Breasfeeding

Updated on February 25, 2007
K.V. asks from Lynnwood, WA
17 answers

Hi! my baby is three weeks old, I had a lot of milk so I was pumping, but my question is if I could mix this breastmilk later, when I have to use it, because I have like one oz from one day, two from other day. I'm not sure you can mix breast milk from different days. Anyone knows about it?????

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H.G.

answers from Roanoke on

Yes, its okay to mix breast milk from different days. However, after some is 3 days old, its better to get rid of it unless you are freezing it. Good for you, breastfeeding and pumping!!

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S.

answers from Atlanta on

I mixed it without any problems. I pumped with both my kids and always mixed it. From what I read you could keep it in the refrigerator for 3 days or freeze it for 6 months. My son (now 9 months) ate so much I mixed breast milk with formula but with my daughter I had enough to store in the freezer. I hope this helps and good luck.

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A.B.

answers from Macon on

K.,
You can mix two days of breastmilk together, but once your baby starts feeding and finishes before all the milk is empty, throw out the remainder. Do not save leftovers.

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N.L.

answers from Atlanta on

I was told you can mix cold milk with frozen milk, put milk first in the fridge a couple of hours, then the freezer.put the new milk in the fridge and then when chilled, put in the frozen milk.Never rewarm unused milk. The extra milk makes great make-up remover, especially mascara!

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L.L.

answers from Atlanta on

cograts on the new baby!!! you can mix fresh and frozen i have read to mix more fresh than frozen in the mixture. you can keep frozen brest milk in a refrigerator style freezer for 3-4 months, in the refridgerator for 8 days and at room temp. for 10 hours. thawed brest milk you can keep in the fridg for 24 hours and at room temp. for 1 hour. (this is from a magnet that came w/ my brest pump) . hope it helps.

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L.S.

answers from Atlanta on

Congratulations on your new baby boy! To answer your question, yes, you can mix the breast milk from different days (at least I did and so does a lot of my mommy friends). I froze every drop of milk I could pump right after I had my little one (who is almost six months old now). Once I started back at work part-time, I pumped at work, but sometimes didn't pump enough to make up the number of ounces my baby drank. That's when the extra milk came in handy for me. Enjoy every minute with your little one and good luck!

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M.B.

answers from Savannah on

Yes you can mix it- you can even mix brm and formular if you need too! Congrats on your new baby and on breastfeeding!!!

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K.S.

answers from Macon on

Hi K., I am so glad to hear another mom breastfeeding. I fed both of my boys and still feeding the 15 month old now. Yes you can mix all your milk together. Just make sure you date it when you freeze it. I only pumped with my current baby while I was away at work and that is the only time he got a bottle. Now I jsut nurse him twice a day. From my experience, try not to give the baby a bottle too often because he will get used to it and no longer nurse and then your milk will dry up. When lactation says to keep nursing, you need to keep nursing. It is too conveneint and the milk is already the perfect temperature. I hope this helps

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M.B.

answers from Atlanta on

Absolutely! If you ever need to switch to formula, you can also mix it with that too. Just be sure to write the date on your breastmilk containers so you can use the oldest first. A good resource for the guidelines of breastmilk storage can be found at http://www.llli.org/NB/NBJulAug98p109.html

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D.C.

answers from Atlanta on

You can call Gwinnett Medical center and ask to speak to a lactation specialist and they can answer any questions you may have, they worked really well for me. They even have a support group for breatfeeding mothers and the specialist will show you anything that you have questions about. If i remember right from when I was breast feeding it is okay to mix the two. Once breastmilk is thawed and put into the fridge it is only good for 24 hours. So just put the time on it that you thawed it and then mix it the next day before your time is up. They also told me that if you are having some left over that the best thing to do is to put in up in either 1oz or 2 oz and it will help with the waste. If you decide to call Gwinnett Med and talk to them you just call the Women's Pavilion @ ###-###-####!!! I hope this helps.

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M.M.

answers from Atlanta on

Hi K.,
My daughter never caught on to the breastfeeding deal, but I did A LOT of PUMPING. I produced alot of milk and would bag it and date it and freeze it. I didn't feel right about mixing it.
But I tell you the more I pumped the more I produced. I kept it up for 6 months and then switched to formula.
I would use 2 bottle one for each batch. Maybe it is O.K. but for me I choose to seperate it. Good Luck and Happy mothering!

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H.W.

answers from Atlanta on

I am also breastfeeding. The lactation consultant at the hospital told me you can only mix if you've pumped close to the last time. I figure it is just so you can keep up with the dates. I pump in the morning, during lunch, and sometimes at night and end up mixing it sometimes when I am putting it in bags at night. But if it is from one day to the next, I wouldn't mix. That's just my personal opinion though. (-:

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G.M.

answers from Atlanta on

As long as the milk is stored and frozen properly than you can combine them later for a larger feeding amount. I have done this for my son when I would leave him with family members. Yet, I have no advice about colic. I would not think that it would change your ability to combine that milk.

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B.H.

answers from Columbus on

You can mix just make sure that all the dates you are mixing are not expired. You can find charts to tell you how long you can store the milk in your freezer based on it's temperture. I also see you are worried about colic. I don't know what all you have tried but you might look at your diet. If you are consuming some common allergens (peanuts, Milk, eggs. . .) it can cause him problems. I wish I had know this with my first son.

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H.F.

answers from Atlanta on

Hi K.. You can mix and match your milk as much as you want. It won't make a difference. If you are freezing it then you want to wait until you have enough to freeze at one time. Don't freeze one ounce and then add another ounce on top of it to freeze. Just save what you have for one day and freeze it at the end of the day. As far as the colic goes, have you cut sweets and/or dairy from your diet? A lot of babies can't handle that stuff until they are a couple of months old. I have a friend who cut that stuff and it really helped her little girl. Then she gave into temptation a couple of weeks ago and had a handful of M&M's and Maddie screamed almost all of the next day. Maddie is about six, seven months now. Some kids can handle it, some can't. My little girl got horrible diaper rash when I ate chocolate, tomatoes or anything else acidic. Talk to your peidiatrician, some babies need to get a prescription to help their tummies handle the stuff you need to eat. Good luck dear!
H.

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L.B.

answers from Athens on

I have a 2 week old and have not had to pump except to relieve engourgement but with my son who is now 2 I had to pump and would mix it when I gave it to him. I just wouldn't mix it before that because you need to know when the milk is from. Good luck and congrats!

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B.H.

answers from Atlanta on

K.,
As someone said above, you can mix milk from different days. I had to do this alot. Once your baby gets older, you can also mix the breast milk with baby cereal. As for the colic, have you tried swaddling you baby? What about rocking, dancing, slinging, riding in the car? I am by no means an expert, but have been there done that with 2 boys myself. Feel free to email me at abfab1211 at aol.com. I wish I had had someone to ask questions of with my first one. Good luck.

B.

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