i need info about breastmilk?

Question

i just gave birth to a premie i i have to pump all my milk and feel like im getting a lot of milk. i want to know how much milk i should be getting and also where i can get info about donating my extra milk. anything is helpful. thanks

I already have lots stored in the freezer. I am pumping at least 40 ounces a day and right now my son is only eating about 10 ounces a day. i know that the amount he is eating will increase, but i dont know how much. thats why i want to know how much i will need. before i try to donate.

oh yeah, i forgot to mention that there is no more room in my freezer.

Answer 1

FREEZE it! save it! you will need it later on. how early was your child? its very common at about the 4 week mark into pumping to experience a huge drop in supply.. if you still need to be pumping at that point you may need the frozen milk to supply to the NICU until you get your supply back up.. you may also need it later when you bring the child home to give medications.. i had to give pumped bottles to add the liquid iron into.

Answer 2

There's no right or wrong amount of milk that you should be making. But don't worry about donating it. Just get breastmilk storage bags or ice cube trains and freeze the milk your baby doesn't eat right away. This way if you have to go back to work and can't pump as much, you'll have extra milk stored. Also, your supply may eventually die down though your baby's need will increase, so it'll be nice to have the extra milk on backup so you don't need to supplement with formula as quickly.


One ice cube equals about one ounce of milk, just so you know. Some breastmilk storage bags are boil-able, so you can put them in boiling water til they melt, then test the temperature. If it's warm enough, poor it into a bottle and you're good to go, if it's too warm, let it sit for a few minutes, and if it's too cold, poor it into the bottle and put the bottle in some hot water for a few minutes, then test it.

Answer 3

Well they will eat around 2-4 oz per feeding and you are supposed to feed every 2-3 hours with no more than 5 hours without feeding at night. Sooooooooo ummm

with 2 5 hour streaches at 2 oz a feeding would be 32oz

with 2 5 hours streaches at 4oz a feeding would be 64oz

Sooo right now you are doing GREAT. When he starts eating more you will hopefully be actually nursing and your supply will go up with that. He will eventually catch up with you. I know its awful but you may have to toss some. Ask the nurses at the NICU if you can donate your milk. They should have the info for your area. Make sure you are rotating your freezer stash. Good luck.

Answer 4

If you have "just" given birth, then the huge amounts of milk that you are producing is probably normal... it is common to become engorged and leaky in the early days of breastfeeding (I sure was!) It sorts itself out within a few weeks.

However, your milk production will usually adapt to the demand for it, so if you are pumping all the milk that you have, you may keep the supply higher, longer. If you can, try pumping less milk than you can (leave some in there). If you *have* to pump it all out (because of pain and leaking), then your local hospital or La Leche League (in Canada) should be able to tell you how and where to donate the extra milk.

Answer 5

Good for you, and it's great you have so much milk!

I donated my surplus milk (I work, and my daughter won't drink my milk not from the tap), and it was really rewarding. Here's some places to look:

-Milk banks. I recommend you donate to an HMBANA bank (they're sort of for milk what the Red Cross is for blood) if possible. They are the most reputable, and they are non-profit. Here, you're helping primarily sick (and preemie!) babies.

-Private donation. The nice thing about this is that you're helping moms who can't use milk banks- usually, moms who have low/no supply for medical reasons, or adoptive moms.

Again, good on you for wanting to donate! :D

Answer 6

There are places to donate your milk to, they are run like blood banks. Contact your local La laeche club and they should know where you can donate. A friend of the family adopted a little girl and used donor breast milk. It's supposodely very safe, they test all the milk.

Answer 7

I don't know of any place you can donate your breast milk to,but I do know that you can freeze it to use at a later date.As for how much you should be getting all depends on how often you pump.The more often you pump the more you will get over time.( Supply and demand ) the more the demand the higher volume of milk you will produce.

Answer 8

First, let me congratulate you the wise decision to pump breast milk!!!!

My son was a preemie and I began pumping in the hospital. It wasn't too long before we were able to feed him the breast milk in a preemie bottle. And then later he was strong enough to breast feed.

Your body is making the best possible food for your premature baby. As you get closer to your due date, your breast milk will actually change to breast milk more suitable for a full term newborn. (I still think this is awesome, yet hard to understand).

Don't donate your extra milk!!! You will need it!!! Pump, pump, pump and save, save, save. If you let up on pumping, your body will really slow down on producing milk and your baby will need it. I KNOW pumping is a lot of work and a HUGE time commitment, but it's the best thing for your preemie. Keep pumping and freeze any extra milk for later.

Best of luck with everything and congratulations on the birth of your baby.

Answer 9

I wouldn't donate it just yet. You can have complications later and end up drying up so I would just hang on to it for as long as you possibly can (if it is about to expire then I would consider donating it). Also think about keeping it if you are going back to work.

Your OB should have suggestions on a place to donate it.

Answer 10

the nurses in the nicu should be able to tell you how to donate it,or you could store it to use at a later date.
congrats