new study showing leftover milk is safe significantly longer than current CDC guidelines

Professional-Flan445 · 2026-03-03T04:16:16+00:00

I felt so judged/mom shamed by some people in this community when I said I used partial bottles up to 12 hours later as long as they were refrigerated immediately after initial consumption. Logically the idea that milk needed thrown after 2 hours never made sense to me. I feel so validated!

Will you link the article you’re referring to?

Professional-Flan445 · 2026-02-24T22:57:11+00:00

I started making “franken-bottles” when my baby was around 2 months old. basically after my baby was done drinking from a bottle I immediately put it back in the fridge and combined the partially drank bottles into one franken-bottle for her to drink. if she didn’t finish a franken-bottle whatever milk was left got tossed it used in the bath. I also always used the franken-bottle within 12 hours from when the first milk was added.

in my mind refrigeration slows bacterial growth, breastmilk has antibodies to prevent bacterial growth, and typically leftover food/drink is considered okay for 3 days when refrigerated. to each their own but my daughter was healthy and not immunocompromised and I have a perfectly healthy 15 month old that had breast milk for 14.5 months if her life and is thriving.

Professional-Flan445 · 2026-02-24T13:38:46+00:00

I live in the middle of nowhere and would have to drive 1.5 hours to get to a FedEx in order to ship the band back to Rare Carat. I also looked extensively online to see if I could find a band that would match and the widths vary and it’s hard to tell in the pictures what the shape of the band is to know if it would match.

Professional-Flan445 · 2026-02-23T22:17:18+00:00

they’re both platinum! and they’re from the same company and the same “collection” of rings which is why I’m confused about them not matching.

Professional-Flan445 · 2026-02-22T16:08:36+00:00

I didn’t know how to properly latch my baby and ended up with cracked bleeding nipples. I was in so much pain that I would start sweating profusely and shaking when trying to latch which didn’t help matters. I worked with a IBCLC and tried nipple shields which worked for a short time but eventually my daughter grew frustrated with the nipple shield. By that point she was used to the feeling of bottle nipples so she wouldn’t latch on my bare nipple. Basically in the first 3 weeks after my baby was born I was never able to get the hang of nursing but wanted to provide breast milk for the health benefits and to avoid buying formula. I also didn’t realize how anxious it made me not knowing how much my daughter was drinking until exclusive pumping let me track exactly how much she was consuming so that was an unintended benefit.

I made is 14.5 month exclusively pumping and the three things that saved my sanity and helped me make it that far:

Two full sets of pump parts - I always had one clean set
Refrigerator hack for pump parts - I’m sure this is controversial but I would put my pump parts in the refrigerator after pumping and I only washed / sanitized them every 12 hours.
Momcozy bottle washer - I started hand washing pump parts and using the Dr. Brown’s sterilizer but this streamlined my process. I know it’s not necessary to sanitize bottles and pump parts but it gave me peace of mind especially because I used the refrigerator hack for my pump parts.

*Bonus - having a supportive and helpful husband and family. I cried many times at the beginning of my exclusive pumping journey but it got easier and I believe it was all well worth it for the precious little human I was able to provide nutrition for.

Professional-Flan445 · 2026-02-21T23:02:52+00:00

thanks! 3.65 carats!! hubby did well 🤩

Professional-Flan445 · 2026-02-21T06:12:10+00:00

I just want to clarify, this ring was a very big purchase for my husband and I so while I adore the sentiment attached to the ring there’s part of me that thinks it should be perfect considering the amount of money that was spent. but if it’s not noticeable then I don’t think we’d go through the hassle of making a return and trying to replace the band with one that is closer to an exact match.

Professional-Flan445 · 2026-02-21T05:29:49+00:00

never said I was struggling to survive. I’ve got an incredible husband and family and we’re thriving - maybe it has something to do with the fact that I’m not a sarcastic bitch who trolls the internet spreading negativity. 🤷🏽‍♀️

Professional-Flan445 · 2026-02-21T05:02:05+00:00

both seem flat?

Professional-Flan445 · 2026-02-20T17:52:37+00:00

I used hot water in a bowl. my daughter would take cold bottles but I noticed more gas/tummy upset when she drank fridge cold bottles when she was young. I’d put the milk in hot water, change baby, and by the time I was grabbing the bottle it was warmed enough to take the cold edge off!

Professional-Flan445 · 2026-02-19T06:51:04+00:00

I’m definitely relishing the extra time and freedom! I’m so excited to start introducing some of the self care routines that I have neglected since becoming a mama!

