When you first start expressing & are only getting small quantities of milk?

Question

How is it best to store it in order to make up a full feed?

(I hope that makes sense - basically how do you store enough for a full feed from several sessions of expressing - e.g. if a full feed is say 4oz & you can maybe get 1oz at a time?)

Answer 1

I would just put it in the fridge and keep adding to it.  If you plan on using the milk within a week then just keep it in the fridge or you can freeze it.  

Edit Jaqcui.....the 24 hour rule is for thawed breastmilk and formula.  Fresh expressed milk is good up to 8 days in the fridge.  Yes, you can mix expressed milk, just make sure if it is over a few days that you use the oldest date for storage purposes.

edit....yes you can mix room temp and refrigerated milk

Answer 2

Sorry hun, but I had the same problem on both my kids!! Your not meant to mix milk. So I just stuck with breast feeding. I did find that I could express more if I was feeding on one side and expressing on the other at the same time. Hope I helped! Good luck  :)   xx

Answer 3

I usually actually toss the whole manual pump in the fridge so I don't have to wash it.  But I only pump for the very rare time away from baby and I always end up tossing the milk the baby doesn't drink (never get around to freezing it).  So for me it doesn't matter if the leftover milk in the bottle needs to be tossed because its been stored at room temp, heated, whatever.

Remember if you freeze it freezing in smaller amounts thaws faster and creates less wasted milk.

http://www.breastfeed-essentials.com/sto...

While it was originally thought that a mother had to cool her fresh breastmilk before combining it with previously expressed cooled milk, the latest research now shows that you may pump directly into already refrigerated or cooled milk as long as the milk is added within 24 hours of the first milk expressed. You should then follow the storage recommendations based upon the time and date of the first milk expressed. You may pump directly into milk that has been stored at room temperature as long as you do so within 10 hours. This milk would need to then be used.

You may add your fresh milk to what you have already frozen as long as you chill the fresh milk first for about half an hour and it is a smaller amount than the amount that you are adding it to.

http://www.mother-2-mother.com/storemilk...

Can I Freeze My Milk After It Has Been Refrigerated Several Days?

Yes - most sources seem to indicate that you should be safe to use ALL the storage options in succession if you need to.

For example, storing freshly expressed breastmilk at room temperature for up to 10 hours, THEN in a refrigerator for up to 8 days, and THEN in a freezer for 3-12 months (depending on the type of freezer).

You're likely to get to stretch your storage times to the maximum (or even a little longer) if you don't "use up" all of your "warmer" storage - for example, you can expect a longer storage time if you freeze the milk immediately (if you know you'll want it frozen) rather than keep it at room temp for 10 hours, then refrigerate for 8 days and THEN freeze the milk.

Even though storage times may be decreased, most bf experts suggest *not* throwing out any milk before the maximum storage time unless when you warm it you notice that it has a very distinct foul smell.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/reusi...

Reusing expressed breastmilk

Q: Should breastmilk left over from a feeding be dumped immediately (like formula), or can you save it and give it to baby later?

A: It should be safe to save the left-over milk and use it at the next feeding.

Per Breastfeeding, A Guide for the Medical Profession by Ruth Lawrence, MD (p. 438):

    Breastmilk can safely stand at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours and need not be discarded if the first feeding attempt is incomplete. In contrast, formula must be refrigerated and discarded after the first feeding attempt because it contains no antibodies or infection protection factors.

Can I 're-use' pumped breastmilk? Q&A by Ruth Lawrence, MD

    "... If the milk is warmed up but not used, it is OK to reheat the milk once. But the more you reheat the more you decrease some of the valuable immunologic properties of the milk..."

If my baby doesn't finish a bottle of pumped breast milk can I save it for later? by Jan Barger, R.N., M.A., IBCLC

    "...Based on this study, which admittedly needs to be done on a larger scale, it would seem to me that expressed breast milk, fed to the baby, partially consumed, and then refrigerated, could be used for one more feeding no more than four hours later. That's probably fairly conservative. One of the best tests of whether the milk is spoiled is to do what you do with cow's milk: Smell it and taste it!"

