Huge breast milk stash - why?!

[Newusername5678]

I'm currently pregnant and planning on breastfeeding. I have what feels like a really silly question (hence the name change!) Why do some mum's (ones on social media for example) build up huge stashes of frozen breast milk? Like dozens of bags filling freezer drawers?

I get having a couple of extra ones around is probably handy, but why would you need dozens of them?

Thanks - too embarrassed to ask this in real life!

I went back to work when about were 4 months and 5 months respectively, so started pumping from 2 weeks to get them used to switching between breast and bottle which was seamless.

I built up a stash of about 150oz before I started back, and continued pumping at work.

I didn't want the expense of formula at the time, that was all. As soon as the stash ran out, they went on to formula and if I had another baby, I probably wouldn't bother pumping at all past about 3 months and would use formula if I wasn't around.

It was personal preference at the time, both my boys nursed until 9 months when they self weaned.

I also made gallons of milk so it seemed a shame to waste it!

I had a huge stash when I was bf my dd and never used any of it, as she completely refused to take a bottle. I had a lot of milk from when she'd been in hospital on a drip (two occasions, totalling 3 weeks) and had to pump to keep my supply going while she wasn't feeding. I would have donated it, but they didn't want it as I had had a blood transfusion due to a big pph having her. I found it very hard to put it down the sink - it felt so wasteful - obviously I had to in the end.

I didn't bother pumping at all with ds2!

Just to reassure you you don’t need to do this at all - Im still BFing DD at 2.9 and she never had any formula, but I’ve never pumped once. She had cows milk when she went to nursery at 1.

I can see how it might be handy, but it’s not something you need to stress about.

I wouldn't say it's something you HAVE to do - but it happened for me as I produced way more than DD needed for a few weeks whilst we we're settling into feeding.

For me - every bottle / bag of pumped stash = an extra block of sleep later down the line as DH / grandma could cover some nights.

So when it started to happen, I let it carry on and build up!!

I donated milk after baby 2 and 3, to 2 different banks. They picked up weekly - I was producing no more than a bag or a bag and a half a day, and just didn't have space to build up a huge stash.

There is a market for it though, lots of people believe it can sure all sorts.

I don’t know of anyone doing that. I know it’s common practice in the US because maternity leave is short - I think you literally stock up for when you are at work. Breast milk can last months in the freezer.

I have a question that’s just dawned on me though… what about the colostrum? Presumably if you start pumping before birth you run out of colostrum. I thought it’s fairly important for the first feed if you are breastfeeding. Can you stash that in the freezer too and have it ready for after the birth? But then you can’t feed it from the breast. So does the baby go straight for full on established breast milk at the first feed? Is that fine?

You don't run out of colostrum. Anything you remove before birth your body simply replaces. You can freeze it, and people do. I hand expressed colostrum while pregnant with my second. But your milk doesn't change from colostrum to mature milk until some days after the birth whatever you do. The change is triggered hormonally by the placenta coming away.

But your milk doesn't change from colostrum to mature milk until some days after the birth whatever you do.

But then how do women start stashing milk before birth to use in the months ahead? @AquaticSewingMachine I am genuinely confused, sorry if I’m being dumb 😂

They are either stashing colostrum, or they have had a baby before and are stashing the mature milk from that baby. Your milk changes from mature milk back to colostrum at ~20-24 weeks of pregnancy anyway.

I had an oversupply and a premature baby - I had a three month supply by the time he came out of hospital. So really did have a chest freezer full of milk. This said don't think pumping is a requirement. You do what works for you x

I had a freezer full. I had oversupply but also it was useful when my son started nursery and I went back to work. I pumped at work as well so made heaps of milk. Froze it all in the freezer and defrosted as needed. If you're not planning on being away from your baby while breastfeeding (or happy to use formula) then you don't have to worry about expressing and stashing milk.

There are many reasons exclusive pumping, neonatal baby, going back to work, a milk donor or a oversupply.

Oversupply can be very painful with regular blocked ducts if not careful. I had a oversupply with both, the first I became a milk donor with, my second I haven't so I currently have 8 litres in the freezer. I use it for a variety of things from my husband giving a bottle so I have a few hours out to milk baths when my DS skin is bad.

You definitely don't have to create such a big stash many women don't! Oversupply is seen as a good thing actually it's difficult to handle, painful and a constant battle for many months!

I hadn't realised having an oversupply was so common, thanks for sharing your experiences

I can only give my own input:

struggling to breastfeed and working so hard on supply, doing anything possible to maintain so ended up with a slight over supply.

fear that i would spontaneously “dry up” so wanting a reserve for emergencies

for nursery - although she doesn’t take much.

and ultimately… to donate to the wonderful milk bank

Dont be embarassed to ask the questions you need answers to OP, a first born is a whole new universe!

I hardly ever expressed and what did express got wasted as neither of mine would take a bottle. Expressing was hard and time consuming and I couldn't get much out despite having an expensive pump.

I breastfed until my kids were 2 and 3, but went to work when they were 6mo. I sometimes travelled for work (not when they were tiny) so needed a week of milk for them and pumped while away and then would freeze that.

In my case it was to make sure there was always enough for DH to do night feeds when he was home.

He worked overseas a lot and I really, really missed my sleep.

my dd had a stash of colostrum and this was really handy in the first few weeks whilst establishing breastfeeding. Dd stashed these away before baby Was born and then dd used a hacker for collecting milk and used this when she wanted to pop out an someone else looked after baby

The one thing I wish I had done was collect pre-natal colostrum. Would have made the first 48 hours so much better, as well as preparing me for the techniques needed to help the start of BF go well.

There is good guidance out there eg
La Leche League
Patientinformation

@AquaticSewingMachine re alcohol in breast milk, the information I'm finding is that one drink with ample time for it to leave your bloodstream before the next feed is ok, but no information further than that. Have you got an info source that I can have a read of? My plan for a night out (also what I did with DC1) is to use frozen milk to feed and pump and dump for around 24 hours. I've just ordered test strips for the milk to figure out when it's safe to use. I thought I was being clever 😅.

Ask away. I had a very premature baby so ended up with surplus. Donated litres of it to the Milk Bank in Glasgow.

Donated less to the Milk Bank with my third born.

Didn't know about milk donation with DC1 & 2.

Yes I think my supply dried up around day 9, so I asked for help when my youngest was in NICU. Suddenly ended up with an oversupply 😂

My friend didn't breastfeed but pumped and froze milk for her babies. Breastfeeding might be too much for some women especially if they have other children to organise so give bottles of milk.