If you had a freezer stash, how many ounces did you have? Was it enough? Too much?
LO was born two months ago and I have about 200 oz. I pump daily after our first morning feed. I am trying to anticipate a possible supply dip once I go back to work. Hoping to have 600 oz when I go back to work in January.
Thanks! 
GOLD / watermelon / 14076 posts
250 oz. It was too much. I actually think I still have a couple of freezer bags way in the back!
pomegranate / 3895 posts
Go Mama!
I had 1800 ounces at the end. It was way too much and I could have stopped pumping a lot earlier (I stopped at 9 months). He is still on pumped milk from my stash at almost 13 months.
I didn't have a supply dip when I went back to work. There was one point where I wasn't making as much excess, but I always covered his daily needs. I had the extra morning pump too!
wonderful grape / 20453 posts
omg. that's so much!
T is 16 weeks old and I have about 45 ounces in the freezer that I am rotating through.
But I would rather supplement than have a difficult over supply to deal with, too. And, you know...have freezer space for food Can you even cycle through 600 ounces before it goes bad in the freezer? Seems like it would take MONTHS!
kiwi / 584 posts
umm you rock .. that is all
I was super excited to have 13oz when I went back to work this Monday
cantaloupe / 6634 posts
@Mrs. Pickles: Dude. You rock...how do you pump with two littles?!
cantaloupe / 6634 posts
@LBee: Whoa! That's like 72 days of food. And, yes, I am a total dork and did the math. 
@blackbird: I started of EP-ing due to latch issues and just kept up with the morning pump and dropped all the others once BF worked out. I get about 6-8 oz during that pump and don't do it for the rest of the day. Does that sound like an oversupply?
We are storing the BM in a locked deep freezer (so good for 6-12 months.) I guess I won't be rotating through it as much as just taking a 50 oz storage bag out at a time and using it alongside of what I pump at work. At least that's the plan.
bananas / 9229 posts
@simplyfelicity: I've never pumped after the morning feed... I wonder how much I'd get? There was an article I read about using frozen milk and how it affects your supply. I should try and find it...
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22646 posts
100 oz, I went back to work at 13 weeks and we nursed until 13 months. Af came back early and my supply took a hit at 4.5 months postpartum and my stash got us through
This time I am up to 150? Maybe more now... And I'm halfway through my leave.
cantaloupe / 6634 posts
@LindsayInNY: I know the article you are talking about. I am still going to pump the same feeds at work but, let's say I start getting 3 oz vs the 4 oz that he has at a feed, I want to be able to meet that need with my stash. I just hear a lot about how moms lose a bit of supply when they start pumping at work vs bf. There is a chance I may not even need it, so maybe I will wean a little sooner, cook his stuff (like pancakes) with it, delay WCM for a bit...I am just trying to be prepared for different possibilities.
pomegranate / 3973 posts
LO is 9 months and I have over 1000 oz. Even after dropping 2 pump sessions I'm still freezing 5 oz/day. I was pumping 4x a day and freezing 5 oz. per day but when LO went through a few (5!) bouts with ear infections he would drink only 1 bottle a day (vs 3) so I got waaay ahead.
I think if you start work with 200 you'll be good to go, and way ahead with 600.
cantaloupe / 6634 posts
@mrsjyw: That's exactly why I am pumping...you just never know. If I don't need it, it's not a huge deal. I put on a handsfree bra and pump while having coffee and browsing through HB/FB for 15 minutes. Since I was EP-ing for a few weeks, this feels like nothing.
grapefruit / 4418 posts
I had 30 oz when I went back to work. I pumped at work for the next day so didn't feel the need for a bug stash. The most I ever had was around 100 oz when DD started more solids and drank less at daycare.
honeydew / 7303 posts
I have 1100 oz right now and ds is 5 months today. It's a lot but I'm planning on being away from him for several days this fall.
I had 200oz with my daughter and it was enough and I stopped pumping at work at 10 months
wonderful grape / 20453 posts
@simplyfelicity: oh I dunno but that's what I was worried about. I almost never get 6 oz a pump, so that's a ton to me! I really hate pumping, though.
nectarine / 2028 posts
Good job! I have about 250 ounces in the fridge, and on working days I definitely use more frozen milk than I think he'd get just by nursing (if that makes sense). I pump whatever he doesn't eat in the morning, and I kept up his last night feeding after he dropped it with a pumping session (about 10 PM). I am hoping to just be on the last night pumping session starting in a few weeks, and skip the morning session. My son is almost 10 months old, and I'm hoping to wean around a year and just use up the freezer stash as we slowly transition to cows milk at age one.
nectarine / 2028 posts
@yellowbird: My son gets a pumped bottle every night before bed, and I'd love to stop pumping now that he's almost 10 months old, and just use up what I have. When you stopped pumping at that point did it kill your supply, or was your supply stable enough by that point that when you stopped pumping you were still able to nurse when you were with your LO? Hope you don't mind me asking, and I don't mean to threadjack, @simplyfelicity!
honeydew / 7303 posts
@ChiCalGoBee: I stopped pumping because I was basically getting nothing at my pump sessions anyway. I don't know why but I went from getting around 20oz a day to 4-5.
