breastmilk storage?

[Bluenpinkmom]

Hey all,

I have a 2 month old who is exclusively breastfed. We are planning on a gender selective IVF PGD (due to some genuine reason) once she turns about 9 months. So starting at 6 months im planning to wean her from breast (just breast as far as possible not breast milk) . So Im planning to pump and store milk in freezer from right now so that i can have a nice storage for her once i wean her from breast and also use it for cereals once i start her on solids at 4-6 months.

Now, the problem is my hospital rental is ending next month so I just have a month to pump and store. I cannot afford a electric pump right now since we are saving for IVF. So how can I go about this?

Is it really good to give baby such a old stored milk? i have a refrigerator with a freezer unit separate on top . How long can I store milk in this?

 

[sheldonsmommy]

You can store milk in a freezer for 6-12 months. Frozen milk is slightly less nutritious than fresh as some nutrients are killed by freezing, but the difference is probably marginal.

Check out kellymom.com for tons of breastmilk storage guidelines, it's been a really good resource for me.

Can you look into buying a used pump? Or maybe there are places near you that rent pump. Hand pumps are also an option, but in my personal experience, it was not as effective. I have heard different experiences though. The most cost-effective method would be to hand express, but I was terrible at it, so I don't recommend it. Again, some people find this method very effective.

I would bet that even if you bought a small electric pump, it would still be cheaper than feeding with formula for 6 months, that stuff is expensive!!