How much should i freeze?

What i mean is, what amount in each bottle.  My son will be about six weeks wke i go back to work, and i'm not sure how much he'll be eating then (at one feeding).   I don't want to have a bunch of waste.  Does 4 ounces seem about right??

[PamelaBee]

I have heard to freeze the amount you use for one feeding.  I would think 4oz sounds about right.  Does he eat 4oz at one feeding?

[kylesMom09]

I would think that 4 oz is pretty good...I made the mistake of freaking out and thinking i wasn't going to have enough saved up just in case and i pumped every chance i had.  Now i have (last time i checked) around 350 oz of milk in the freezer that will probably just go to waste.  So i wouldn't suggest going that route b/c it just takes up a lot of space!!

[jenkaye21]

that is amazing!  i have been pumping every chance i get and i have only about 36 oz!  What kind of pump did you use??

[pookie1121]

I had a whole freezer full when I was breastfeeding my daughter.  I have a global job at work and had to travel a few days each month and that extra milk came in handy.  My daughter was exclusively breastfeed for the first 6 months and then I slowly introduced babyfoods.  I didnt stop breastfeeding completely until she was 17 months old.  I dont even know how much milk we had in our deep-freezer but the thing was almost entirely full when I went back to work when they were 5 months old!  It was CRAZY!  But I used almost all of it in the end!    When she was sick or had a stomach flu a few times, then usually she stopped eating solids and just wanted milk, so it was good to have that extra frozen milk.   And when I started giving her a  cereal, I used the frozen breastmilk in it instead of regular milk or water.

Now I just had twins almost 8 weeks ago.  They were 8 weeks premature.  I am able to produce enough milk for them and freeze about 10oz per day.  I now have 300oz in the freezer :)

ps.  there are other uses for breastmilk too.  They say you can put it in their bath water and it is good for their skin.  My midwife says you can put a drop or two in their noses when they have stuffy noses, etc.  

[Diane1003]

Make sure when you freeze it to lay the storage bag flat so it'll freeze flat. I made the mistake of freezing it standing up and it made storage a problem!  Best of luck with pumping/freezing!  If you stick with it you should be able to build up a good storage. We had excess and had to toss it b/c we didn't cycle out the old stuff and freeze new stuff - be careful of the dates of the milk you defrost and freeze new stuff!

[jenkaye21]

Oh, thanks for the advice!  I *have* been standing them up, i will definitely start laying them down so they'll store better.

[Diane1003]

:-)  When I put the bags flat the first time I was like, "DUH!?  Why didn't anyone tell me this?!"  Good luck with things!

[kylesMom09]

I use the medela in style pump...I LOVE it!  Keep it up and you will have a good supply in no time.
I never even thought about laying it flat.  That would probably make a huge difference when it comes to storage.
Pookie-
I never knew of all the other uses.  Kyra has a problem with eczema so maybe it is worth trying some milk in her bath!!

[pookie1121]

I lay all the bags flat so that they freeze, but then after they are frozen move them and store them standing on their sides in a drawer in our deep freezer.

I also use the pump in style and am very happy with it.

KylesMom09 - oh yes, it is a wonder all the uses it is good for.  It is definitely worth a try.  When my husband was sick back when our first daughter was born, our pediatrician told him that if he can, he should gargle the breast milk or drink it something.  I forget exactly.  :)

[pookie1121]

My Milk Supply in Deep Freezer :)    :

http://www.medhelp.org/user_photos/show/100426?personal_page_id=33827