Breastmilk Freezer Stash 101: When To Pump, How To Store Milk & Using Your Milk Stash

Building a breastmilk freezer stash can seem overwhelming, and the photos we see online make it seem like you need 5000oz before you can be proud! If you're a working mom, you do need to think about building a freezer stash before going back to work, but let's talk about how this works, some do's and don'ts, and the logistics of it all! If want help through this, let me know!
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0:00 Timestamps
0:38 How much milk do you NEED?
2:45 Freezer Stash Math
4:19 When to start pumping
5:41 Using your freezer stash
7:36 Storing frozen milk
10:46 Fresh VS Frozen milk
12:53 Balancing breastfeeding and pumping
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[@riahpapaya8091]

I have always been a massive oversupplier . I filled up 2 deep freezers full of milk . I started to donate to other moms. When I weaned at 19 months , I continued to pump for other moms . I’m now 8 weeks pregnant with baby #3. I’m hoping for the same outcome. I loved helping other moms and babies!

[@NewLittleLife]

You're amazing, well done!! Pumping is not for the faint of heart and donating breastmilk makes you a true angel!

[@riahpapaya8091]

@@NewLittleLife thank you so much ❤️

[@i_luv_hecklefish]

Wow...go mama! That's amazing and awesome that you are thinking of others. ❤

[@LeylangTish]

you’re one of the lucky ones. Thanks for donating. my baby had to get some of the donated milk from generous moms since my milk comes out one drop at time.

[@nayelimartinez2115]

Ur lucky 🤣🤣what was ur diet or stuff you did do to maintain or was it more so ur body was just great at making that milk🤣🤣

[@Emac4]

I’m breastfeeding my 4th baby and I’ve never had a huge stash with the other three because I’m rarely separated from baby. But after I nearly lost my supply due to a tongue tie in baby, having to supplement with donor milk and formula while I re-established a supply, I have anxiety about needing a much bigger stash than a day or two. I want to add: your videos were incredibly helpful as I rebuilt my supply from almost nothing to fully breastfeeding my baby and slowly rebuilding my freezer stash.

[@coolbreeze2011]

My baby has been an angel and been sleeping through the night since about 10 weeks old, so I've had to pump at night to maintain my daytime supply, and I'm able to stash about 15 oz per night. We're now just shy of 5 months old and I'm back to work, but I work from home 4/5 days per week, so I still mostly nurse during the day. I've been donating some but always seem to feel conflicted about how much I should keep for my baby as a safety net in case I have a supply drop down the road. It's such a hard balance to figure out how much is too little, how much is just enough, and how much is just anxiety-driven hoarding (I EP'd for my first and couldn't keep up with him, and its hard to convince myself that I'm not going through the same thing this time). Anyway, love your videos! They are always down to earth and set realistic expectations about what we can expect from our varied BFing journeys!

[@lurgeegirl]

I could never get my babies to latch, despite months of painfully and tearfully trying. And as a truly lazy person, pumping is the bane of my existence. It is SO hard, even with all your amazing tricks and tips (thank you!!). It's just a lot of work and effort. That said, I am pumping for my 2nd baby to create a stash specifically so that I can stop pumping sooner. I am lucky to have a large oversupply. I am making double the amount of milk I made with my first baby (usually between 60-70oz a day) I'm 2 months pp and have 1200 oz in the freezer so far. I'm also planning on combo feeding so I can start weaning off the pump around 3-4 months and introduce formula so I can stretch my breastmilk servings out as long as possible, rather than feeding strictly breastmilk for only a couple of months. They say you need about 1000 oz a month on average if you want to feed strictly breastmilk. My first baby was combo fed as well (without the freezer stash) and I pumped for 10 months with her. So I'm excited to have my time and body back sooner this time.

[@jenniecockburn8811]

From what I have been told and research done, breastmilk doesn't go bad. After 6/12 months it starts to lose nutritional value, but it is still safe to feed to your child,

[@NewLittleLife]

Agreed 👍🏼

[@gabrielacastro4182]

My plan was to deep freeze a stash for up to 12 months. I started building a feezer stash and have collected about 300 oz over the last 3 months. I just had my baby try the 1st months milk. I thawed it and warmed it up, but I took a wift of the milk and it had a metallic smell. Apparently its due to high lipase. I wish i was aware of this before, and now plans have changed because my baby has rejected the milk due to the taste.

[@tiffanyivanna7914]

This was super helpful, thank you. It eased my anxiety because I’m definitely more of a go with the flow momma and was overwhelmed with the thought of pumping a years worth of milk to freeze. I appreciate you emphasizing doing what’s best for each momma 😊

[@NewLittleLife]

SO glad that’s the message you took away 💙

[@i_luv_hecklefish]

"Don't do math live." 😂 Wisdom for the ages. I definitely felt like Gollum or the "My Precious" critter over my freezer stash with my last baby. 😅

[@NewLittleLife]

Haha right?!? Why do I do this to myself… 🤦🏽‍♀️

[@maureenm8046]

Is there any research on nutrient loss and freezing times?

