Now that I've actually pumped a few bottles (albeit teeny weeny 1-2oz amounts cuz this pumping thing hasn't just HAPPENED easily), I need some assvice...
How do YOU label your stored breastmilk?
Because I'm building up a supply, and the problem is, this whole pump system DOESN'T come with a labelling system for me to know which bottles were pumped on which days. So right now I'm relying on a piece of paper next to the fridge, and a whole lotta HOPE that neither the husband nor I change the order the bottles are lined up (oldest in front, newest in back).
I'm leaning towards a washable marker to just write on the damn bottles, cuz labels seem like a pain in the ass, but... ?
Help please!
Wednesday, 23 December, 2009
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23 comments:
I use the Medela pump n save bags. They have a place at the top to write the date & amount. They also hook on to the pump so u can pump right into the bag. Just be sure to remember it will expand when frozen so it'll look like a larger amount.
You can also get some first aid tape, put it on the bottle, & write on that the date & amount.
I used storage bags as it made my life so much easier and they can be frozen or put in the fridge. They're like $10 for a box of 50, but well worth it if you're going to stockpile.
the medela pump and save bags are best. you can label and store in the air-free bags, which is better than a bottle. store in the coldest part of the fridge, near the back usually, away from the door.
depending on your system and freezer, you may be able to store up to a few months, see:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/t026900.asp#T026901
meant to say store in the coldest part of the FREEZER. NOT fridge. duh.
I use freezer bags and label them and put them in the freezer laying flat and "file them" by date. I was using the storage bags but am now saving close to $7 a box so it works for me. If you are worried about them being sterile, they are packed the exact same way as the storage bags so I didn't see the difference.
Don't mix your pumpings unless they are the exact same temperature or when they thaw from the freezer the milk will look funky.
I also always keep a bottle in the fridge just in case, but the ones from the freezer thaw very quickly in hot water.
I used the Lanisoh bags. That way I could write on them with marker.
Another vote for the Medela pump N save bags. They take up less space in the frig/freezer. And you can lay them flat if needed.
I loved the Lansinoh bags. Half the price of the Medela, they hold more, and they lay flat. In the beginning though, when I wasn't pumping as much and wasn't trying to build a stash, I just put a piece of scotch tape on the bottle and wrote the date down. I'm all about the 'free' whenever I can manage it
Storage bags, as everyone else has said. I used the Gerber, and they worked great - no leaks transporting them home from work. No leaks in the freezer. Easy to defrost. Easy to mark.
Thanks for posting the question, I was wondering that myself for the new year...
I like the Lanisoh bags as well, but to be honest I've never tried Medela.
At my breast feeding class, our instructor recommended freezing breastmilk in ice trays then putting them in Ziplock bags. Each cube is an ounce and then you can count out how much you need. The only problem here is storage. Bags of cubes take up a LOT of room.
Now I've started freezing four ounces in a Lansioh bag so I can lay them flat. Then I add cubes to it as needed.
i also use the Lansinoh bags. i planned to use the medela, but the price difference changed my mind. i've had no problems with the Lansinoh. i write the date on the top part of the bag, dump my bottle of milk in and lay the bag flat in the freezer until it's frozen. then i stack the flat bags in shoebox size boxes in the freezer--and mark the dates on the outside of the boxes. once my supply was good and established and i really started building my freezer stash, i began making all of my bags the same size (4 oz), so i don't have to pay attention to the amount when i grab bags out of the freezer. now i may just need to invest in another freezer, because our deep freeze is FULL of baby milk.
