The End of a (Breastfeeding) Era

This is without a doubt way too much information for Facebook. But this is my blog, so save it. 

I officially stopped breastfeeding last week. So today I cleaned out 13 containers of breast milk from the freezer. Excited to gain back the space from our little side-by-side freezer, but I did have a little moment of mourning. It was especially sad, as I never once actually fed Oliver any of the frozen stuff. Having made a concerted effort to store it over several months, I did figure out a few things, which I will share now with the chance that it is useful to someone. A form of an eulogy. 

Fresh milk lasts about a week, and thawed milk only 24ish hours, so way easier to use fresh than frozen. But, in case you get sick or will need to leave for extended periods of time, or of course are going back to work, it's a good idea to have some frozen.  

Save the jars and containers for the fridge. Instead, poor the pumped milk into a storage bag. Label it with the date before you have milk in it. Lay it flat to freeze. It takes up way less space and thaws faster. If you collect a lot, my friend Anne suggested cutting a slit in the bottom and top of a kleenex box and standing it up on end, so that you put the new milk in the top and use the oldest milk first from the bottom. 

At first when you're pumping, you'll get a LOT and it seems like this never-ending supply. Take advantage! Sure enough, it will dwindle. A bit like youth, I suppose. But, instead of freezing 6oz in one bag, I would break it down into smaller 2 or 3oz portions. Once it's thawed, it doesn't last all that long, so you may not use it all, and you can always thaw more than one bag at a time. Then you'll have a supply that lasts much longer. And don't worry, you will know if it's gone too long. Stinky. 

Ok. And now I'm over it. Who's ready for a weekend away from baby??