Breastfeeding

[KKJ1987]

Hi, I'm after some advice on how to take frozen breastmilk on days/evenings out. Do I take frozen milk in a cooler bag with ice packs or can I thaw the milk in the fridge the night before and then take milk out in a cooler bag with ice packs ?

I would prefer to take thawed milk as it would be a lot quicker to warm up on the go.

Any advice on how to use frozen milk on the go would be appreciated.

Hi OP, we're moving your thread to our Infant Feeding topic (and giving it a bump to get it back into active conversations).

It's not something I've really done but I imagine that it's easier to thaw and then transport?

Thank you for your reply.

I think it will be easier to thaw then transport too, would the milk be OK if I thawed it and took it in a cooler bag with ice packs ?

It's not like formula which can only be made up and drunk quite quickly, it will be fine to do that

The NCT website has a whole section on storing expressed breastmilk. It's evidence based advice.

Also the NHS website has information as well.

I can't remember it off the top of my head, but it will depend how long you're out and about for.

Depending on the age of your baby you will need to express the feeds you're giving so will need to take expressing kid and storage for that milk too.

Would it be impossible to feed your baby when out? I know some people think it’s inconvenient/ uncomfortable or whatever but it’s so much easier to feed your baby straight from the breast! If your baby is young you may have supply issues as you are not feeding on demand. What’s stopping you breastfeeding out and about?

Once defrosted, breast milk is safe out of the fridge for about 4 hours. I’d probably thaw in the fridge overnight and then pop it in a bottle ready to go and just take it out in the nappy bag, as long as you weren’t going to be out all day. If you were out longer, you could put it in a cool bag with ice packs.

It's a million times easier to just feed baby.

If leaving with a babysitter then just thaw and make up bottles in advance for their convenience.

If you store breastmilk in the little freezer bags you can get (avent and lanisoh do them) and freeze them flat then they defrost really quickly and easily under a hot tap or in a mug of warm water. Then the milk should be a good temperature for your baby to drink straight away.
If the baby is with you though I would definitely feed direct (practice in front of a mirror if you’re worried people will see too much). It saves the faff but also I absolutely couldn’t feed from a bottle and not pump pretty much immediately in the first few months - Baby crying would trigger let down and I would be desperate to feed immediately.

Also you’re likely to find the quantities of milk per feed and different to what a formula fed baby of the same age would generally take. My baby never drank more than about 180mL max in one expressed feed in the 15months I was expressing. When he was small (like under 6months age) it would often be 60-120mL. It’s very frustrating freezing massive portions of milk and then have to through away half. Freezing in 60-100mL portions makes it quicker to defrost the bags. That’s also just the quantities I would often be expressing in one session, particularly if I was home with baby and not out missing direct feeds.
obviously ignore me if you’ve already expressed loads and you get a massive bottle of milk in one pumping session - we’re all different and so are our babies.

Hi thank you for the reply

I am meeting a male friend for coffee and would just find it too uncomfortable to breastfeed in that setting, so this is the reason I'm asking.

All my pumped milk is frozen so just wanted to know the easiest way to take it out with me if needed.

Majority of the time I'm happy to breastfeed whilst out.