What do I do with all our milk? I'm really confused.

[Avasmommy721]

I have a 4mo old exclusively BF and am curious how you get so much milk? I can't get a lot when I pump whats your secret? Maybe it's my pump?

[me_just_me]

Originally Posted by ashley84 I have worried about this. When I handed over most of my freezer stash, I worried about what would happen if I died in a car accident on the way home. I kept back 50oz, but I think I'm going to keep back more than that from now on. I feel confident in that I pump an extra 20+ ounces a day. It's going to be easy to build it back up. I still worry about the what ifs. Thank you for posting this. Just how much of a baseline stash should I keep? Anyone have a suggestion? I know 800oz is about the maximum I can store without having to buy another freezer. I'd like to avoid buying another freezer at this point.

I honestly wouldn't worry about it. I kept a stash for my first two babies and ended up throwing the whole thing out both times. This time I pumped over 1,500 in the first 2 months and donated it when my baby was 3 months old. This way very sick babies are getting the food they need to survive instead of my milk just sitting in my freezer getting old.

I sure hope nothing happens to me and I end up wishing i kept the milk

If you really feel you need to keep a stash, them by all means keep it! But I think it is way more likely that you will continue to nurse your baby until weaned and you will still have a freezer full of milk! But then I guess you could just give it to your LO in a cup at that point!

I hated pumping, so I was super happy when I was able to quit. My DD could only latch on my right side, so I pumped my left side to keep up my supply. But if you don't mind pumping, build up a supply for yourself and then just keep donating the rest!

[BeccaSueCongdon]

Originally Posted by Avasmommy721 I have a 4mo old exclusively BF and am curious how you get so much milk? I can't get a lot when I pump whats your secret? Maybe it's my pump?

There are several factors that contribute to it. Type of pump, the right fit of the flanges, the mom's actual supply capacity, diet, timing of when you pump, etc. I'm sure these regular pumping pros will share what has worked for them. :-)

[me_just_me]

Originally Posted by Avasmommy721 I have a 4mo old exclusively BF and am curious how you get so much milk? I can't get a lot when I pump whats your secret? Maybe it's my pump?

Some women just make more milk than others. I always have way too much milk in the beginning. I could easily nurse twins. But then I have to deal with over supply issues which can be uncomfortable for both myself and baby.

When I pump I have to imagine the feeling of a let down in order to get a good let down of milk. It's weird, but it works for me!

[shortcake2386]

i donated a bunch with my other 3. thousands of oz easily, but not until a few hundred oz went bad in my freezer bc my oldest, and next 2, wouldnt take bottles i felt sooo bad throwing it out. with the next two i still pumped but donated it. i kept 100 oz or so in the freezer but rotated it out so it didnt expire. when they weaned i donated the rest. ironically enough i wasnt going to pump this time...and im EPing for my dd who has low muscle tone and cant suck. i have no extra right now. in fact my friend just dropped off some extra milk she had bc her son wont take a bottle and my supply has dipped a little. as someone who has been on both sides, id rather donate extra and worry about what ifs later. i know if something happened and i couldnt pump at all, that i could get milk from several friends. if i didnt have them, i would still be able to find milk on HM4HB easily. so i wouldnt stress too much. what if you had 1000+ oz and went out of town and your freezer died and it spoiled? it could go either way

[CASMama711]

Originally Posted by twood80 Because it's not the easiest thing to stumble across, I wanted to provide the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) milk bank website. This is for NICU babies, and they are collection sites that re-distribute around the country. If you live in a part of the country without a HMBANA site, many of these sites accept mailed donations (they'll send you an insulated box, you fill it with >=250 oz plus some dry ice from places like the grocery store's meat counter, and they pay for you to ship it back). If your closest site won't accept mailed donations, they'll connect you with the closest site that does. https://www.hmbana.org/milk-bank-locations The milk must have been pumped before baby is 1 year old. How many months ago the milk is allowed to have been pumped depends on a few things, such as how fast they are turning over (from what I've heard, it's currently quite fast, so many are able to take milk up to 7 months old, in the deep freeze). Yes, theoretically they charge for the milk. But it's something like $3.50/ounce (to cover the processing fees), NICU babies aren't drinking a lot (a couple ounces a day at most?), it's been tested to be safe, the babies need it, and often fees will be waived.

In the case of NICU babies, they charge the hospital, not the parents.