Daily Breastmilk Cycle

Having understood how long EBM can last either at room temperature, refrigerator or freezer, you must also devise a plan on how best to maximise the usage of the EBM.

Over 4 kids, this is my GRAND PLAN.  *snigger*

It’s pretty simple actually.  During my 2 months confinement period, everytime I nurse, I always express from the other breast.  Need to build stock before I start work.

Once work begins, how I store the EBM depends on that day of the week.

For Mondays to Thursdays, EBM is always stored in the refrigerator.  Because it will be the baby’s feeds for the next working day.  Freezing preserves the live of EBM but it does kill certain enzymes and it’s best to have the EBM as alive as possible.

Fridays, I would immediately freeze the EBM.  This is because, the Fridays’ stock will be used on Mondays and because the EBM would not survive  a whole weekend, I need to freeze it.

Sunday nights, I would bring Mondays’ stock down from the freezer to the refrigerator for a gradual thaw.

And this begins again weekly.

There would be days when you are forced to work late or overnight trips.  And since if you’re home, there’s no way to express as the baby may as well grows out of your hips, I always make it a point to wake a little early around 5:00am, when the baby is normally fast asleep, completely sated from her marathon nursing and express.

That is how I managed to cart 28 bottles of 10oz each of EBM to my mother’s place who was to watch my baby while I attend a meeting in Bangkok.  And true enough, when I came home 3 days later, my son Ariz was on his last bottle.  Timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

So there.  Not impossible my friends.  Just worth every sweat.  Seriously!