Freezer stash - start using?

[packerup]

Hi. I have over 500 oz. of BM in my chest freezer. My LO is almost 4 months old, and I'm pumping more at work than he needs (I pump anywhere from 13-20 oz, and he drinks 10-12 oz). I'm wondering if I need to start rotating my freezer stash to get some of the oldest milk out....but yet I know fresh milk is best nutrition-wise and meets more of his current needs (more calorie dense) than my earlier milk. I'm kinda worried that milk from his first couple months will not fulfill his nutritional/calorie needs when he is older.

I plan to BF and pump until school is out in early June (I'm a teacher), then continue to BF this summer and probably wean in August before school starts up again; he will be 9+ months then. I'd like to have him continue to drink my BM for as long as it lasts, as close to a year as I can get.

So my questions are:
1. Should I rotate my freezer stash? Or just continue to give him the fresh milk?
2. Does my plan sound reasonable, or am I missing something?

thanks!

[casey]

I would rotate your freezer stash so the oldest is not older than 6 months. LO is still going to be getting fresh BM, so I wouldn't worry too much about content and antibodies changing over time. Formula doesn't change over time ... and, the research seems to suggestion Fresh > frozen > formula on those benefits.

To rotate: start by giving all frozen milk on mondays and then fresh the rest of the week. If you won't be using enough of that (I don't think you will), consider adding one bottle of frozen as the first bottle couple/few days a week. That will help you rotate more quickly.

If it becomes clear that your supply is solid and you can't rotate fast enough, you could always consider donation. Most places will get started with 150-200oz. I ended up donating close to 500oz due to allergy issue, and it was so satisfying to know I was able to help babies in need even if I was sweating my ounces by 9m or so (pumping seems easier for most of us earlier -- and gets harder around 9-10m for many of us).

[ellabee]

Yes. Ditto all of this ^^

[fish8412]

You can also donate through your local la leche league. That way you do not have to donate a minimum amount. I have done this several times.

[Sparkly]

Agree with PP. I would rotate a little, try to keep stash from getting more than 6 months old. In a chest freezer, it should be okay 6-12 months, but for me ours is attached to our fridge and space was an issue, so I aimed for 3-4 months old or less. Any time I got to that point, I donated.

Fresh is always best, so I usually only do one bottle of frozen a day, or something like that. In general, I just use it when I need it, and donate the frozen stash every couple months when I run out of room. I like to keep about 100 oz. at a time. I was in the same position as you, I've always pumped more than she needs. I ended up privately donating 5 times to 3 different moms, a total of 600oz or so. I may do more in the future.

[mama2a]

^^^ Yep, this is exactly how I rotated.

[packerup]

Thanks so much! I thought I should start rotating, but it's great to hear others' expertise, since this is my first time BFing.

[Deleted]

You got good suggestions on rotating but I just wanted to add that you don't necessarily have to wean when you go back to work in the fall. Obviously it's a personal decision, but I thought I'd throw it out there. I'm a teacher too and my summer ended around DS's first bday. I didn't pump when I went back to work, but still nursed when we were together.

Eventually my supply dwindled enough that LO didn't have the patience, but we made it five months w/o me pumping at school.
my freezer stash was less than yours and still lasted a few months- granted, we were also nursing nights and weekends and began to have LO drink coconut milk some too.
Again it's a personal decision, but I'd thought just throw out the fact that you don't necessarily have to wean if pumping is the only part you're ready to be done with.

[packerup]

@mananana, I kinda wondered about that. I've read that supply dwindles at 9-10 months, which is how old he'll be when I start school in the fall. I've heard people say they stop pumping at a year, so I thought 9-10 months would be too early, especially since it correlates to the drop in supply. We'll see. The last couple days and tonight especially, he's totally refused the breast. It's frustrating, since I know he's hungry!!

[Deleted]

Mar 5, 2015 23:54:04 GMT -5 packerup said:

@mananana, I kinda wondered about that. I've read that supply dwindles at 9-10 months, which is how old he'll be when I start school in the fall. I've heard people say they stop pumping at a year, so I thought 9-10 months would be too early, especially since it correlates to the drop in supply. We'll see. The last couple days and tonight especially, he's totally refused the breast. It's frustrating, since I know he's hungry!!

Four months is that wakeful, distracted period and it can be very frustrating. I dealt with a couple of nursing strikes/refusal periods that made me very anxious about being successful long term. We had a stretch of days where I really thought we might not battle back and because I wasn't home during the day to make up refused sessions, I panicked even more. Ultimately with strikes and wakeful periods, I found it best to catch him when he was just starting to wake up and keep things dark and quiet.

As for what happens at 9-10 months, you may find without pumping, you can't keep up. If your period returns around that time that could also make it tough. On the other hand, you might get to that point and decide to keep up a reduced pumping routine for awhile or you might not pump and it could be fine! You've got plenty of time to decide. Best of luck!