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Breastfeeding/storing pumped milk
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Question
Sally,
I would like to start freezing some of my milk, but have a few questions.
1. When is the best time to pump between nursing so that I don't diminish the amount my baby receives at the subsequent feeding?
2. I can currently only get about an ounce pumped after a feeding. Is it ok to keep this in the refridgerator and add to it until I have enough to freeze?
3. Does the milk need to go straight into the freezer or can it stay in the fridge for a few hours?
Thank you,
Beth
Dear Beth,
First, congratulations on giving your baby the best start in life by breastfeeding! Now, I'll answer your questions:
1. One way to pump milk successfully is to pump from one breast while your baby is nursing from the other. Or you can pump about an hour after the last feeding. You'll most likely produce more milk early in the day, up to 1 p.m. Working women often find that their milk supply diminishes during the week, so they tend to have more on Monday.
2. You can add chilled pumped milk to frozen milk. Don't keep your pumped milk in the refrigerator for more than a few hours if you plan to freeze it. And always be sure to chill the milk first; adding warm milk can defrost the top layer of frozen milk.
3. It can stay in the fridge for a few hours -- but then it should go into the freezer.
I have an entire chapter in my bookdevoted to expressing and storing breast milk, and there are more details than I can go into here. You should be able to find the book at your local library, bookstore, or La Leche League chapter.
Good luck!
Sally
Sally Wendkos Olds
author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (Eiger & Olds, 1999)
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Answers by Expert:
Sally Wendkos Olds
Expertise
What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.
Experience
I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.
Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.
Other points of interest
I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding.
To find out more about me, go to
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