My daughter is 9 weeks old and I am returing to work next week. I have pumped and stored some in various increments, from 1.5 oz to 4 oz in a bag but sometimes she drinks 4 oz from the bottle and sometimes it's only 2 oz. I hate to waste the milk since it's so laborious to pump. My theory is to store different volumes so my husband (staying home with the baby when I return to work) can start with a 2.5 oz bag, then defrost more if needed. Since I'm not the "bottle-feeder," am I being unrealistic that he should do this? Should I be more loose with the millk?
Thanks everyone for your help and advice! Off to pump...again... :)
You can thaw a bag in the fridge and use out of it all day once it's thawed. I wouldn't use it after a day, but he could thaw out a 6 oz. bag and use 2 oz for one feeding and 4 oz for the next feeding.
You can also store breast milk refridgerated for several days.*EDIT* By this I mean milk that you've just pumped and put in the fridge, not some that was thawed.
When pumping, I would pump whatever I could, usually 3.5 to 5 oz at a time. I learned from La Leche League and my doctor that breastmilk can be re-heated once. This means if you refrigerate it after she takes a bottle but does not finish, you can give it to her at the very next feeding with no problem. I actually had to bring a note to my daycare from the doctor stating this so they would not discard my breastmilk! It was such a chore (read: labor of love) to pump every last drop and I did not want them pouring it down the drain!!! Especially because it is FINE as long as they put it back in the fridge as soon as he was finished. Eventually my son started drinking my milk directly out of the fridge. I figured he should get used to it - and he did. I think he may have even liked it better.
As horrible as it is to pump, I would loosen up with the milk. It is so hard to know what they are going to eat in a sitting and what a pain to have to stop midway and get another bottle ready. Even worse if he has almost gotten her to sleep. Just keep pumping girl!
Good luck!
You can use an ice cube tray to freeze your milk. Each cube is about an ounce. You can defrost them as you need them. Like others have said, I would get out a few different size bags the night before. Make sure he always uses the smallest amount first! The milk doesn't have to be more than room temperature for her to drink it. My oldest would drink it right out of the fridge and it never once bothered her. To this day (she's 3) she loves her drinks ice cold :) They'll probably develop a routine after a few weeks and he'll be able to tell when she's going to drink the most.
The absolute best thing to do to increase your supply is to nurse on demand whenever you are home.
It's so great that he can stay home with her! First, he can use milk she doesn't finish for the next feeding, he doesn't have to throw it out. He shouldn't add to the bottle, but have her finish a bottle then start a new one with fresh milk. But, I'd do it in 2oz portions, he can always make more if she's still hungry. If you freeze it by laying the bags flat, they are thin and thaw REALLY quickly in warm water, then they are easily poured into a bottle to be put in a warmer, or you can just use the warm tap water to heat the milk as much as she prefers.
Good Luck! Good for you for breastfeeding and pumping:) I hope it all goes smoothly for you!
No, that stuff is liquid gold!! I would suggest getting a bottle warmer or crockpot for him to warm the bottles. What I do is keep the milk in the refrigerator (I have it in breastflow storage bottles after pumping), and have enough of a supply for that day. Granted, it may be a VERY hungry day, and there are reserves either in the fridge or freezer. You can keep fresh milk in the fridge for 7 days, and if she doesn't drink all of one bottle, he can give it to her in the next feeding. It really isn't a big deal. Just don't let him toss the leftovers, put them in the fridge. What I usually do is pump all week, and take the milk to daycare as needed (sending the oldest fresh stuff I have), then, on the weekends, I freeze the extra (leaving enough fresh for Monday for daycare).
Also, as she starts drinking from the bottle, your husband will get a feel for how much is "usual" and you can put it in those increments if you need to, or just let him pour however much he needs into the bottle.
I have seen these things on babiesrus that freeze milk in 1 oz increments and you just pop the right out and thaw what you need. I have never used them before, but maybe they would work for you?
I had the same concern last year when I went back to work. I would put a couple of different amounts in the frig the night before and have my husband start with the small amount then add more as needed.( warm it up after pouring into the bottle) Once I went back to work my milk decreased so the milk I pumped while I was at work would be the milk I would use the next day. I breast feed 100% for a year and my husbands support was so important. I cry over spilled milk several times. It is so much work but it's worth it! Hope this helped!!
I agree with the 2 previous posters about storing it in 2 oz increments or in an ice cube tray. Never feed more than 2 oz at a time, because bottles overfeed babies and they end up having a lot of spit up or uncomfortable tummies.
Warm up 2 ounces by running under warm water or already heated water (never microwave the actual breastmilk!), feed, then wait 20 minutes after the 2 ounces is completely taken before ofering another ONE ounce. Ice cube trays are 1 oz each cube.
When I started pumping and going back to work, I would pump 3 or 4 oz. bottles and leave them in the fridge... I never froze anything until I had enough of a supply that I had surplus... which I froze in 4-6 oz. This link is awesome for storing milk! It also has a "keep or dump" chart. :)
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/t026900.asp#T026901
