May 2015 Moms

Breastmilk Stash

How many of ya'll have a good stash of breast milk for your baby for daycare and/or emergencies. I thought I had a good stash built up until I started back working. Baby is drinking 3 bottles 5 oz at daycare, so I had to reevaluate my plan. Now I have enough up through Friday, which is 9 bottles, I feel like that is still not enough, although I'm pumping everyday, it doesn't leave for much room on the weekends for me to leave baby bc he will have to use bottles, which I'm trying to save for daycare.

Re: Breastmilk Stash

  • I have the same issue.  I went back to work at 8 weeks, and had about 20 5-oz bags in the freezer.  I've already gone through maybe 1/3 of it in the last 4 weeks.  I pump 3 times during the workday, plus 1 or 2 times on the weekend, and it's still not enough to send to daycare.

    With my first I had to supplement at 9 months because my supply tanked (very common for working moms).  This time I'll have to supplement even earlier because I just don't have the time to pump that much extra on the weekends with 2 kids.  Plus, I like to do stuff with my older son sometimes and leave a bottle with DH, so I'm going through milk even faster.  Boo.
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  • I have the opposite problem. I have 200 + 4oz bags frozen & I decided I wasn't going back to work. I've cut my pumping down to only in the morning because I have to but I'm still running out of room in the freezer and I can't bring myself to pump and dump. First world problems, I know.
  • WOOOOOWWWW.....@cassietegtmeier how in the world did you get that much......OMG.....Do you exclusively pump?

  • I do not exclusively pump. We were breast feed only for a long time. I had thought I was going to go back to work and wanted to have a good supply for when I did so I started taking fruengreek. 2 pills 3 times a day & then pumping right after I was done feeding him for 10mins. That really helped boost my supply unfortunately I got mastitis twice & stopped talking the fruengreek. Now I just pump once in the morning and get about 8-12 ounces to freeze a day.
  • Wow, that's still crazy to me, I just do get 8-10 oz per day pumping 5-6 times. @cassietegtmeier
  • Try feeding baby right before you leave him at daycare and right when you get there to pick him up. Also have your provider do paced bottle feeding to have him take in less by bottle by feeding slower. Ask them not to feed right before you get there (just do an ounce or so if the baby is really hungry until you get there). Nancy mohrbacher has a book that is really good as well as some blog posts about pumping and working.
  • I am looking for a job now so I just pump every morning whatever side I didn't feed on. I thought I was doing great but did the math today and what's in the freezer would only last 1.5 days :(
  • But you should be replenishing what you use while you are working.
  • mars8kmars8k member
    edited August 2015
    I have 28 80 ml bottles, which is little less than 3 oz i guess, i go back in September, i think DD will drink about 3-4 per day so that's not nearly enough! + i'll be travelling for 2 weeks in which i will be using every bottle I pump then while we're out so i'm in panic mode, i know that i wont have time to pump when i'm at work and i would barely get 1 80 ml bottle a day so i kinda stopped bottle feeding DD which i know is bad because she could end up refusing the bottle.

    I found that when i wake up before her and pump i get more bottles filled, so i'm hoping that she keep waking up after 6 so i can pump everyday before heading to work.

    Good luck to us all!
  • I started freezing one bag a day (averaging 5-6 oz each) since the end of June. I don't have a large supply for when I go back to work in a few weeks, but LO will only be in daycare two days a week starting out. I usually have at least 4 or 5 bags in the fridge for her to eat during the day (I EP). We supplement formula with her when she just needs a small oz top-off, or if we are out and about and aren't able to heat up milk.
  • @cassietegtmeier if you don't think your LO can use all that milk you stored, maybe you can donate it to a hospital? I don't know how it works but I know there are places where you can donate breastmilk for babies who are sick or in need. Just a thought.
  • @cassietegtmeier if you don't think your LO can use all that milk you stored, maybe you can donate it to a hospital? I don't know how it works but I know there are places where you can donate breastmilk for babies who are sick or in need. Just a thought.

    I've looked into donating it. While I don't think I can to a hospital I do think there are other places/people that will take it. My plan is to freeze and save what I can and give him what's left after he is a year but I think running out of room is going to happen before that.
  • @cassietegtmeier how many days of taking the fruengreek and pumping for 10 minutes did it take before you were able to increase your supply?
  • @cassietegtmeier how many days of taking the fruengreek and pumping for 10 minutes did it take before you were able to increase your supply?

    For me it happened very quick. I noticed an increase in milk within 2 days and I would say in about a week I was producing more. Just be careful and make sure you keep up with the pumping if you take it. I got mastitis twice and had to stop taking it.
  • @cassietegtmeier thank you. I am back to work but for only 6 hours now so I've only been pumping once in the middle of the day and will pump twice when I start teaching. I also pump in the morning after her first feed from the side she doesn't eat from and once at night after her last feeding and she's asleep to empty fully. Do you think that's enough? I have taken fruengreek everyday consistently for about 4 days now. I don't want to develop mastitis so I want to do what's best and get some more milk pumped!
  • @cassietegtmeier thank you. I am back to work but for only 6 hours now so I've only been pumping once in the middle of the day and will pump twice when I start teaching. I also pump in the morning after her first feed from the side she doesn't eat from and once at night after her last feeding and she's asleep to empty fully. Do you think that's enough? I have taken fruengreek everyday consistently for about 4 days now. I don't want to develop mastitis so I want to do what's best and get some more milk pumped!

    Pump both sides in the morning not just the one your LO doesn't eat from. You won't get as much from the side sheathe from but it will cause you to start producing more.
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