A freezer full of time, late nights, early mornings, dedication, intention, tears, sacrifice, joy, pride, love, nutrients specially made for your little babe -- A freezer full of liquid gold!
But what in the world do you do with it when your little one isn’t drinking as much of the frozen milk as they once were?
For me that time came when I was blessed to transition from pumping on the job (at breaking news scenes, in work cars with my photographers -- bless them! In public restrooms -- oh they places I pumped as a news reporter) to staying home with Savannah Rose.
Donating frozen milk is a fantastic option! Here’s a website that may put you in touch with local mamas in your area who are in need of breastmilk: https://www.milkbank.org/get-involved/donate-your-milk
Another option, is to get creative with how you use it!
I started by using breastmilk when I made Savvy's purees but now that she's 18 months old and looooves feeding herself solids, I've had to step my game up a bit. ;-)
Right now she really only nurses before bed (read: all through the night) and before nap time. So as we navigate the foods she loves, and the foods she refuses (which of course change day to day) its been important to me that she continues to get full nutrients from my breastmilk.
Here enters the frozen milk stash!
Listed below are a few meals Savvy Girl enjoys that I manage to sneak liquid gold into!
1. Oatmeal : Gluten-free rolled oats, raisins, a hint of cinnamon, a hint of turmeric, and warm breast milk Mashed Potatoes: Poke holes in red potatoes, microwave them, peel them, mash them while adding warm breastmilk
2. Mashed RedPotatoes and/or Sweet Potatoes: Poke holes in potato, microwave for about 5 mins, peel it, mash it while adding warm breastmilk
3. Gluten-Free Mac + Cheese: I cheated the system with this one — brought Savvy’s left over GF/Vegan Mac + Cheese home from Cafe Gratitude (https://www.cafegratitude.com) and mixed in warm breastmilk.
4. Gluten-Free Pancakes: Follow your fave pancake recipe and substitute breastmilk for regular milk. My go to GF mix can be found at Target: https://bit.ly/2oH1RAp
5. Cereal — Cheerios and Breastmilk…Sav likes to eat the cereal piece by piece, then drink the milk :-)
6. Scrambled Eggs — I add breastmilk to her eggs while I’m whisking them, before I pour them on the skillet. It makes them fluffy nutrient-full!
One of my fellow self-proclaimed hippy mamas (Hey Marissa, girl!) uses unused breastmilk to give her little babe milk baths! And another makes breastmilk soap!
According to www.KellyMom.com, Breastmilk has many antibacterial and other healing properties and has been found useful for healing a number of problems. If you’re curious about the benefits of using breastmilk on your baby’s skin check out this article: https://www.makchic.com/breast-milk-soap/
I’m saving a little breastmilk in the freezer to use once Sav is no longer breastfeeding. I want to give her a ceremonial weaning breastmilk bath so stay tuned for that!
And please, let me know if you try anything on this list or have any recipes or uses for breastmilk that my family should try!
Love Always.
Jas