What can I do productive with my wife's breast milk? ?

Question

She is making more then my daughter needs and I don't want it to go to waste. I know that there is plenty of people that need it.

Answer 1

You can freeze the milk so when your wife starts introducing baby cereal and stuff you can mix it, or when your leaving your baby w the grandparents, the baby will always have breast milk. You can also wait, a woman body produces an overabundance amount of milk because her body doesn't know how much a baby needs, but soon after it will make more or less, whatever the baby takes.  

Answer 2

Why dont you leave it up to your wife.  Its not yours.  How do you know your wife is making too much?  Unless she has stock-piled gallons of it, its not too much.  Your baby will consume all of it.  

Answer 3

Then she can either choose to donate it or start block feeding.

Block feeding is where she nurses on only one side for a couple of feedings, and then switches to the other side, rather than nursing both sides per feeding.  Her body will adjust to making just what baby needs.

Answer 4

I would freeze it.  It may come in handy when she starts to wean, but you still want her to have it available.  A deep freeze will keep it safely for at least 6 months if packaged properly.

Milk banks are rare to find because of the cost of testing the milk for viral bacteria.  Try contacting a La Leche League leader in your area.  She may know of someone having trouble with supply.  She would also know about the liability law for donating "human fluids."  A LLL leader will also offer free advice on safely reducing her current production, and making the right amount as the baby grows.  I would not donate all of it, however, as it really comes in handy to have extra when the baby hits a growth spurt (or for the babysitter to have on hand when you take her out on a hot date!).

I am in the same situation, as I came home from NICU with 235 bottles of frozen milk!   Half and half anyone ... shh don't tell!

Answer 5

Freeze it for your daughter for later or donate it to a milk bank.

Answer 6

See if your city or county has a breast milk bank for breast feeding babies whose mothers can't feed them. Contact your local hospital's lactation specialist or La Leche League for other ideas.

You should be freezing a good store in case your wife gets ill and needs to take medication that could harm the baby, or for when your daughters consumption level goes up.

Answer 7

Freeze it...

Or try contacting a local chapter of La Leche at http://www.llli.org/ to find out how to donate it to someone who needs it.

Answer 8

There are "banks" that she can donate it to. Google it and see what you can find out.

Answer 9

Just put it in a deep freezer. Babies can still have breastmilk for years. There are milk banks she could research. Congrats to her for having such an awesome supply......mine was pretty much non existent.  

Answer 10

Freeze it, because the longer your baby drinks it the better for the baby. That's what I did, I stopped 'nursing' at 10 months and pumped until baby's 2nd birthday. They were off the bottle at a year old and used sippy cups.

Answer 11

Oh gosh freeze it and use it in baby's cereals, etc!  It's great that you are thinking of others who might notbe able to breast feed but wish to, but if you are not able to find someone who can use it, then simply freeze it, there are guidelines you can google, and use it in the other foods baby eats and keep those good vitamins comin!!