Bottles for breast milk
Maybe a silly question but is there a diffrence between bottles you would use for pumped breast milk and bottles you would use for formula?
This is my first baby and I have purchased a breast pump in advance of baby arriving but noticed today that certain articles refer to breast milk bottles. What is the difference other than maybe they 'fit' your breast pump equipment??? (maybe - not even sure that's the case!)
Also how long can you keep breast milk in the fridge for before you would need to freeze it? Not sure I will be pumping enough for this to be a problem but just trying to figure it out! I assume it is best to freeze in the bags you can buy rather than the containers that come with a pump.
Thanks ladies.
This is my first baby and I have purchased a breast pump in advance of baby arriving but noticed today that certain articles refer to breast milk bottles. What is the difference other than maybe they 'fit' your breast pump equipment??? (maybe - not even sure that's the case!)
Also how long can you keep breast milk in the fridge for before you would need to freeze it? Not sure I will be pumping enough for this to be a problem but just trying to figure it out! I assume it is best to freeze in the bags you can buy rather than the containers that come with a pump.
Thanks ladies.
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Replies
The best way to freeze the milk is to use ice cube trays and freeze small portions, that way you can defrost what you need. When they're frozen you can transfer the cubes to freezer bags so they take up less space. I made the mistake of freezing in 5oz batches, but as my dd wouldn't take a bottle she never drank them. I ended up using them to mix with food when we started weaning, but you only need a small amount so I ended up throwing away quite a lot.
Breastmilk keeps for 6 months in the freezer. There are differing guidelines for storage in the fridge. Lansinoh say it is as much at 8 days (but not in the door), but I tended to leave it no more than 24 hours before freezing. The best way is to cool the milk down and then freeze as soon as possible.
If I'm completely honest I found pumping far too time consuming, and didn't pump beyond three months (my dd was awake a lot longer), pumped far too much and ended up wasting it. I will be building up a small freezer stock next time, but no where near as much!
Hope that helps.