Exclusively Pumping

I am a HVP and get far more milk each day than baby will/can drink. My son is 2.5 and is absolutely grossed out at the thought of drinking BM. So we were out of his milk one day and I put BM in his sippy to see if he would notice. He didn't and downed the whole 8oz. So I've been doing that for a few weeks now. A sippy cup a day is the usual. I feel like I should try and give him some too just during this awful flu season going on. Has anyone else done this too?? I told a couple people and they looked at me like I was crazy.

Oh and funny story to end with. I was putting BM from the fridge into his sippy cup the other morning and I closed the fridge door and he was standing right there. He saw me dumping the BM into his sippy cup and he yelled "hey that's baby sisters breastmilk!!!" I froze....I had to think of something quick or he'd never drink milk that I gave him again. I told him that I had to put his milk in baby sisters bottle cause the milk jug broke. He looked sceptical and I told him to try it, it was the exact same milk. He reluctantly took the cup and took a drink. He thought for a moment and said "this is like coconut milk. Hey I like coconut milk!!" and went on with his day. Phew!!!! for the record he has never tried straight coconut milk so I'm not sure why he said it tastes like that. I put it in curry so maybe he got it from making that with me. Crazy little boy :)

I just have one child, so can't speak for giving milk to older sibling, but I have donated tons and tons of milk and one donation was to a 3 yr old who was recovering from his chemo and his mom swore by the good effects of breastmilk, said when he was throwing up everything else, he was ablt to keep down the breastmilk.

So you are doing the RIGHT thing by giving the excess to your elder son. My Son is 2 yrs old and very frequently he says Yum! Yum! Yum! delicioso for each sip he takes in :). It is funny to watch that :)

Well, the little one I am pumping for is over three now so yes, obviously I'd think nothing of giving EBM to a 2.5 year old! Isn't it odd that the people you've mentioned this to think it's strange, when they presumably think it's fine to give a child milk that comes from another species!?

Apparently children's immune systems are not mature until about the age of six or seven and so it makes sense that they will still benefit from your milk.

I'd be especially keen to give EBM to other family members if there was anything nasty going round, or if the person were frail, immune-suppressed etc.

Go for it!

 

EPing for Ellie since June 2006, and still at it! Here's why: http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detwean.html

http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/HowBreastmilkProtectsNewborns.pdf