4 Reasons I Pump & Freeze Extra Breastmilk Everyday

When Enoch was a baby, I began pumping extra breastmilk everyday and freezing it in 4-5 oz servings.  Now that I'm breastfeeding Karis, I have intentionally carried on this tradition since she was 1 month old (around the time she began sleeping through the night better).  Here are my top three reasons for using the ole pump everyday:

1. In case my baby ever experiences failure to thrive, I want to have breastmilk to supplement with, not formula.   {Enoch did experience this, and we used every single drop of frozen breast milk to help him get back on track with his weight gain.}
2. When my toddler gets sick, I can easily give him the extra breastmilk (rather than freezing it) to help build his immunity.  {This happened last week, and every morning Enoch got 6 ounces of breastmilk with his breaskfast, which he happily drank.}
3. Frozen breastmilk is great for sharing!  Though there isn't a milk bank near me, I am always open to sharing my stash with someone in need.  For instance, I received word last week about a mom with quadruplets wanting some extra breastmilk for her babies {see image below}.  There's another mom in our area who is also planning to share her stash of frozen liquid gold with this mom as well, meaning she'll have double the milk for her four babies.
4. Pumping once or twice a day helps keeps my supply up, which means that my baby is more likely to get enough milk.  This is especially important once baby begins sleeping through the night and once they drop down to 4-6 nursing sessions per day because your overall supply depends on the demand set by your baby (and your pump).  {I am convinced that Enoch experienced failure to thrive last year because I dropped down to 4 nursing sessions per day, which triggered an overall supply drop.}