[@stevenkatie789]

I’m back at work now and my daughter is almost 2 months. I have calculated how much I have in my stash and it’s about a weeks worth. I dig into it normally on Mondays because during the weekend I stay busy and don’t drink as much and eat as much so my supply goes down so by Tuesday I’m pumping my normal amount again.

[@mamaberry]

When milk changes by Baby's age, is that a gradual change, or are there certain 'stages' of breastmilk that track with stages of Baby's development?

[@ep5957]

Thanks!

[@xXcrimsonxroseXx]

I’ve been curious for a while about freeze-drying milk. It seems super convenient for people who want to give breast milk for a long time but don’t want to lactate for, say, 2 full years. I’ve also seen questions about them nutrition content after drying it. What’s your professional opinion?

[@Alexis_9339]

Super curious about this as well.

[@laurashortill8623]

Thank you Allison and NLL team for all your wonderful content. :) Can you, or another reader here, speak to which, if any, breast milk storage bags are the most accurate in tracking oz /mL content for those working moms who want to pump directly into milk storage bags? Some folks say all such bags are generally inaccurate - but I live in hope. ;)

[@NewLittleLife]

I love this question!! Sounds like some testing is needed!!!

[@juliegross198]

Can you combine a bag of frozen milk from one day with another bag of frozen milk from another?

[@michaelsimbert4809]

Thank You for the information❤❤

[@michellelopez5798]

My baby was a sleeper from the start I got mastitis bc he wouldn't empty me and I would have to be near him a lot bc he never drank a good amount I decided for me it was better to EP bc I have a toddler as well, EP made me have a huge oversupply I successfully made it to a year exclusively fed my baby and another baby I donate while it wasn't easy it gets better now I'm only pumping 2x daily

[@NewLittleLife]

AMAZING!!!!!!

[@hockmanhomestead]

The day before I returned to work from maternity leave my daughter was diagnosed with milk soy protein intolerance and I realized I couldn't use any of my freezer stash. I only had a few days worth, and was willing to adjust based on what was best for my daughter. I'm just sharing because the last thing I would want is for someone to have a freezer full if milk they couldn't use. Do what works best for you family, and be prepared to change if the need arises.

[@NewLittleLife]

Wow! What a hard situation and mentally jarring! Were you able to figure things out?

[@hockmanhomestead]

@@NewLittleLife based on the doctors recommendation we had to have two days of formula in order to reduce the amount of the proteins in my breast milk (and also to allow the inflammation in her intestines to improve) then we were about to resume with expressed milk (with formula added to increase calories). She did not like the transition to formula and luckily my work allowed me to delay my return until she was able to resume expressed milk. It was a challenging transition, however we made it work. We ended up almost exclusively pumping due to the need to add formula (calories). Luckily she has outgrown all her food intolerances. I'm currently pregnant and very curious about how things will go this time.

[@stellagriffith3696]

I’m looking to have 6months worth of milk in the freezer for a 6-12month baby. No clue how much I’d need

[@CutieMoli]

With my first baby i lost all my dupply when i freezer died whilst i was on holiday. I'm never putting all my eggs in the same basket ever again!

[@NewLittleLife]

Oh no!!!! That’s is TERRIBLE 😭😭

[@ep5957]

Thank you for this video. I have inverted nipples and my baby will not take my breast. I tried multiple ways and nothing so I have been exclusively pumping. Your videos are so helpful. Do you have advise or videos for exclusive pumpers? ❤

[@NewLittleLife]

You can apply much of what is here to exclusive pumping! We have several exclusive pumpers inside our program, but we do focus alot on combining feeding at the breast and pumping. There are so many ways to accomplish breastfeeding though, so good for you for making it work with your pump! What are you strugging with most?

[@amandan943]

I love this channel

[@NewLittleLife]

Seriously made my day 🥰🥰🥰

[@srmedias4545]

Can you speak to freeze drying breastmilk so it’s a longer life powder? I’ve seen that there are a few companies that do this

[@NewLittleLife]

Good question! I haven’t read through much research on this yet (it’s limited for now) but I’ll sure keep my eye out for anything that pops up!

[@franvanover882]

Do you have a video that talks about lipolysis and how to help prevent this? I know you are supposed to scold your milk before freezing but can you store in fridge all day and do one scolding, let cool then freeze or do you have to scold immediately after pumping?

[@Alexis_9339]

Not sure if you found your info but some kids aren’t bothered at all by it! My son took frozen milk no issue even with the soapy taste and I was told it’s totally fine.

[@W.evelyn]

I have only 3 day’s supply stash

[@NewLittleLife]

Are you separated from your baby frequently?