Establishing a Freezer Stash of Breast Milk

The question I get asked most frequently during my first consultation with a family is how to establish a great stash of milk in the freezer. This is completely understandable, especially in light of the recent formula shortage. Moms are often disappointed when I tell them we will talk about that later, as I want to first get breastfeeding off to a good start. I explain that getting your supply established with a baby nursing successfully is the best way to eventually get that stash, so we start with that focus for the first 3 weeks. My goal is to have Mom exclusively nursing, with no pain and the baby thriving. Pumping enters into the picture if Mom is uncomfortable. I have her pump for comfort only. Not for a certain amount of time, or to get a certain amount of milk. She gets what she gets, and can use it to buy a little sleep for herself at night if necessary. I wouldn’t freeze it at that point, as it is full of really good things, and I want the newborn to get it now. It can easily be given by Dad with a dental syringe to give Mom a break.

Once the family gets through the three week growth spurt, I ask Mom to start pumping every morning after the first morning feeding. Again, not for a certain amount of time, or to get a certain amount of milk, but until her breasts feel soft. Initially, she might not get much milk, but I will have her collect it in a bottle in the fridge. When she gets three ounces, which might take a couple of pumping sessions, she has her first bottle for the baby. When the baby has that first bottle, (and any bottle thereafter) she will pump, and replace what she just used. Many families like to have that 3 oz bottle in the fridge at all times, to use as needed. This is especially helpful for families that have older children, who will be prone to meltdowns with a new baby in the house. The bottle allows Mom to attend to the needy sibling, while someone else attends to the baby. This often goes a long way to ensure good behavior from older children. One on one time with Mom prevents a host of problems.

Once Mom has that 3 ounces in the fridge, we start to work on the freezer stash. Again, Mom will collect pumped milk every morning in a bottle in the fridge, combining milk from multiple pumping sessions until she has 4 oz. Once she has 4 ounces, she can freeze it. I recommend freezing excess milk in the morning, after making it through the night without any difficulties.

Breast milk needs to be frozen in bags specifically intended for breastmilk. Laying the bags flat in a gift bag is the best way to store it. Here is a video showing how to do it:

A Simple Breast Milk Storage Technique

I explain to Mom that she will be pumping every morning after the first morning for most of the first year. While she might not get a lot at 3 weeks, as her baby sleeps longer at night, she will get more milk in the morning. Eventually, she will be able to freeze a 5-6 oz bag a day. At some point, her baby will nurse on only one breast upon waking in the morning and she will just pump the other. By following these guidelines and doing this consistently, women will have a great stash of milk in the freezer. They will be able to come and go as they need to, and will have plenty extra for the inevitable dips in their supply that occur with illness, stress and returning to work. If Mom feels she has plenty of milk and wants to cut back on the morning pumping, it can easily be done and sometimes happens naturally when the baby starts solid food at 6 months.

I tend to see problems with women who start to attempt to stash milk immediately at birth. The first is the trend to use the Haakaa on one side while nursing the baby on the other. Mom’s freeze the milk collected from the Haaka. The problem with that is that your baby needs that milk now, so these babies don’t gain as they should and are often not happy. In addition, a Haaka provides continuous suction and can cause pretty significant nipple trauma that gets further exacerbated each time you pump.

Another issue is that early pumping can cause an overabundant milk supply, which everyone jokes is a great problem to have. But ask any woman who has gone through it, and she will tell you, it’s not fun! When women with a healthy successfully nursing baby pump as they are trying to get their supply established, they make their body think they have two or more babies to feed. Their body will go into hormonal overdrive and make much more than they need.I have seen women pump as much as 60 ounces more than their baby needs, each day! This results in the need to pump in order to be comfortable, and a very fussy baby. The mothers put themselves at risk of mastitis and often have very embarrassing leaking with clogged ducts that are painful. The babies gain a considerable amount of weight, often spit up, get mad at the breast because of a forceful let down, and often have an upset stomach because of the high sugar content of the abundant milk.

So please hold off on building that stash until after 3 weeks. Get breastfeeding off to a good start and your milk supply established to the appropriate amount your baby needs. And if you need any help with that, or building your freezer stash, know that we are here to help!

When you do start collecting and storing breast milk, be sure to follow these guidelines for safe storage.