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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

EBM - how do you avoid waste?

5 replies

holytoast · 16/06/2010 11:13

Have just begun to give DD, 9 weeks, a bottle of EBM at night before she goes to bed, to let my DH have some time with her, and me a break! I pump some milk in the mornings, and have some frozen too - question is, how much generally would you give in a bottle for an evening, about 8-9 pm, if she is feeding roughly every 2 - 3 hours during the day (has more in mornings, and currently cluster feeds in the evenings, with a fairly big gap in the middle of the day where she has a fairly long nap.) I am finding that if I put 4 or 5 ounces in a bottle, which is roughly what I can express in the morning before I get bored, she will not always take it all - although sometimes guzzles it and want more - if its just come from the fridge and been warmed up, do I then have to throw the rest away? or can I give it to her say up to an hour later? if so, does it go back in the fridge? I guess I cant warm it up again? Also, she will take it cold, doesn't seem that bothered about it being warm, is there a problem with this? would I then be able to take it from the fridge, give it to her, then put what she didn't take back in?
I know the rules about formula, using it within an hour etc, but no-one told me the rules for EBM - it just seems such a waste to throw it away. I have sniffed the milk when it was fresh to make sure I would know if it was 'on the turn' but I guess the most important thing is the warming/coolin down thing, as thats when bacteria could start to grow. It would be handy to know, as sometimes would like to take a bottle out with us, say if we have a long car journey for someone to be able to feed her in the car, but have no idea how to store it and when to throw it away! have taken it out with us in a cool bag, frozen, and defrosted to give to her, but again, sometimes each bag can have up to 6 ounces in it, and she wont have it all, so then I have to throw the rest I suppose?
Thanks all in advance...

OP posts:
Veteran · 16/06/2010 12:39

reusing ebm

I offer my 8 week old a maximum of 5oz, if she doesn't take it all I wait until she's hungry again to offer the rest (or rather DH does). Breast milk doesn't promote bacterial growth like formula but I don't reheat it, just leave it at room temp.

Morloth · 16/06/2010 15:04

I drink any leftovers myself or give it to DS1.

Can't bare to pour it away.

Thandeka · 16/06/2010 15:20

Best handout ever:
www.kellymom.com/store/freehandouts/milkstorage01.pdf

Thandeka · 16/06/2010 15:22

p.s I was gutted to defrost 5oz this am only for DD to pull such a face that we had to throw it away (previously she has been fine with frozen bmilk but this has been in the freezer for over a month whereas previous lots only a week)

Hate waste!

holytoast · 16/06/2010 23:22

brilliant links, thanks, answered all my questions...fingers crossed, DD had a little bit of a bottle earlier, went down in her cot at 9pm, and is still asleep, with the new found knowledge am going to give her the rest of the bottle when I go to bed...hoping it will get me a bit more sleep but also can't believe how amazing breastmilk is, just assumed it had to be thrown like formula, but no, much cleverer than that! Thanks all!!

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