Don't overfill the bags, 2-4 oz per bag only, less waste when you thaw them later. Lay flat until froze and then they stack up nicely standing up - I kept them in ice cube holders (not the cube makers, but what you dump the cube trays into) - which are cheap at Walmart.
Lansinoh was my favorite among the three brands I tried (target brand and medela, which don't stack/store as compactly.)
Also all of these bottles have little plastic caps under the nipple. No air can get in.
@spenalo
6 months frozen
6 years deep freezed
That's what my OB told me :)
I use Lansinoh! They aren't expensive and they lay really flat when you freeze them. As for a container, if you have a 12 pack of soda just cut off the top that cardboard box and there you go! Put the bags in there, oldest first and you have yourself an organized cheap breast milk storage spot.
Kvonq, not regular ziploc bags. Ziploc makes a breast milk storage bag as well. They are pre sterilized. It was the first thing I checked. It's the same thing as the Medela brand bags. I had the same thought when she said ziploc but my husband (who is ridiculously OCD) bought a box of each and compared and he was totally fine with the ziploc, shockingly. I'm normally the type to buy the most expensive of anything when there are multiple brands because I figure there has to be a reason why it's so expensive (I'm just lazy sometimes) and the ziploc ones seem to do the job.
I actually prefer the honeysuckle milk storage bags over lanisoh and they are cheaper. Only downside is you have to order them online.
Do remember, that how and where you store your milk affects shelf life. Also your milk changes nutritionally as baby ages.
So if you don't think you are going to use for 5-6m you may just want to think about donating it to babies in need if you're comfortable with it.
Wow that's a lot of boobie milk, congrats!
As for the bags I think they are a great option for women who have an abundance of milk to store. I don't think the brand matters very much, with my son I just bought some cheap ones from amazon and they worked just fine. Some are shaped differently though to make them easier to pour once they have thawed so you could look at that type if that interests you, I think madela do that type but I'm not certain :)
I just had my baby 6 days ago at 31 weeks. He's in NICU and will be for several weeks so I'm Exclusively pumping and brining milk everyday to the hospital. The nurses there said it's personal preference as far as the bags but they requested I use the ziploc brand bags. They said they have had the best results with those. If you have a Buy Buy Baby nearby, they are only $4.99 for 25. All of the other brands are double the price, if not more, for the same amount.
I like the Lansinoh bags. Lay flat in the freezer to freeze so they are less bulky. When frozen you can transfer to a container in date order. I used something from Walmart intended for ice cubes I think and it cost less than $2. I stood all the flat bags up with oldest milk first.
Thanks Knockout!!