It depends on how low of a supply she thinks she's going to have. How many oz per feeding did she have to supp last time? You don't want to freeze too much because it would go to waste if she wasn't able to use it. Have you seen the little slim line trays thingys? I pump WAY too much to use them, but they might work for you. You freeze the milk into 1 oz tube thingys and then you put them in a ziplock baggie. You can take them out one at a time or more so you don't waste any milk. The mom that makes them is on here. Firefightermom or something? I can get you the exact name if you'd like.
freezing bm for a friend
a friend of mine is having twins in July and is concerned that she may have a low supply (she did before), so i am going to try and express some bm for her twins. but i dont know how to do this really. i have frozen bm for my son in 2 oz. portions but they are in teh Avent bottles with the seals on them (FINALLY found them at TRU). i dont have enough freezer room or bottles to store it like there for her, so im going to use the freezer bags (Gerber, i think i have 25 or so of them).
my questions (and im sure there is more that i need to know that im not asking right now), are the following:
1. how much should i put in each bag? if i fill it up, will she be able to take only a few ounces out at a time or will she have to use it all at once? if she has to use it all at once, am i not "wasting" the bm by doing it like this? should i just put 4 ounces in each bag? i have about 25 bags right now that i can use for her and then im sure she will get more bags for me.
2. the babies are due in June (she's 27 weeks right now). how much should i pump for her? i have a TON Of milk and drinking mother's milk tea and taking fennel greek ups my supply like crazy, so my supply isnt a problem. i lose at least an ounce on each side when the babe is nursing on the other side.
are there any other precautions i should take?
TIA
rach
my questions (and im sure there is more that i need to know that im not asking right now), are the following:
1. how much should i put in each bag? if i fill it up, will she be able to take only a few ounces out at a time or will she have to use it all at once? if she has to use it all at once, am i not "wasting" the bm by doing it like this? should i just put 4 ounces in each bag? i have about 25 bags right now that i can use for her and then im sure she will get more bags for me.
2. the babies are due in June (she's 27 weeks right now). how much should i pump for her? i have a TON Of milk and drinking mother's milk tea and taking fennel greek ups my supply like crazy, so my supply isnt a problem. i lose at least an ounce on each side when the babe is nursing on the other side.
are there any other precautions i should take?
TIA
rach
1 - 8 of 8 Posts
kathryn,
i saw that a few minutes ago after i posted. right now i would like to use the gerber bags i have (since i have about 25 of them and dont use them for E).
if the mom im doing this for wants to get those i can use them but they are a bit expensive. it is a great idea though. but like you i have a strong supply. i can express 4-5 oz. in under 10 minutes, so id rather do that quickly for her.
i dont know how much she will need...im thinking of filling the bags up with 4 oz. each..that way she could thaw 2 oz. for ea. babe at a time and wouldnt have much of a waste.
i saw that a few minutes ago after i posted. right now i would like to use the gerber bags i have (since i have about 25 of them and dont use them for E).
if the mom im doing this for wants to get those i can use them but they are a bit expensive. it is a great idea though. but like you i have a strong supply. i can express 4-5 oz. in under 10 minutes, so id rather do that quickly for her.
i dont know how much she will need...im thinking of filling the bags up with 4 oz. each..that way she could thaw 2 oz. for ea. babe at a time and wouldnt have much of a waste.
Yeah, then I would just do 4-6 oz. I freeze 6 oz in each bag, but my milk is most of what the baby I donate to is getting.
Does the expectant mother know about taking some galactologues ( sp? ) I had low supply w/ dd1, and took them w/ dd2, and they work so well.
The ones that I used were from www.motherlove.com and I used the More Milk Plus, and also recommended them to a bunch of people whom they also worked really well for.
I know this doesnot answer your initial storage / pumping question, no experince in that field really, but just passing on a bit of information your way.
Oh, and I think it is incredible that you are able to do that for your friend.
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The ones that I used were from www.motherlove.com and I used the More Milk Plus, and also recommended them to a bunch of people whom they also worked really well for.
I know this doesnot answer your initial storage / pumping question, no experince in that field really, but just passing on a bit of information your way.
Oh, and I think it is incredible that you are able to do that for your friend.
I have no idea about portions but she might want to use an SNS to help stimulate her own supply instead of bottles.
i know that she will do whatever she can to provide bm for her baby. i just want to help her feel a bit more confident that she doesnt' have to resort to formula.
How awesome of you to help your friend! That's great!
I freeze mine in 2 oz. portions, that way you're not defrosting too much at one time and letting a lot of it go to waste. With twins I would maybe do 4 oz in each. She's planning on supplementing right? I wouldn't think she would need too much more than that for each babe.
Remember that in a regular freezer you should only keep it for 3-6 months. If it's a deep freeze it can be stored up to a year.
I freeze mine in 2 oz. portions, that way you're not defrosting too much at one time and letting a lot of it go to waste. With twins I would maybe do 4 oz in each. She's planning on supplementing right? I wouldn't think she would need too much more than that for each babe.
Remember that in a regular freezer you should only keep it for 3-6 months. If it's a deep freeze it can be stored up to a year.
1 - 8 of 8 Posts
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