Hello Dear Boobjuicers and Friends!
So, Mama C.C. told me an absolute horror story recently... her husband unplugged the freezer.
Why would anyone do that? There was some reason, she related it to me, but I was so horrified by the idea of losing the stash of breastmilk that was always barely big enough for the work week ahead that I didn't hear it. That event worked out okay, but then there was another freezer-related situation which resulted in a portion of her stash thawing. On like a Saturday morning. AAAAIIIIEEEE! So she fed her kiddo the thawed milk for the next 24 hours and had to spend a weekend pumping instead of getting a nice, cuddly break from the breadwinning week routine. Ugh. Poor Mama C.C.!
Things like this always had me in abject terror when my little guy was on just boobjuice or mostly boobjuice, and I was making the donuts 45 minutes away (on a lucky traffic day) from him. In retrospect, really it wasn't so scary - I mean, I'm not a surgeon or some vocation that you really can't leave on a moment's notice, and babies don't starve to death in 45 minutes. But it felt like that, and that made the whole thing just so much more wrought with anxiety. It's almost like there's some awful screechy violin music playing in the back of your head the whole time you're at your day job, and you can't hear through it to the practical solution behind the potential crisis.
Someone called me once to discuss the storage at work situation. My routine was to use the classy little black cooler bag Medela provides in the Pump-in-style kit to transport the bags to and from my office. I would put the freezer pack in the freezer when I got in each morning, and return the black cooler bag to the fridge after each session. This prevented having to walk through the office with a little bag of breastmilk, which might have weirded out some clients (phooey on them if they're weirded out, but since they're clients, we go for the more discreet option, eh?) I also had a fabric grocery bag which I would use to transport the pump parts to and from the sink for washing, but for the next kiddo (no I'm not pregnant) I'm going to do what Mama C.C. suggested and have enough sets of pump parts so I don't have to wash during the day.
What tips and tricks do you mamas have to share? Leave me a comment so we can all benefit from your boobjuice wisdom.
Lastly, if you are one of those very blessed high-production mamas, do NOT let your extra milk sit in the freezer and expire - donate!!! There are lots of ways to donate breastmilk - locally or even internationally. Here is a nifty map of milk banking organizations in North America. And here is a trailer for a movie about donating breastmilk to save premature babies, which will totally make you cry.
You could save a tiny life! What an amazing gift to give.
Happy boobjuicing!
Much Love,
Suzi
Wondering if I should donate some of the milk in the freezer -- then we'd have more room! I have bags and bags from June and early July, when I needed to pump daily to relieve the excess. Keep pestering me to find out about donation options, will ya?
ReplyDeleteDefinitely consider it! Check out that website as a start. Plus the Oregon Nursing Mothers' Counsel will probably have some helpful hints.
ReplyDeleteGina, if kiddo is eating solids you can add breastmilk instead if water to homemade food. You can also make baby smoothies, banana, apples puree than mix in breastmilk for thinner consistency.
ReplyDeleteDo not try to make breastmilk yogurt. The good bacteria in breastmilk fights off the other bacteria in yogurt that gets it to thicken.
Gina, you could also contact some of the local midwives and see if anybody they are working with is supplementing their babies with donated breastmilk. I had to do this when my baby was first born until my milk production increased. If it wasn't for my amazing midwife putting the word out to other mamas, then I would have been supplementing with formula.
ReplyDelete:)