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Too much milk?

Too much milk? 

For a new mum, socialising is a must. Daily outings to the park, walks around the shops, trips to baby-friendly cafes and the so important movie with the “Big Scream” at the cinema every Wednesday…

 

Having a new baby can be a rather solitary experience, one that is both rewarding and tough, and so talking becomes really important. I have spoken with so many mums during the past 5 months and these casual chats in feeding rooms have proven more than once to be really useful. We have shared tips on routines, toys, how to ease colic and tricks to get the little ones to sleep etc…

 

I have chosen to breastfeed my child, but at 5 months now, I know this is slowly coming to an end. Liam is increasingly interested in what we eat and becomes ecstatic when he sees that food is coming his way. This is a huge milestone for the two of us and something I am both looking forward to and dreading. For the past 4 months I have been donating surplus milk to the Milk Bank. We are not told enough that breast milk donations are always needed to help sick and premature babies. You will not see it advertised anywhere and hardly anyone seems to know about it.

 

If, like me, you have more milk than you baby needs, freeze it for later (you can get sterile milk storing pouches from any supermarket) and get in touch with your local Milk Bank. All you need to do is fill in a short questionnaire, have a blood test (quick and easy even for “needlephobes” like me) and they’ll do the rest. The Milk Bank will provide you with sterile bottles and labesl and will even arrange for the milk to be collected. All you need is a little bit of room in your freezer!

 

Visit www.ukamb.org for more details.

 

Have a lovely summer with your babies!

  

Stefanie & Liam, Cambridge

Replies

  • That looks like a good service. We used to freeze milk but was I doing something wrong - it used to smell metallic when it defrosted?
  • Well done you, it isnt something I thought about with Harry, like you say it isnt really promoted enough - but then they say a lot of people give up on BF early and therefore they dont want to push people, but I do think there shold be more info about it. I will consider this if ther eis a next time.

  • RE: Metallic smell...

    I generally freeze the milk straight after I have expressed it, or sometimes if I don't have much, I'll wait till I express next, no more than 24 hours though. I keep the milk at the back of the fridge, not in the door as it is not keeping it constantly cold.

    I use the sterile milk pouches from Tesco (exactly the same as Babys R' Us ones, half the price.) and push as much air out as I can so I can freeze tehm flat. I just run them under luke-warm tap water to defrost them.

    The tricky bit is to warm teh milk if your little one prefers warm milk. I use the Summer steam bottle warmer (about £20 from Boots Direct) and warm it for the minimum of time. breast milk is tricky to re-heat so try to use the "heat wave" we are experiencing as a good time to introduce cool milk to your little one. 

    Please pass this around!

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