RootBeer29 · March 2014

cinderin said:

I have about 100 ounces. I was really good about rotating it each Monday and lately I have gotten lazy about that. DS is 7.5 months old. It is in deep freeze and I think some of it is still from December. I pump quite a bit (sometimes 6 times a day) to get what DS eats while at dc. I don't get the not wanting to pump at night thing. I have heard moms say that. For me it is the most relaxing pump. I keep my pump in front of the tv. DS goes to bed around 8 pm. I pump from 8:30 to 9 pm and go to bed. Often it is the only time I get to sit and watch tv during the day. I even give myself a little treat/snack while I am pumping. I always look forward to my tv time.

I despise my night pump, I want to lay in bed and relax with DH. I can't sit back and relax while pumping, I hate it. I'm dropping it soon since we're getting close to a year.

CLLDLL · March 2014

I pumped like crazy the first oh 6 months or so. I built up a stash of around 600 oz. I'm so glad I did. I had a supply dip around 6 months and another around 9-10 months. When LO turned a year, I started slowly using what was left of my stash (around 300oz) to mix with WCM/coconut milk. Now he's 17 months and I have maybe 20 oz left to use. I really liked having frozen milk to be able to make the transition to WCM/coconut milk really gradual. But my little guy was MPI from 3 weeks to around 10 months. So the gradual transition was more important for us than it might be for others.

RDK24 · March 2014

theresat858 said:

Could you pump once a day on weekends to replenish the stash, rather than every night?

Thanks, great idea (and duh, why didn't I think of that?)

lilies&orchids · March 2014

I have about 150oz at 7.5 months.

RDK24 · March 2014

theresat858 said:

Could you pump once a day on weekends to replenish the stash, rather than every night?

Thanks, great idea (and duh, why didn't I think of that?)

BabyBrooks5516 · March 2014

I have 10.5 ounces, it gets stressful!! Still have not used formula at almost 7 months though! I never wanted to pump on maternity leave, I kind of wish I did though. :-/

suv75 · March 2014

Way too much. I need to donate and have milk from Sep! I stay at home and have to pump lt side because he never really ate from it. I dropped to pumping it 2x a day but before I was pumping it every 3 to 4 hrs. I'm starting to slowly go through it but I rather him have fresh than frozen.

KaramelSutra · March 2014

I have about 400-450oz. I have also donated 300 to another mom thru my LC. I have never had to give LO any frozen because I pump what he needs plus some at work. He is almost 7 months

RDK24 · March 2014

casey78 said:

LO is 8m. I have 450-500oz in the freezer.

The oldest is from late October. The stash is big because I am gone for a work trip 6 days next week and again 4 days the following month. I'm hoping to bring back to replenish, but I'll have to dump early days due to length of trip, I don't know what will happen to my supply when gone, and I am worried about getting the milk back in good condition (9 hr flight, warm location).

I am hoping to bring back enough milk to drop from 3 to 2 pumps a day at work next month.

LO also has some new food allergies, so we are trying to figure out what is safe to give her.

Otherwise, I'd be comfortable with 100oz or so.

Thanks, this is helpful. And sorry to hear about your LO's food allergies.

DahliaFlower · March 2014

I have about 120 oz at this point, DS is 5.5 months old. At one point I had quite a bit more, but I ended up discarding some from October when I was on full dairy. Recently I had about 150+ but lately I have been dipping into stash to cover what he needs when I have long work days or work at night. I usually pump about 15 oz on a usual work day, sometimes this isn't enough to cover what he eats. My DS is a big eater, he is in the 95%ile for both height and weight, so it's a challenge keeping up. I am feeling like I would like to rebuild my stash a bit, so I may be trying to pump more at night before bed and extra on weekends which I have not been doing in some time.

VitaLuna · March 2014

I have 24oz.

