TONS of frozen breastmilk...what to do w/it?

[tabs416]

I haven't really counted exactly how many ounces of milk I have frozen already...but it has been about 40-50 oz per day on average. Basically, I have a freezer full of milk, and now that DD is nursing and I have stopped pumping, I don't know what to do w/ all of it. I pumped almost exclusively for five weeks until DD figured out how to latch on and nurse.

I will keep some for when I want to go out and someone else can give her a bottle, but I am seriously talking a huge supply in my freezer. Is there a place I can donate it that won't mind it not being fresh and in lansinoh and gerber freezer bags from target (ie not any company's specific storage)?

I am waiting to hear back from the milk bank near me but their msg said that they are only accepting donations from moms of preemies, moms of deceased babies, or locals. My baby was born at 36 weeks (is that considered preemie?) and the milk bank is about 1.5-2 hrs away (is that local?)...so I am just waiting to hear back but if they don't want my milk, what do I do with it?

I don't see how I will ever use it all in the next six months, and hate for it to go to waste

[murpheyblue]

You could doante some to Jenn at www.feedmybaby.com.

[COElizabeth]

36 weeks is definitely premature. I've seen cutoffs of both 37 and 38 weeks for "term," but never earlier than 37.

I hope you find a good use for it!

Elizabeth, Mom to James, 9-20-02
and Charlotte, 11-04-04

[Momof3Labs]

If they have room, I bet that your bank will take it. Since you are driving distance (and hopefully willing to drop it off), you are considered local. Also, try www.hmbana.org.

[mudder17]

I actually had tons of frozen BM, maybe not quite as much as you, but definitely pounds and pounds of it. I was told that it could last as long as 9 months, and that as long as it was not soured, it could still be used (but the nutrients may have degraded enough to not do a whole lot of good). So I kept it, thinking I would never use it, especially after DD outright refused a bottle at 8 weeks. But then she learned how to use a sippy cup at 4 months, and would occasionally have some milk when I was out. Still, I had this stash that looked like it would never go down. Then between 9 and 11 months, I got sick AND I had problems with my supply and DH started supplementing all feedings with my stash. Eventually, we did use most of it and I now have only a couple pounds left (although this is all recent stuff).

I also used some of it when I introduced solids and mixed BM with all of her cereal and now I add it to her eggs before scrambling them.


Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://lilypie.com/baby2/040222/0/0/1/-5/.png

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbo...n_gold_12m.gif Breastfed 1 Year -- Woohoo!

[sntm]

Most human milk banks will not take previously frozen milk. Informal donating relationships are becoming increasingly more common. I donated 150 oz to Jenn at www.feedmybaby.com. You may know of someone locally who is struggling or who in unable to breastfeed due to illness or is taking the rare medication that is incompatible with breastfeeding. If you are going to donate, I highly recommend undergoing a health screening and lab tests for communicable diseases -- it will give the mom peace of mind and rule out any problem with the milk itself.

I donated mine when my DS was around 11 months old and was taking less at daycare, since I could calculate that he would never use it all before it "expired". You definitely want to have enough around that if something were to happen (illness, etc.) where you were separated from your child or your supply took a hit, that you could use EBM instead of formula. In a deep freezer, the milk will be fine for up to a year of storage. If you have the room, you could always keep it for a while and then decide to donate it later.

FYI: though the antioxidents do degrade after freezing/storage, they are still SUBSTANTIALLY higher than formula, despite the misleading popular news stories. I've read the original publication and can absolutely verify that.

Donating milk is an absolutely fabulous thing to do -- I'm really proud of having done it. Someday, I hope milk banks are as common as blood banks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
Breastfeeding 20 months and count

[MMEand1]

Kind of changing the subject, but how do you get 40-50 oz a day??? That's awesome. I am hoping to be able to store a 4 month supply in our freezer before July because I am leaving for 4 months on a trip (I am active duty military). I do not want my baby to be on formula, so I am trying to "stock up" now. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Mariah P.

[sntm]

Mariah, OT, but I'm on Lactnet and I know the LCs have posted about helping military moms to ship milk back home, even from Iraq and elsewhere overseas.

For your stash, pump, pump, pump, water, oatmeal, fenugreek and blessed thistle, or pharmaceutical assistance like Reglan or domperidone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
Breastfeeding 19 months and count

[Momof3Labs]

>Most human milk banks will not take previously frozen milk.

When I was looking to donate, I found several that would take previously frozen milk. My complication was that I was either too far away to get it to them, or they had no room to store it, and neither did I.

[daniele_ut]

The Denver and Houston banks will both take previously frozen milk, and I had planned to donate my "preemie" milk (DS was also born @36 weeks) from before his due date, until we realized that I was on pain meds after my c-section. They ask that you only be taking pre-natal vitamins when the milk was pumped. I was also on antibiotics at one point for mastitis, so we couldn't donate milk from that time.

I am thinking about donating to Jenn, though, since I have such oversupply. I EP 50 oz and ds drinks about 28, and my freezer is full!