Creating a breast milk stash in your freezer is a great way to ensure you always have milk on hand for your little one, but there are a few things that can go wrong when you freeze your breast milk despite your best intentions. And I don't just mean losing all of your freezer space.
As a work-at-home, breastfeeding mama, I didn't have to do a lot of pumping, but I tried to do it at least once a day during those early weeks of my daughter's life. My supply was great and I had no problems with my little one latching, but I was determined to build up a freezer stash so I could leave her with a family member for a few hours and make her own baby food by pureeing fruits and veggies with my milk. I pumped, filled up my milk storage bags, and stacked them neatly in little plastic boxes in my freezer, eager to watch my collection grow.
Seems pretty simple, right? Especially when you consider that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that a standard freezer in your refrigerator (the kind with its own separate door) can keep your breast milk safe for three to six months. You put the milk in containers, you stick it in the freezer, and everything's good, right?
Well sure, for the most part. But it turns out there are nine things that can go wrong when you freeze your breast milk. It doesn't take much to avoid these mishaps, but it's worth keeping in the front of your mind so you don't lose your precious breast milk or your sanity.