To feed weird about giving my baby Colostrum-y milk?

[olderthanyouthink]

I've got a load of milk in the freeze because expressed most days after DD was born (not tonnes but a few litres) but she became a bottle refuser after a couple months. She back taking a bottle sporadically and mostly I've been using fresh milk but she's coming up to 6 months so I should probably use the freezer stock or bin it.

I don't know why but it feels really weird to give her the super yellow colostrum-y milk from when she was a few days old.

Anyone else given newborn milk to an older baby?

I dont think it would do any damage but she might find the taste strange. If you have a few litres it could just be fat that's making it yellow. Maybe you could mix it with half frozen milk and half fresh?

You might be able to donate it to a milk bank in your area? Or informally I think there is a bit of a market online from people with new /prem babies.

Alternatively make a giant rice pudding and food sorted for weaning

P.s it's less yellow when defrosted. Even cows milk goes a bit yellow when frozen

Good point about the taste, mixing with new milk might be an idea.

Planning baby lead weaning so porridge is a while away.

It's much yellower than newer frozen milk.

Can't donate officially as don't have freezer temperature readings (apparently that's a requirement I've seen somewhere) and I'm to chicken to have more blood tests. Informal donation feels weird though id feed someone else's baby if needed at the time.

You don’t need to bin it after 6 months. The advice used to be to bin after a year- DD is 8 now mind so times may have changed. I used the stuff the colour of bird’s custard on weatbix, ready brek, with sweet potatoes, all sorts. DD was premature so I had tons of milk bottled up. I liked giving her the early stuff as I felt it was extra fortified!

We have frozen colostrum and I asked our health visitor about whether it was still beneficial to give it to an older baby, and whether it mattered if we alternated with fresh breast milk etc, and she said it's no problem, use it whenever within the six months it can be frozen for and it will still benefit baby.

RE milk bank.
In my area they ask you to have blood tests, take freezer temp readings and store it in their particular bottles/bags. They also only allow donations from mums whose babies are over 6 weeks - although this is probably to allow you to establish supply first.

Even if BLW you can use milk in recipes such as porridge bars or muffins.

Erm no...OP "Planning baby lead weaning so porridge is a while away" baby led weaning normally starts at 6m old with solids 🤨 It's not when baby suddenly decides or seems like they want solids 😂

Make a rice pudding with it in a week or so. Give her some.

Use it! It's great stuff. Maybe mix it if she's funny about the taste, although it really is probably the consistency that's different. My colostrum last time was green! (Seriously the midwives said they'd never seen anything like it). Yellow is perfectly normal, yummy, fatty goodness

Oops hit send too soon - You can babyled wean by giving them a spoon or something to dip in it and making thick pudding you know

@Fiveredbricks trust me she's interested in food, planning to start giving her stuff on the weekend (when her dads around) I meant I was going to give her things she can pick up and eat like sticks of carrot, sweet potato, broccoli etc porridge might be a bit harder for her to feed to herself though a dipper would probably work I guess.

We'll see if she'll go for it later I guess, do you reckon it will help boost her immune system against the cesspit that stay and plays are?

It’ll be fine!
This is the second time I’ve been an exclusive pumper and I’ve got loads of frozen milk - the older stuff is definitely ‘yellower’ but DS and DD both took it fine.
At the end of the day it’s still breastmilk give it to her.
Like others have mentioned you can always mix it in with food when weaning.
Also you don’t have to use it by 6 months it’s more 12 months for frozen milk.