Freezing question

[Aka mommy]

I know that Kellymom states 6-12 months is the length of storage for a deep freezer for breastmilk. Is there any possible way to get a longer shelf life for breastmilk?

I ask because i hyperlactate and know i will have tons of milk that I will be freezing (last go round I had 3069 oz stored from just a month). I'd love to be able to keep it past the year mark so that my baby will be able to continue on breastmilk when i return to work at the point without having to continue pumping (please don't judge, hyperlactation is not as easy a problem as it sounds). This way babe could still have the benefit of breastmilk, and i would be able to stay healthy. But everything looks like the longest shelf life i'll get is 12 months. Am i missing anything?

[jecombs]

Nope, that's the longest shelf life your gonna get. Have you thought about donating some of your stash to a milk bank? Other than that, just try to rotate as much of it as you can when you pump more (give the oldest milk first, then replace with new milk).

[Aka mommy]

Originally Posted by jecombs

Nope, that's the longest shelf life your gonna get. Have you thought about donating some of your stash to a milk bank? Other than that, just try to rotate as much of it as you can when you pump more (give the oldest milk first, then replace with new milk).

A friend suggested that i donate, and then if i decide to wean i can still always get donated milk myself. We shall see. I was hopeful lol.

[cristeen]

Well, if you're making far more than you need, then I'd suggest looking into milkshare.org. I am not a proponent of milk banks because they charge an exorbitant fee for their milk ($3.50/oz for the local one). But through milkshare you can connect with local moms who for one reason or another cannot BF their own babies (you'll find everything from medical reasons to adopted children), you can meet the babies and watch them grow if that is your preference.

We've been able to feed our little guy exclusively with donor milk for about 5 mos now - without the generosity of donor moms, we would have been in serious trouble, since I can't seem to produce much at all, and he's allergic to formula.

If you're pumping 100 oz/day, then there's no way you're ever going to get through it all. Baby's max out at about 30 oz/day, and once they start solids, that number goes down. If you're looking to keep it past a year, then your child is not going to need anywhere near that amount... 3000 oz is a 3+ month supply for a child that is exclusively fed expressed BM, so even if you just keep the last month's worth from before you return to work (from the way you said it, I assume you're returning at a year), you should be good.

But no, milk doesn't keep past a year really.

[Aka mommy]

Originally Posted by cristeen

Well, if you're making far more than you need, then I'd suggest looking into milkshare.org. I am not a proponent of milk banks because they charge an exorbitant fee for their milk ($3.50/oz for the local one). But through milkshare you can connect with local moms who for one reason or another cannot BF their own babies (you'll find everything from medical reasons to adopted children), you can meet the babies and watch them grow if that is your preference.

We've been able to feed our little guy exclusively with donor milk for about 5 mos now - without the generosity of donor moms, we would have been in serious trouble, since I can't seem to produce much at all, and he's allergic to formula.

If you're pumping 100 oz/day, then there's no way you're ever going to get through it all. Baby's max out at about 30 oz/day, and once they start solids, that number goes down. If you're looking to keep it past a year, then your child is not going to need anywhere near that amount... 3000 oz is a 3+ month supply for a child that is exclusively fed expressed BM, so even if you just keep the last month's worth from before you return to work (from the way you said it, I assume you're returning at a year), you should be good.

But no, milk doesn't keep past a year really.

I definately would go through milkshare. I don't agree with the pasturization at the milk banks anyways.

I checked kellymom and it looks like 25-30 oz consumption to about 6 months. But my oldest was EBF till 9 months, so it depends on this baby. I did the math and it looks like i would at least be able to keep baby on breastmilk till 18 months (due to only being good for a year) as i'd stop pumping at 6 months and most likely only night nurse by that point as i'm hoping to return to work between 6-12 months (depends on how fast i can get hired back on). BUT i'd still have plenty of left over to donate. That would be awesome as i would hate to waste it. I'll check out the site once i birth and see if i continue to make the same amounts as i did with the last 3. Thank you!