If I freeze my breast milk now, what do I do with it when baby's born?

[harleysmammy]

Hi, sorry if this isn't the right place to post but I didn't think pregnancy was the right place either haha.

I'm 36 weeks, almost 37 weeks and have been told to try and get labour moving because I have a massive baby and they don't want me to go to 40 weeks but they also don't want to induce me..they want me to try and go naturally but early. So I googled things to do and as well as walking and getting on the ball, I saw nipple simulation helps start contractions, then I also saw that breast pumps are an easy way to do it.
I already plan on breast feeding and expressing but haven't bought a pump yet. I'm going to get a pump and express to try and get things going but if I get anywhere with it and do actually get any milk, what do I do with it? I know I can freeze it for 6 months but what do I do then? Do I take it out of the freezer when I want to give the baby it and put it in the fridge for it too go back to liquid form or what? I'm really confused haha. Any tips would be great x

[dementedpixie]

You don't get milk just now, it will be colostrum and in tiny amounts. I don't think anything you do will bring labour on faster as baby will decide when it's time

[purplecoathanger]

I wouldn't worry, you'll be lucky if you get even a drop.

[Aliveinwanderland]

It's unlikely you will be able to pump anything before baby is born. You may get small amounts of colostrum but your milk won't come in until 2/3 days after baby is born. I wouldn't start pumping now, you could just end up making your nipples sore which won't help you get breast feeding off to the best start.

If, once you are feeding, you express and freeze milk then you just take it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge the night before you need it. Or I just run it under the tap (in a milk storage bag) if I need to defrost it quickly.

[purplecoathanger]

Try having sex to get things moving.

[glitterglitters]

At this stage it'll be colostrum so very weeny amounts of high nutrient food for baby. You can freeze these (probably in a feeding syringe as normal storage containers will be huge compared To the tiny amounts that are produced though to assure you, the nutrients are super high).

A lot of people harvest it for blood sugar drops if they have GD and it can be given later on as well.

I personally would wait till bf is established to muck around with pumping though, but that is just me.

[Notso]

...they want me to try and go naturally but early.

Who has said this to you? Did they advise on how to try?

[Floggingmolly]

Are you sure that's the advice you've been given? There are no advantages to the baby to be born at 36 weeks, and they are extremely unlikely to have estimated the weight correctly.
I don't believe for a moment Flabbergasted that you'd be told this at 36 weeks