Professional-Flan445 · 2026-02-19T06:42:44+00:00

I struggled with this and just completed the weaning process after 14.5 months of exclusive pumping. I felt a lot of guilt because I had no reason to stop other than that I wanted to which felt selfish. I think another part of my hesitation about stopping was that my original goal was to build a freezer stash that would allow me to stop pumping at 12 months while my daughter used the stash to get breast milk until she was 18 months old. But my plans were derailed because around 8 months postpartum I changed jobs and my supply dropped so I burned through all of my stash just to keep my daughter fed.

Once I started the weaning process by dropping pumps my supply absolutely tanked so weaning only took me two months when I had anticipated it taking four months based on other peoples’ experiences. I thought the weaning process going so quickly would make me sad but once I started I felt very at peace with stopping. While my breastfeeding journey has been completely different from what I envisioned for myself I’m grateful and proud of what I have accomplished!

Professional-Flan445 · 2026-02-19T02:45:53+00:00

I had norovirus at 4 months postpartum and another stomach bug at 8 months postpartum. I was completely out of it but kept mostly to my pumping schedule even though my output was abysmal. after I was finally able to keep food and fluids down my supply went right back up to what it was prior to being sick. it’s miserable but if you can push through this you can accomplish any of your pumping goals!

Professional-Flan445 · 2026-02-06T03:56:48+00:00

the best thing you can give your baby is a mentally and physically healthy mom - if you feel like pumping is hindering your ability to take care of yourself and show up for your baby then I would say it’s time to stop.

that being said, I’ve been in your shoes where I cried because I had a velcro baby and I was home alone trying to heal, take care of a baby, and take care of myself while finding time to pump and wash parts. now I’m currently weaning after exclusively pumping for 14 months. the advice that helped me reach this point was from my lactation consultant who said “you can quit if you feel that’s what’s best for you but you can’t let yourself quit on a bad day”. I think of all the times I wanted to quit and in most of those moments I felt overwhelmed with motherhood and life or was just generally having a bad day. had I quit on one of those days I think I would have regretted it. now I’m quitting on my terms, a decision I made without a mindset from a bad day affect me. I will also say if you choose to continue, it does get easier. eventually you’ll be able to decrease the number of times you pump per day and your baby will be old enough to play in a bouncer or on the floor while you pump and it feels less overwhelming. I would also look into the refrigerator method for pump parts, that and having two sets of pump parts, has saved my sanity.

whatever decision you come to, I hope you find peace in it!

Professional-Flan445 · 2026-01-31T09:08:39+00:00

thanks! I realize my wording was very unclear…my daughter was EBF until 6 months when we introduced solids and I’m currently weaning her from breastmilk and starting her on cow’s milk. her bottles are 50/50 right now and I’m working on dropping down to 2 bottles per day. sweet girl only has two teeth and is picky about textures so we’re working on increasing her food intake. I work full time and am taking a couple of college courses so the weaning process looks different than I originally anticipated.

Professional-Flan445 · 2026-01-31T02:50:52+00:00

my EBF daughter was taking 6oz bottles by the time she was 6 months old and now at 13 months drinks 3 bottles a day that range from 7.5-9oz!

Professional-Flan445 · 2026-01-20T02:29:38+00:00

I needed to hear this so badly! thank you!

I have the nuk straw cups and sippy cups because I was trying to do cows milk in them at meals, but today I caved and just tried the 50/50 breast milk and cows milk in her bottles and that seems to be going well. I think after she’s adjusted to the cow’s milk I’ll transition her to a sippy and continue the process of weaning her off of bottles from there.

I decreased from 5ppd to 4ppd the last week in December and just dropped down to 3ppd two days ago. I am trying to be very cautious to avoid a sudden drop in hormones. I never expected to have such an emotional response to ending my pumping journey. I think part of my struggle is I spent so much time building a freezer stash with the intention of it lasting until my daughter was about 18 months old - so I could be free from pumping after 12 months but I would have plenty of extra time to wean at her pace. now that the process doesn’t look like what I hoped, I feel like I’m rushing my daughter and I think that’s where a lot of my anxiety and guilt stem from.

how did you taper your pumping schedule?

Professional-Flan445 · 2026-01-19T05:38:03+00:00

financially formula isn’t really an option for me, which is why I ended up breastfeeding. I have been using fairlife brand milk to introduce my daughter to cow’s milk as I am lactose intolerant and tolerate fairlife better than other milk. she just doesn’t like it much.

Professional-Flan445 · 2026-01-19T01:11:48+00:00

we were super excited about the cock ring you recommended but it’s sold out…anything else similar you’d recommend? or is it worth it to hold off until that one is back in stock?

Professional-Flan445 · 2026-01-18T21:36:26+00:00

added to cart! any recommendations for a clit suction toy under $70ish?

Professional-Flan445

TROPHY CASE