I know this varies depending on the situation, what do you think is a good number of oz. to have in your freezer stash? LO is almost 9 mo and I have about 200 oz. The backstory is when LO was 5 months, I lost about 250 oz. of milk because a family member didn't shut the freezer all the way. So I started building back up my stash but a couple months later my SIL needed milk for her newborn, so I ended up giving her most of the milk I'd stored back up. Until recently I have been pumping once a day (3-4 oz.) for storage, in addition to pumping to replace whatever is used. I work from home so LO doesn't need to have a lot of bottles, but he usually gets a least one a day. I have no problem replacing whatever he takes, but I'm afraid to drop that extra daily pump for storage and stop increasing my stash.
-
Any bee thoughts?
-
If you don't WOH and need limited bottles I think 200 ounces is great! I have about the same in my freezer and I WOH and need about 65 ounces or so a week. I have so far stayed on top of LOs needs with pumping at work and some extra sessions.
At nine months I'd probably be comfortable dropping the extra pump, or maybe start going to every other day and see how your supply does? You could always pick it up again if you see too much of a decrease.
-
I also think you have a great stash since you're WAH, and would try tapering or combining a session if you're not a fan of pumping to give you some more free time!
-
Thanks @REVEL! I think I just need that reassurance that I don't need to keep growing my stash forever! I'm like a paranoid chipmunk over here hoarding acorns, haha!
-
Ugh. I wish I had that much. I need to bump mine up, but I've been too lazy. I EP, but I also WOH. I'm about a day or so ahead with my milk stash.
-
Have you ever needed to use your stash to feed LO? I ask because I was so focused on building a stash for the twins, saving said stash in a hurricane, buying a freezer for said stash after a hurricane with a generator and then we got to a year and I realized the only reason I didn't have the bags of milk I pumped early on was because I was rotating through it and was then told I shouldn't do that. So basically I drove myself crazy for milk that wasn't needed. You are doing so well and giving great stuff to your LO (and your donation) that if it were me I wouldn't worry anymore.
-
That is a lot if you aren't working and don't need to give bottles!!
-
@MS.SK - well, no, I guess.
I really just need it for times I do have to go in to the office for work and every day at home when I work through a feeding and my sister (who watches LO while I work at home) feeds him a bottle. Why aren't you supposed to rotate through the oldest milk? I'm planning to BF LO for as long as he wants it, but am also planning to TTC when he's about 15 months or so. If/when I decide to stop nursing while pregnant, I'd like to still have some frozen milk for him (if he wants it). I am probably being a bit paranoid about not having milk in some unknown future situation.
Thank you all! I am going to stop with the extra daily pump - yay!
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
8 comments