upstairs mini fridge for nursing?

[Anonymous]

I am 7 months and we are finishing up the nursery. My husband thinks we might want an upstairs mini fridge for breast milk (I plan to breast feed and pump). It will save running up and down stairs etc in the middle of the night. Has anyone done this? Did you use it regularly? (my concern is we buy it and never use it).

[Anonymous]

Breast milk would be fine in a cooler with an ice pack for several hours (up to 24 hours). Actually it would probably be fine at room temp but it's easy enough to put it in a cooler to feel safe. A mini fridge is overkill.

[Anonymous]

We used the cooler that came with the Medela pump overnight, along with the provided icepack. Worked great for both BM and formula.

[Anonymous]

I just left the breast milk out until morning. It can sit at room temperature for hours.

[Anonymous]

Yup, we did that. They're not expensive and it made a big difference for a short period of time. Especially not having to manage the stairs in the dark while extremely tired and sleep-deprived.

We've found other uses for it once that stage was over, also. Right now it's in my mom's sitting room and she keeps drinks in it. Before that it was holding green vegetables for our Bearded Dragon in the basement, and it held pedialyte and ginger ale next to sick kids' beds a few times. I think DH put beer in it in the garage for a while too. It's just one of those things you don't really NEED but is helpful when you have it.

[Anonymous]

Yes, we put in a fridge upstairs and I loved it! For breast milk as well as snacks for me. I was ravenous when nursing!

[Anonymous]

I think it's overkill and in the interests of the environment, would not have more unnecessary stuff. You said you were breastfeeding and pumping. Why would you pump in the middle of the night -- couldn't you just feed the baby directly? If you do pump, the milk would be just fine sitting out a while or in a cooler. The time when you would need this is fairly short and it would be a waste of a fridge if you have no other need of it.

[Anonymous]

We lived in a small apartment when we had our first baby so this wasn’t an issue for me but I *was* pumping after each nursing session (because dd was a preemie and needed pumped and fortified bottles during the day for the first few months) so I ABSOLUTELY would have bought a mini fridge if I had to go downstairs 2-3x a night with milk. (I also kept my pump parts in the fridge between sessions so I only had to wash them once a day so that’s another reason that fridge access is nice even if you feel comfortable leaving your milk out.)

I’m expecting my second and hoping to pump a heck of a lot less this time so my advice for you would be to wait and see how you feel about pumping etc. when baby arrives. If it seems like you are pumping a lot and the hassle of going downstairs is too much you can just pick up a fridge then. You’ll be surprised how eager you are to get out of the house after those first few days/week at home so if you find yourself really wanting one it won’t be hard to make a quick trip to Target or wherever.

[Anonymous]

Your husband should just bring it downstairs for you, and get you a glass of water while he's up!

[Anonymous]

We used one. Sometimes I just fed the baby and sometimes he slept and I pumped. Sometimes husband gave him a bottle (which was directly from the fridge). When I pumped, the milk and pump parts went directly into the fridge

[Anonymous]

Yes we did it - if you have the money for the purchase its a convenience. However amazon will deliver a fridge next day so you can always see the routine and make a game time decision

[Anonymous]

We did this but I was EP’ing. Saved us!! Just gave our fridge to my formula friend. It’s a cheap way to make your life easier.

[Anonymous]

I use a cooler but wish I didn't have to - it's still work to make sure the cooler pads are frozen, cooler is wiped down and stored away during the day, etc. A fridge would definitely be easier. You can probably get a used one and save the environment.

[Anonymous]

For me, at least, I just nurse at night (I generally only pump at work) because it is way faster to nurse at night than to pump and feed. I wouldn't have ended up using it. But everyone is different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For me, at least, I just nurse at night (I generally only pump at work) because it is way faster to nurse at night than to pump and feed. I wouldn't have ended up using it. But everyone is different.

I'm one of the PPs--I have an oversupply and need to express a little bit at night, and don't want to toss the milk.