There can be many reasons a woman may want to stockpile some breastmilk.  The most common of course, is returning to the workforce. Another is a very premature baby and discharge  time coming up.  Other reasons may include planned surgery (the mother's or baby's) or an unavoidable separation.  For me, it was knowing that i start out lactating with a hiss and a roar but can fizzle easily once I get busy.  If that fizzle happens before the commencement of solid foods, that little stockpile in the freezer can be very comforting.

I found the quickest and most successful way of stockpiling milk was to get my baby to drain one side completely first thing in the morning, ( and they were usually content with that) and straight away pump the other.  DONE.  No more for the day.  No little dribbles in the bottom of the bottle.  This way I found I let down easily as I was still in my early morning dozy state (nightie and all) and the rush of the day had not started.  Once I had stored an amount I was comfortable with, I cut down to 2 -3 times per week.  Working as an independant midwife and being on call I could not guarantee pumping times while at work.  This was definitely my security blanket.

I have recommended a similiar regime to my clients who are returning to work within the 6 month mark.  Some eventually get down to pumping just once a week, but their bodies remember and "allow" that vital let down.  

The other piece of useful information is that usually the breastfed baby will take only just enough to get by, then leap on you at your return!  There were discussions recently about overfeeding of EBM in daycare and that can certainly be a drain on breastmilk resources.  I believe strategies working around this were well discussed several months ago.

These are just my thoughts and experiences.

Karen Palmer
Midwife and IBCLC
New Zealand

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