I still nursed when I was with her and didn't do bottles at all. She never seemed unsatisfied. I started nursing morning and night only at 12 months.
cantaloupe / 6869 posts
200 at max. I ended up tossing about 30 oz since he weaned and we never used it. The 6 month expiration date had come and gone!
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
I had over 1000 for LO 1&2 that we always used up. I have been freezing a lot since LO 3 was born but will pump a lot less when DH goes back to work.
clementine / 920 posts
Following! DS is almost 5 weeks and I am pumping once a day after his morning feed and am only getting about 3 oz. going back to work in 7 weeks and was trying to figure out how much of a stash I need.
What quantities do you freeze your milk in? I have some 1 oz cubes and started freezing 2 oz in bags.
pomegranate / 3921 posts
I have about 400oz right now. LO is 8 months old today. If something happened and I had to stop nursing/pumping right away, that would only last two weeks! That said, if everything continues going well, we'll be struggling to use up those bags before they expire. But, AF hasn't returned for me yet, and I'm grateful to have a stash in case my supply drops when that happens.
ETA: Around month 5, I was really struggling to keep up with her demand with my work pumps. I ended up adding a pump after her morning nursing session, and now I usually pump 1-3oz extra per day.
cantaloupe / 6634 posts
@Bluemasonjar: I am not sure if it is "right" but I am freezing 4 oz per bag. That's how much he eats at a feeding
apricot / 347 posts
I had 40 oz I had to throw away because... I found out later that I had a lipase problem that made my milk taste like soap. Make sure you don't have this problem if you keep adding to your stash.
kiwi / 698 posts
@Mrs. Pickles: lol. I'm with you. I have about 14oz in the freezer right now and that's exciting for me. I'm reading all these numbers over here like 
. It's a bit different since I'm home with LO, but I'm still in awe!
clementine / 806 posts
3,422 -- WAY too much 
(I have oversupply!)
Around 8 weeks, I started nursing 1/day and pumping everything else since. Then I EP'd when he went on a nursing strike at 8 months. He is 11 months, and I am in the process of pump weaning right now. (would have quit sooner, but we just got back from vacation and I couldn't bring a full week of frozen milk with me on the trip)
kiwi / 641 posts
@simplyfelicity: wow, you get 6-8 oz after feeding? Do you mind my asking how much you used to get each session when you EP'ed? I am currently EPing due to latch issues too but am only pumping an ounce or two extra per day (he's 2.5 weeks old and getting 2.5-3 oz per feeding which is about what I pump each time) so it's hard for me to get a freezer stash going. I'm wondering if I could be doing more to increase my output. Sorry for the slightly off topic comment!
honeydew / 7622 posts
Almost 1000 oz, sadly DD has a secondary allergy to eggs that I did not discover till she was over 2 months- so 1/3 is no good. She takes a bottle evey night. She is 6 months. I plan to stop in about 6 weeks.
cantaloupe / 6634 posts
@abmamma: Happy to answer! It's weird, I used to barely keep up with him and pumped 4 oz a session. I was also SO stressed out, at the pressure of needing to pump enough. I think it's just because my supply is more established. I have a feeling it will go down.
pomegranate / 3768 posts
@simplyfelicity: wow good job mama! What time is your morning feed? I pumped this morning and got 1oz. So sad. DD is almost 2 months and I go back to work end of this month. I pump once or twice a day after nursing but I never get that much. I only have 6 bags in my freezer. 
cantaloupe / 6634 posts
@dolphin: It's usually around 6 or so. Sometimes I am lazy and wait until 8.
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts
For Xander, I only had about 70 oz before I went back to work, but it was enough! For Logan, I probably had ~200 oz (or more)!
Having too much is actually a pain. We have a deep freezer, but it's already full of milk and it's hard to get the oldest milk out first since it's at the bottom!
pomelo / 5326 posts
I had about 300oz when I went back to work at 7 months. I only worked 3 days a week and continued to pump and BF until 13 months. I ended up having way too much frozen milk and tossed some in the end I would rather have too much than too little. I was glad I was never stressing about how much I was pumping at work to feed her.
nectarine / 2987 posts
I do a morning pump too - usually feed one side and pump the other and the oversupply I've fostered is only for that feeding so it hasn't caused any problems. If you end up with way too much you can always donate or pump wean or just have the flexibility to not be upset if a bottle gets spilled!
wonderful olive / 19353 posts
I had a few hundred ounces by the time I went back to work. DS didn't drink much the first few weeks so I was able to start my stash pretty early on.
GOLD / papaya / 10166 posts
Wow you ladies are incredible!
I didn't make enough for a stash until DD1 refused to nurse at 7 months and I EP'd for another 3 months. But she hated the frozen milk, so we ended up tossing it anyway.
pomelo / 5607 posts
About 400oz at 2 months. It's way too much, because I'm a SAHM. If we never successfully nurse, I'll probably keep quite a bit so I can stop pumping sooner, but I'm hoping not to need most of it and to donate it.
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