A little raw milk at 7 months?

[leighann79]

I would like to go out with my DH occasionally with out my 7 month old. I'm talking maybe once a month. I don't pump very well. It's hard to get much and I don't usually find a good time. On top of that I would end up freezing it maybe one oz at a time (if I'm lucky). I think my inlaws (and DD1 who would really end up doing it) would find that rather bothersome to deal with.
Instead of buying formula, I was thinking of using raw milk for him. It would probably end up being 3-4 oz. Does that sound like a horrible idea? I just can't see buying formula for the little bit that I'm needing something.

[becalive]

the formula sally fallon recommends is practically half raw milk and half water with other additives...... so i dont see why you couldn't do just do the half milk and water for one night......maybe add whey and probiotic to aid digestion if you feel the need ?

[cristeen]

Is the baby eating any solids at this point? There's no reason that the baby needs milk for an evening out if he can have solids instead. But honestly I wouldn't give straight raw milk to a child of that age. Even watered down. The raw milk formula is a lot more complex than milk+water, because milk alone does not have everything the baby needs nutritionally. At that age, the baby needs formula or BM if he's going to be having a "milk".

But, I will say pumping and freezing in 1 oz increments is not a big deal... get yourself some of the snappies that hold 2 oz, freeze them as you pump them and make up a bottle before you leave. It's really easy to just dip it in warm water and slide the whole ice cube into the bottle (glass bottles are easier for dealing with frozen BM than plastic - they conduct heat better).

And BM lasts in the fridge for about a week. So if you pump today and get 1 oz, pump tomorrow and get one oz, pump the next day and get one oz, on the fourth day, freeze the 4 oz. Do that every week and you'll have a decent stash built up for those evenings out without too much trouble.

[leighann79]

He's not really eating enough solids for me to feel comfortable using that as an alternative.
I'll give the pumping a shot and see what I get.

[leighann79]

I pumped 15 mins today, both sides, and got 1 oz. Actually, I went between pumping and hand expressing. I suppose 1 oz isn't bad.

Right now I don't have any bags. Would it work to freeze it in the bottle once I have 4 oz? I suppose I should ask that in the breastfeeding forum.

Also, I was thinking of rounding out my milk with raw if I end up not getting the amount I need.

[tifpaul]

I have a 9 month old, and have similar pumping issues. It's hard because the baby isn't just having breast milk, but also it's nice to have a bottle of something to leave when you go out - especially at night or nap time.

The one thing that made a difference was to pump on one side while I fed the baby on the other. Once I figured that out, I could easily get 2+ ounces per time. So whereas with my first baby I had some formula to use for those occasions, now I can make a bottle in half a day. I would recommend upping your liquid intake, and maybe having some oatmeal the day before. If you do it right before you go out, then you won't be so engorged either when you miss the nurse AND then you're not fooling too much with your supply and timing.

I think it's worth a try. Plus breast milk is free!