Easy Peasy (Now that I've been pumping for 4 months and figured out an awesome system)
I love the Lansinoh storage mommy milk bags. (Much better than Medela but any bag you like is fine)
They have a labeling system right on top, above the zip lock. I personally put the date (I also used to put when it expired so I wouldn’t have to do finger math in the future), how many oz I pumped, my baby’s name (In case I took the bags to daycare but I’m pumping enough to give fresh every day), Then I put FF if I froze it right after pumping, I put a B if I scalded it first (My milk tastes funny if it sits longer than 30 days in the deep freeze and scalding the milk cures that but looks like I won’t need it, I’m an over achiever on pumping). And if I don’t freeze it right away (like if it sits in the fridge 15-20 min first), I put one F so that I know I didn’t forget to just label it.
Now – that’s for freezing. I get all the air out and lay them down flat so they look like milk bars.
For my daily bottles, I have one shelf in the door exclusively for my breast milk. I just put a piece of scotch tape on them (fold one end so it’s easy to get off) and write the date – and either EAM for early AM pumping, AM for the morning pump – PM for the afternoon pump or LPM for late pumping.
That’s it. Tape! How easy is that!
Then I put all the oldest to freshest from right to left on the shelf and just keep rotating it as I use it and renew it.
And now that I’m sick of all my bottles being used for storing milk, I’m now pumping right into the Lansinoh bags (taping them on the pump) and labeling them to keep in the fridge, saves space and bottles for when I’m ready to use them. I dump anything older than 3 days though it can last longer, I just make tons of milk and don’t need to keep it. I’ve even quit freezing my milk because I’m not using it before it expires. (My milk has an excess of the enzyme lipase, which begins to break down the milk fat soon after the milk is expressed, so I have to freeze it right away and after discard it after 30 days of being frozen or it tastes like a dead fish – though most mother’s milk can last much longer in the deep freeze).
GL
P.S. I would like to invite you to read my blog, I'm nothing close to creative, but I am a mom.
If your interested, please e-mail me your e-mail to babybirdee@gmail.com.
I use the first years bags and I love them. Just put the date on them & freeze away!
I just used masking tape and a sharpie wit the medela bottles. It works in a pinch!
I had the Medela Pump in style. When I stored bottles in the fridge I would set the bottle on top of a post it note with the pump date written on it. It worked for me.
Hmm, can't offer you any advice, or assvice, on that subject. Reading what other have to say though, in case my booby-milk-labeling time does in fact come right around the corner!
I used the bags. I got out as much air and laid them flat to freeze - then lined them up in a tupperware container. I wrote with marker the ounces and date. Good luck!!!
Well, I don't have any breastmilk to store, but I'd recommend food storage labels. The ones we use at work are Cambro StoreSafe labels. They hold up really well in the fridge and freezer, but dissolve in hot water so you don't have to peel them off later.
Lansinoh bags are great and have a spot to label the date and amount.
As a side note, 1-2 oz isn't a measly pump depending on when you are pumping. Your body only produces what your baby requests, so if that is what you get after a feed it is a good bit extra. You won't necessarily pump mass quantities unless you are pumping all day on top of your feeds.
I didn't read any other comments, so sorry if this is just a repeat - I used breastmilk storage bags. I think I used Medela with Karl, but with the other babies, I used gerber I believe. The kind with the ozs measured out on the side of the bag. Then I just wrote in sharpie the date and always used the oldest first. God. I had like 75 bags of bilk stored up (I donated my milk with Ella because I was such a cow) and I would of had to buy an extra freezer to store the milk in bottles! :)
Looks like you got a lot of great advice.
I pumped a lot of milk and used the bags and a Sharpee permanent pen to label them.
Your post made me smile, thinking about what my dad called the frozen milk bags..."Boob-cicles."
I ended up using lots of different containers (never used the bags), so I opted for good ol' scotch tape and permanent sharpies. Fold over a little of the tape before you stick it on the bottle and it is much easier to get off. The permanent ink insured that moisture or fingers would not rub the date off. I wrote the date I pumped it and then could easily mix bottles for freezer storage and prep bottles for day care. I liked the Avent storage bottles because they lock together -- http://www.amazon.com/Philips-Avent-Breast-Milk-Storage/dp/B00018XCS8. Happy pumping!
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