freezing BM vs. keeping in fridge....

[AnnieW625]

I pump between 6 and 8 oz. per day max as I am not blessed with over supply. DD2 when she takes a bottle drinks between 4 and 6 oz. Right now in my fridge I have about 20 oz. of breastmilk all of which is less than 5 days old. So I was thinking maybe I should start freezing some of it since we only really give DD2 one bottle per day. My main reason for pumping is to have that extra bottle or two for her to have when we are out or to have DH feed her at night. Most of the time it's just used for the night time feeding.

So, how much milk do you keep in your fridge and how much do you freeze? I am planning on weaning when DD2 is about 3 mos. old because since I don't have an oversupply I don't plan on pumping at work.

[lizzywednesday]

I pump at work; my office is about 1.5 hours away on my homeward-bound trip due to traffic.

I am only in the office once a week, and have found the expressed milk travels better if I freeze it immediately after pumping ... and since it is only needed once per week when DD is with my SIL, it stays in my freezer. (I nurse DD when I work from home and on the weekends.)

Currently, I've got a sizeable stash so it's available in a pinch or if DH and I go out and need to leave DD with other folks.

As I pump directly into the pump-and-save bags from Medela, there's no loss of resources or space, though I do have to check the supply of bags! (I think I am running low & tomorrow is my in-office day.)

[Andi98989]

I EP; here is my system:

Pump on Monday; combine all that milk into a pitcher
Pump on Tuesday; combine all that milk into a second/separate pitcher
Tuesday night, make up bottles for Wednesday using milk from Monday; freeze any extra.

That leaves me with access to "extra" milk (from Tuesday) if I need it on Wednesday, and gives me a buffer for the weekend when I have to make up all his bottles (during the week he gets frozen milk at daycare)