Can I express and freeze before I give birth?

[Jade7392]

Slightly weird question but can I do this? I still have milk because I had my son a year ago and stopped breast feeding 6 months ago but I still have some left. I'm currently 30 weeks pregnant and because of being pregnant I'm getting more milk in and leaking. Is it ok to pump daily and freeze? Ideally I want to try breastfeeding for longer this time but I had to stop as it hurt my nipples so this time I want to express and feed.

[NotNob]

I wouldn't. Isn't the milk meant to change according to what the baby needs? I would want my newborn to have the colostrum.

[lightgreenglass]

Definitely not, you might bring on early labour!

[TaurielTest]

Is your plan to pump milk to give to your one year old or to the new baby?

kellymom.com/tandem-faq/05pumping/
This might help.

Have you got some decent local support from La Leche League or similar, you might be able to tackle the nipple pain this time around, or get knowledgeable support with your choice to express and feed instead.

[Micah]

Honestly expressing and feeding is not a great plan. Expressing isn't as efficient as breastfeeding, so in the long term it isn't sustainable as a sole feeding method. It's also exhausting and time consuming as you're doing twice the work, expressing, then feeding too.

Even if you did manage to express now and freeze, feeding the expressed milk will also affect your supply, as your body will think the baby isn't drinking much and will make less. Or possibly think you are tandem feeding and make enough milk for a toddler and newborn. Oversupply can be a nightmare and make it difficult to feed from the breast.

Also as pp said I'd worry it will affect your colostrum, and hormones generally.

Look into ways to prevent your nipples getting so sore this time instead- stock up on vanish, research nipple shields etc...

[Pidapie]

I wouldn't do this, because the milk won't be to the right "recipe" that a newborn needs.