Brusseau R. Bacterial Analysis of Refrigerated Human Milk Following Infant Feeding. May 1998.

    "Summary: The number of infants who are breastfed is on the rise, as is the number of women in the workforce. Many women who choose breastfeeding after returning to work, express milk during the day and store this milk for a future feeding. When infants do not finish a bottle of expressed breastmilk, doctors recommend unfinished portions be thrown away. This study examined bacterial levels in expressed, partially consumed breastmilk that was stored for 48 hours at 4-6° C. A portion of unconsumed milk was examined as a control. Samples were taken every 12 hours for bacterial analysis. Tests were performed to identify total colony counts, pathogenic Staphylococci, coliforms and b-hemolytic Streptococci. This study showed no significant difference between bottles that were partially consumed and those that were not exposed to the baby’s mouth for 5 out of 6 participants. All milk samples had colony counts in the acceptable range of < 105 colony forming units per milliliter (CFU/ml). Although this project provides evidence that it may be safe to refeed a child a bottle of breastmilk, due to the small sample size, further tests should be performed."

Answer 4

If you freeze it then its safe to combine them as long as the freshly expressed milk is not more in oz than the already frozen milk. I wouldn't mix milk that's in the fridge unless the already cold milk is under 24 hours.

Answer 5

First up, well done for choosing to breastfeed, it's the best thing for your baby, it's just a shame so many people who can breastfeed choose not too.

I was useless at expressing I'd only ever get a tiny amount each time too!

I found it best to feed my baby on the same side for say 2 or 3 feeds so the other side was REALLY full and that way I'd get a good amount for storing when I expressed. Or to feed form the same side through the night so in the morning I could express the other side to take out with us. It is also good to do it while your baby is feeding on the other side.

I'm not sure about 'recommended' mixing guidelines but I'd be happy with mixing milk taken from within a 2-3 day frame, storing it in the fridge between.

As I was so rubbish at expressing I bought a sling and found it really easy to breastfeed my son using that while out in public. It completely hides them so one one has a clue what you are up to they just think the baby is sleeping.

Anyway, best of luck and congratulations.

MS

Answer 6

in the fridge, when I sat in the bath relaxed it came out so fast from both I could of filled lots of bottles, could be fun,

Answer 7

you can store in the freezer, you can mix - but try and keep the most recent dates togther, so all from session 1, session 2 etc in one bag and then carry on after. the thing is the milk changes so it's no good mixing day 1 with day 12.

oh and make sure you use it in order because the stuff that's needed in early milk wont be as suited to the baby as the milk from few weeks later.

edit: sorry, no - mix it once you're ready to use it. store from each session into a bag with the date and time of expressing written on it and then when you want to use, get out as much as you'll need - defrost and mix then use together.

edit: cannot beat the answer above, but my excuse is it was 7 years ago that i had to do it! LOL

Answer 8

I expressed completely for the first three weeks- my girl is a preemie and was in the hospital. The hospital said refrigerated milk is not good to mix because it is not stored long enough and the first bit of milk will go bad faster then the next bit. Basically you will decrease the amount the new milk is good by adding to the old because it will only be as good as the old. Hope that makes sense and If you want to mix it is okay if you freeze it. I added the amounts I got in 24 hours then froze it because if adding to freeze its okay. Always freeze in amounts you will need or less- this what makes the milk okay to mix-it will not sit for any length of time once thawed for all will be used

edit- if you are going to use it right away you can take milk you just pumped and mix with refridgerated milk- the only concern to mixing is watching how long it is good for

Answer 9

Are you breastfeeding right from the breast as well, or just pumping?  Apparently in the first few days the baby doesn't actually need a whole lot of food.  By the time your milk is coming in fully, that's when the baby needs the food.  Many people misjudge this and give up breastfeeding early because they think they're starving their babies.

As for mixing it, it's fine but be aware that in the fridge you're not supposed to keep it for more than 24 hours, so that would be from the first time you pump it.