KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

Hi mummies

want to find out your opinion in giving your elder child your breast milk for your newborn...

I heard good stuffs bout this like increase your elder child's immunity etc. Anyone has similar experience to share?

My boys are two years apart and both were totally breastfed for a minimum of 6 months (without supplement). Elder boy was totally breastfed for 6 months, younger boy for 1 year.

When my younger boy was born, I had plenty of breastmilk to spare so I expressed it and used it as 'water' and mixed it with milk powder for my elder boy. Not so much because it was beneficial for my elder boy, but more so because I had so much and I didn't want to waste it, so decided to make use of it to prepare milk for my elder boy.

I know that breastmilk is much more healthier to drink than today's commercialized ones. If I would have lots of breastmilk to spare, I'll use that even if my son is a lot older already. I only got to breastfed him until he was 7 months old since my milk suddenly wasn't sufficient enough. Hats off to you...Continue what you think is best for your child!

25hourmaid wrote:.

When my younger boy was born, I had plenty of breastmilk to spare so I expressed it and used it as 'water' and mixed it with milk powder for my elder boy. Not so much because it was beneficial for my elder boy, but more so because I had so much and I didn't want to waste it, so decided to make use of it to prepare milk for my elder boy.

HUH? How can add more formula to it? the BM is already good enough leh.

My 2 boys also about 2.5 years apart. Bfed DS2 for 2 years, when I had spare, I would give DS1 BM instead of formula. Didn't bother to freeze etc - figure my kids should only enjoy fresh BM. When it was only DS1, I stored until my freezer full - then threw most of it away cos frozen BM smells very funny and just gave fresh.

hquek wrote:HUH? How can add more formula to it? the BM is already good enough leh.

My 2 boys also about 2.5 years apart. Bfed DS2 for 2 years, when I had spare, I would give DS1 BM instead of formula. Didn't bother to freeze etc - figure my kids should only enjoy fresh BM. When it was only DS1, I stored until my freezer full - then threw most of it away cos frozen BM smells very funny and just gave fresh.

Haha, that was like eons ago! Anyway, I figured that BM alone was not sufficient for a 2 year old then. Was advised to do that by a friend, instead of just giving the extra BM to the elder one.

When I had my eldest, I had so much milk to spare that I expressed 2 bottles each day to give a good friend. She didn't give her children BM when they were born. She told them it's ice cream since frozen and they happily took it.
By the time DS came along, I was no longer that diligent - decided to let the body adjust the milk production based on the demand.

25hourmaid wrote:Haha, that was like eons ago! Anyway, I figured that BM alone was not sufficient for a 2 year old then. Was advised to do that by a friend, instead of just giving the extra BM to the elder one.

Just for info sake, I recall reading some place that we should not add formula to BM.

I tried putting BM with milo and pass to my niece...she bleahed...but strangely DS1 loved BM - even those frozen type. I always want to vomit at the smell. weird weird.

Seems like so long ago. I used the Avent handpump...until the pump handle got fingerprint marks. DH told me we should frame it up....trusty little pump that was.

It's perfectly fine to feed older kids breastmilk.

My boys age 4 and 2 both take breastmilk to this day. They seldom fall sick and are very healthy. The only time they had formula milk was for the night feeds during the first two days after delivery.

It's only unhealthy if your kids are drinking breastmilk ONLY, to the exclusion of all other foods. Children this age should be having 3 proper meals a day, with milk in between for "tea break" (morning and afternoon) and bedtime at night.

Don't let anyone (yes, not even doctors... They are not nutritionists, are they?!!) convince you that your milk is not good enough for your babies.

yea, my girl is now 21/2 yrs n my babe is 3mths plus. At first i didn't give my older child my milk cos i tot my milk now is catered for a newborn. Would it be too fatty n nutritious for my older one.

My daughter was breast fed, no formula, till i was preggy with my 2nd babe. Almost 20mths. She almost never fall sick before. after weaning, she fell sick more often.

recently met mothers who is breastfeeding newborn and gave her milk to her 3 years old daughter. Her PD actually encouraged that. So i decided since I've so much milk, i might as well give to my daughter too.

Now she's taking half BM and half formula.

Do u think if she just take my BM and no formula would be ok for her?

Since you have a newborn, your body makes milk specifically for your newborn. What I mean is this: breastmilk is unlike formula in that it changes its composition as your baby grows to cater perfectly to your baby's needs. So you can still give your elder child the breastmilk except that it will not fit his/her needs exactly. For example, within the first year, babies need milk with a high fat content so if your elder child is much older, he/she may get "extra fat", though I don't know if this kind of "fat" is a good or bad thing.

Hmmm... maybe when my baby doesn't finish any EBM, I can discreetly mix it into her jie-jie's milk so as not to waste it.