I can barely keep up with what my LO needs. I'm short a bottle every day at work, so I pump after most feeds on my days off to get it. I wish I had more... I'd like to have a good amount when she weans to keep going with, but that's looking unlikely. She's almost 7 months.

Unknown · March 2014

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RDK24 · March 2014

KaramelSutra said:

I have about 400-450oz. I have also donated 300 to another mom thru my LC. I have never had to give LO any frozen because I pump what he needs plus some at work. He is almost 7 months

If you don't mind me asking, when do you plan to give your LO frozen? After weaning? Is it just for backup? Trying to decide how much of a stash I want to maintain, and hearing others' experiences/ideas is helpful.

BootsOrHearts · March 2014

Baby is 4 months old and he eats everything I pump so I don't have any leftovers to freeze! I have been working on getting my supply up so I can build up a stash but my body seems to somehow know it's making just enough and won't cooperate with me.

Stephanie2167 · March 2014

My girls are 3 1/2 months and I have maybe 400+ oz in the freezer. I pump 5x a day. I am just hoping to make it to 6 months. My supply took a dip and I had to thaw a few bags but then today its back up. But this thread made me realize that I need to start rotating my freezer stash. I have stuff in there from December.

CNYBride05 · March 2014

I'm not sure exactly, but close to 600oz I'd guess. And I've donated about 600oz as well. I pump every 2.5-3 hrs when I'm not with them and feed on demand (about every 2 hrs) when I'm with them.

Cupcakes339 · March 2014

My LO is 4.5 months old and I have 250oz in the freezer. Most. Of the stash is from when DD was 2-3 months old. Since she turned 3mo, my supply is exactly what she needs including the extra night pump I do so I haven't used any stash yet. Currently I pump 6x per day plus 1 MOTN nursing. I start work on Monday and I am curious to see if my supply will hold.

scruggsa · March 2014

My LO is almost 6 months. I have about 200 oz in my stash. I rotate when I work weekends or Mondays and hubby is home with LO. Works out to be once or twice a week depending on my schedule.

amy11401 · March 2014

My LO is almost 6 months. I have 4.5 oz for backup in the freezer at daycare. That's it! Before I went on maternity leave I wanted to start up a stash but I battled thrush for awhile so I was advised not to freeze that milk. I usually pump just about the right amount for my LO to eat at daycare or if he has to be with dad or grandparents without me. I wish I had a stash though. Luckily LO still has not had to have formula.

linzeek44 · March 2014

I've never had more milk than fits in a shoebox. Maybe 100 or so ounces at its peak. I added in an extra pump session when I needed it and he only drank breastmilk for the first 18 months.

Now we have about 20 ounces left just in case I'm going out and miss his evening feeding.

MrsBigTime · March 2014

I've never been able to store more than 50 - 60 ounces at a time. I worked super hard for those ounces, too! I just stopped pumping at work, and LO no longer takes bottles, so I'm not exactly sure how I'll handle the milk I have left over.

Whitterpow · March 2014

BootsOrHearts said:
Baby is 4 months old and he eats everything I pump so I don't have any leftovers to freeze! I have been working on getting my supply up so I can build up a stash but my body seems to somehow know it's making just enough and won't cooperate with me.

I have pretty much the same problem. One week I might get an extra 11 ounces to stash so I think my supply is building and then the next week I'll have to dip into my freezer stash. It's like my body refuses to help me out. I pump regularly, but even my pump output varies pretty greatly (between 1.5 and 8 ounces in a pumping session). I have 9.5 ounces in my freezer stash right now.

KrisM86 · March 2014

I only have about 20 ounces in my stash, but I'm a SAHM. It only gets used when I have a (rare) night out.

atcwag · March 2014

Funny I should come across this post today.
My LO was on IV nutrition/specialized formula for about 6 weeks, so I pumped that whole time to keep my supply to be able to return to nursing.
I JUST donated 1500+ oz about an hour ago. I have about 400 oz. left. Im currently freezing 12-20 oz/week

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