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I just have a question for all of you breastmilk pumping experts
:What is the longest you have stored frozen breastmilk?? When Bryce was in the hospital after he was born and during his heart surgeries, he was mostly on IVs so I pumped and froze all of my breastmilk during that time. I have a whole deep freezer full of milk
. All of the lactation consultants and things I’ve read have said you can store breastmilk in a deep freezer for up to one year. I saved all of the milk just in case my milk supply didn’t last (I heard a lot of times you’ll lose your milk sooner when pumping). However, my supply is still going strong and it’s nearing that one year mark. I’d like to start using the milk so it doesn’t go to waste, but how can I tell if it IS still good?Has anyone had milk stored for this long and still used it?
I just wasn’t sure if it could get freezer burned or anything like that. I just want to be careful. I have it all stored in bottles provided by the hospital and in doubled up freezer bags.
Any advice would be appreciated!! Thanks.
Bryce’sMom 2006-11-4 0:37:43 So, what you have frozen is less than a year old now? What I would do is start feeding him the expressed milk and pump and freeze what you are producing now.
All of my frozen breast milk was used up by one year, so I can’t say if it would be any good after a year. I think you’d be able to tell if it was freezer burned…I had a few bottles that were not tightly sealed and I could see the freezer burn. I personally wouldn’t be afraid to use milk that was stored over a year as long as it passed the smell and taste test.
But feeding him what you have frozen now, and freezing the new stuff might be the best way to be on the safe side.Kudos to you for pumping this long!!!
I know how hard it is and I gave up after six months with Myles. Fortunately I had a great supply and had another six months stored, but I would have liked to have pumped longer.How’s Bryce doing?
Thanks Christine.
Yes, the milk is less than a year old – most of it’s about 9-10 months old. And that’s exactly what I wanted to start doing – using the frozen and freezing the fresh. He’s eating a lot more now than he was when I started so I shouldn’t have to freeze it for as long. That’s so awesome that you were able to have so much milk left even after you stopped pumping!
Bryce is doing really well. They gave us the go ahead to start spoon feeding him his milk 3 days after surgery. His surgery didn’t really affect his oral eating (not that it was that great anyway). I was a little worried that having surgery in his mouth might cause an aversion. I can’t wait until his stitches heal up all the way so I can try the bottle… I’m really hoping I can teach him to suck again. He used to suck really well when we first brought him home from the hospital, but because of the cleft, he couldn’t get any milk out unless we squeezed it into his mouth. But then his gag reflex & the reflux got so bad that he just wouldn’t suck anymore – just kind of chewed on it.
Unfortunately I’m afraid that most of his oral eating problems won’t get better until he outgrows his reflux.
Thanks for asking about Bryce, and thanks for the advice.
Your welcome. I sure hope he heals quickly and will take a bottle when he does. You never know…somtimes they really surprise us!
Myles’ gag reflex was awful too and his reflux was a nightmare. He gave up the bottle at 7 months of age. I was frantic but I’ve kept him healthy and well by spoon feeding him all of his breastmilk. It was a chore at first but I adapted to it because it’s the only way he’d drink anything. He took one bedtime bottle but everything else was spoon fed. He’s finally taking water from a straw cup now and he’s doing better and better with that so I’m hopeful that he will be taking enough fluids himself soon that I can stop the spoon feedings.
So, either way I’m sure you’ll be able to keep Bryce healthy, and if he never takes a bottle, he’ll be fine. He’ll just move on to a sippy cup or straw cup.
Good luck. I hope he outgrows his reflux soon.
You’re right. I know it doesn’t really matter much if he learns to eat from a bottle. I used to worry that the lack of the sucking motion would affect his speech, but our OT told me it wouldn’t – that some babies just go straight to a spoon & sippy cup & never suck a bottle. And I honestly don’t mind feeding him with a spoon – if he would just take more than an ounce or two! I know – patience, patience.
Thank goodness for feeding tubes.I sure wish he could eat solids & he could get more calories in that way. It’s sure challenging having an 11 month old that still has to eat every 3 hours. That in addition to the oral feeds and the pumping – AND having 2 very active toddlers to chase after!
I sometimes wonder if my house will ever be clean again. Actually, I’d like to try solids again. Maybe after his mouth heals. Previously he would always end up gagging at some point and it all came back out. Our GI doc said his swallow muscles just might not be developed enough yet.
Anyway, sorry for rambling on.
I’m so glad to hear that Myles is doing so well with a straw! I bet that relieves a lot of stress. I’m sure he’ll be taking all his fluids on his own in no time. Good luck to you too.
OMG, Heather! I don’t know how you’re doing it. That’s why I gave up pumping after six months. I was pumping 8-10 times per day, feeding Myles (an hour long struggle each time), cleaning up his constant puke all day long, and trying to take care of his two older sisters. I just couldn’t take it anymore.
I hope things get easier for you soon. You have lots of breast milk stored for him, so maybe cutting down on the pumping soon will help take some of the burden off of you. You’re a terrific mom and when this is all behind you, you’ll be proud of yourself for getting through it and taking such good care of your children. That’s how I feel when I look back now.
Oh, and Myles gag reflex finally just got better (at about 11 – 12 months). He used to do the same thing. In the middle of a feeding or worse towards the end, he’d gag and throw it all up. It was so frustrating, but he almost never gags anymore.
Keep us posted on Bryce’s progress!
Sorry, nothing to add, I just think you lady’s are absolutely amazing
– WOW-I gave up pumping after a meazly 4 weeks (although only getting about 50 mls in 1/2 hours was a bit disheartening). I can’t imagine the strenght it takes to keep it up day after day for months. I am in awe of so many of you mums!
Thanks, Theresa. But don’t be so hard on yourself.
Nursing a reflux baby doesn’t work for everyone, and pumping doesn’t either. I was very fortunate. Moreso than I realized at the time.
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