Table of Contents
Introduction
There are plenty of moms who struggle with milk production, so they often have to utilize techniques to increase it. There are medications their care providers can prescribe, as well as safe supplements to take. However, many moms decide that the best thing to do for their situation is to put their babies on formula.
However, a few lucky moms can produce so much milk that they have a surplus. And they face the problem with what they can do with so much excess frozen breastmilk. Fortunately, there are plenty of things you can do with extra breastmilk, and let’s talk about them now.
Breastmilk Donation
There are plenty of moms that would love to breastfeed their babies who cannot. The moms in this position who prefer to give their infants breastmilk instead of baby formula can. These moms can feed their babies donated breastmilk by other moms that create a surplus of it.
The NICU units of hospitals also use donated breastmilk to feed premature infants who have moms who cannot breastfeed them. Breastmilk is essential for premature babies because they contain essential nutrients to nurture their growth and development. Infants who have gastrointestinal issues and other medical problems can access breastmilk if their moms cannot breastfeed.
Moms that want to donate their breastmilk to milk banks such as the Human Milk Banking Association Of North America have the option to do so. These moms require screening, as there are strict requirements. However, moms with extra breastmilk can find other uses for it. Another way they can do that is to put it into baby food.
Add Breastmilk To Baby Food
Moms with infants that are too young for solids will not use breastmilk for baby food. However, for moms who have babies old enough to eat solids, they can use their extra frozen breastmilk to add to baby food. If your infant eats rice cereal, add the breastmilk to rice cereal. If your infant is old enough to eat pancakes or oatmeal, why not add some breastmilk.
If you decide to continue to give your baby breastmilk past the age of twelve months, then you can express it into a sippy cup. Therefore, the baby can drink your breastmilk from the sippy cup as they eat their solids. The ideas for using extra breastmilk do not end there.
Breast Milk Ice Pops Are A Great Treat For Your Baby
You will want to get popsicle molds if you don’t have any already. Firstly, when your baby is around four months old, teething pain can begin. Therefore, you can give your teething baby a breast milk ice pop for soothing teething pain. In addition to that, your baby will enjoy it.
Even if your baby is not teething at the moment, and it is a hot summer day, you can give your infant a cold treat to cool down. A breast milk ice pop is a treat that your toddler would love as well for the summer.
There is only so long that frozen breastmilk can last. However, if breastmilk is past its ‘best before’ date, you don’t need to toss it away. That is because there are other things you can use for breastmilk that does not involve food. Let’s go over those now.
How To Tell If Frozen Breastmilk Is Bad
Frozen breastmilk can freeze up to six months, and if you do not use it by then, then you cannot feed it to your baby – even if it does not appear to have gone bad. Breastmilk spoils fast if it’s left out in the open for over a day or left in the fridge for around eight days. Breastmilk should not stay in the refrigerator for three days.
You notice that when breastmilk goes bad, it has the same smell as sour cow’s milk. Secondly, you will see that the breastmilk fails to mix when swirled, and that is another sign that you have expired milk.
The best thing to do when it comes to spoiled breastmilk is to toss it out. However, if the frozen breastmilk is six months old and does not appear spoiled, it’s still too risky to feed your baby. Instead, you can use it to get crafty or for a milk bath.
From Milk Bathing To Getting Crafty
You can use old frozen breastmilk in several ways. The one way is to use it for a milk bath. Thaw the milk, and then pour it into a bathtub full of water. Then put your baby into it. The milk will help moisturize your baby’s skin. Your infant will also find a milk bath quite soothing, and that may help them fall asleep quicker after bath time is over. That is one thing you can do with leftover frozen breastmilk.
Another fun thing to do with leftover frozen breastmilk is to create diaper creams, lotions, soaps, and other crafts. If you are not the crafty type, you won’t care to do that, and you can just use leftover frozen breastmilk for a bath for your baby.
Conclusion
If you can breastfeed, and if you can nourish your baby well without supplementation, then you will want to freeze your excess breastmilk. That way, others can feed your baby‘ if you cannot do so because you are working or away from your baby with your frozen breastmilk.
However, you will have extra milk leftover. Fortunately, there are things you can do with the leftover milk. You can either donate it or add it to your infant’s food. You can also use it for a milk bath if it goes past its ‘best by’ date, or you can use the leftover old milk for craft making. Either way, there is no reason to waste frozen breastmilk.
