Breast milk, aka LIQUID GOLD, is every mom's go to magic potion. So much so we created JustAddBreastMilk for our mamas. But with all the media and nursing mom products out there for breast milk what should mamas know about it?
Breast milk is a natural substance excreted from a woman's breasts for the purpose of nourishing and feeding a baby. Like any mammal, a human body's que to produce breast milk happens right at birth. Feeding your baby is the primary use for it.
Have extra breast milk? What are other uses?
- Use it for skin conditions - this includes eczema, rashes, dry skin and more.
- Put it on insect bites
- Pink eye relief
- Cradle cap
- Give your baby a milk bath
- Create soap using the breast milk
- Place it on soar, chapped nipples after breastfeeding
- If you're sick (cold or flu) freeze some of your breast milk to give the baby when he/she is sick. The anti-bodies will help the baby to get well quicker.
- Makeup remover
- Mix it with home made baby food when your baby is ready to eat solids
- Plant fertilizer (why not?!)
- Nursing baby kittens or puppies if the mother is not present
- Donate your extra breast milk!
- If a friend is not able to produce breast milk, offer to donate your extra milk to use.
- Turn it into jewlery as a keepsake for mom and baby.
- Donate to someone suffering from major illnesses, like cancer. (verify with their doctor first)
What do you do if you're not producing enough breast milk?
- Consult a lactation consultant
- Breast pump more frequently to give your body a que to produce more
- Foods like oats, barley and teas help produce more milk. There are tons of companies who create products just for this. Here's our favorite.
How do you store breast milk and how long does it last?
- Freshly pumped milk lasts up to 6-8 hours at room temperature
- Breast milk stored in the refrigerator is good for 3-8 days (great for working moms who need to store milk for baby's use away from mom). Once thawed it must be used within 24 hours or less.
- Breast milk frozen lasts up to 6-8 months. You may also deep freeze breast milk up to a year.
