Leaking milk storage bags! How do you freeze milk?

thedash

This is part vent and part request for advice! I discovered shortly before returning to work that my milk has excess lipase and DD would not drink anything I had frozen during my maternity leave. Then she was hospitalized for RSV and while I had the time and equipment to pump I did not have any way to scald the milk until DH could come take it home so most of it went to waste. So I returned to work with a freezer stash of about 20 ounces, which is really stressful for me. Then yesterday I went to pick up DD and her DCP showed me that one of the Lansinoh freezer bags had leaked all the milk out when she put it in water to thaw. Four ounces wasted!

Is there a better way to freeze milk? I'm doing one extra pump in the very early morning and will keep pumping one or two times on weekend days until I can rebuild a bit of a freezer stash. I really don't want to lose any more milk so even though I just bought two boxes of Lansinoh bags I will buy something else if it is more secure. I have a bunch of Snappies left from the hospital stay but they only hold two ounces each and I like to freeze 3 or 3.5 ounces.

kkmlafferty

I had one of my medela bags leak yesterday but fortunately I noticed it and I put it in a bowl and let it thaw on the counter until I could pour it into a bottle. That was the first one I ever had leak. I use medela bags and lansinoh bags. You could always use the snappies and freeze different amounts like 1, 1.5, 2 so you can combine as needed.

I also have high lipase, what a pain! How do you scald your milk at work?

thedash

kkmlafferty said:

I had one of my medela bags leak yesterday but fortunately I noticed it and I put it in a bowl and let it thaw on the counter until I could pour it into a bottle. That was the first one I ever had leak. I use medela bags and lansinoh bags. You could always use the snappies and freeze different amounts like 1, 1.5, 2 so you can combine as needed. I also have high lipase, what a pain! How do you scald your milk at work?

I really hope it was a fluke! I haven't been scalding at work. I pump in the morning before I leave the house, scald it and leave it in the fridge for the next day. So today I nursed at 5, pumped at 6 and nursed at 7:30. Then I won't pump at work until 11 or later. My milk goes bad around 7 hours after pumping so I just have to scald pretty quickly when I get home. It's stressful because I really have to go straight home after work to take care of it, but with a baby and a toddler I don't do much in the evenings anyway!

kkmlafferty

thedash said:

kkmlafferty said:

I had one of my medela bags leak yesterday but fortunately I noticed it and I put it in a bowl and let it thaw on the counter until I could pour it into a bottle. That was the first one I ever had leak. I use medela bags and lansinoh bags. You could always use the snappies and freeze different amounts like 1, 1.5, 2 so you can combine as needed.

I also have high lipase, what a pain! How do you scald your milk at work?

I really hope it was a fluke! I haven't been scalding at work. I pump in the morning before I leave the house, scald it and leave it in the fridge for the next day. So today I nursed at 5, pumped at 6 and nursed at 7:30. Then I won't pump at work until 11 or later. My milk goes bad around 7 hours after pumping so I just have to scald pretty quickly when I get home. It's stressful because I really have to go straight home after work to take care of it, but with a baby and a toddler I don't do much in the evenings anyway!

Crossing fingers for you that it was a fluke! I have heard of people saying it does happen randomly with pretty much all brands of bags. If possible put the bag in a clean bowl so that it can still be used but if thawing in water that won't work:-( I always just scald right away using a bottle warmer, I'm not sure how long it is before it goes bad.

psychgirl33

I have had 2 Lansinoh bags leak.  But that's it.  It really stressed me out when it happened.  Made me sad to lose all that milk!  I noticed in time to save on bag, but the other it was too late.  I'm thinking it was just a fluke, though.

CLLDLL

I did the ziploc bag trick too.  Worked like a charm.  

FWIW I was given a free sample of the Honeysuckle bags (by the co. that makes the Simple Wishes bra), and they never leaked for me.  You have to order them online, but they are reasonable price wise.  

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mrsjones06

Lansinoh was actually my favorite brand & I didn't have many leak but the first time was so disappointing that I thawed in a Ziploc every time after that to catch any leaks. I also always thawed my frozen milk & prepared the bottles before taking them to daycare. I used drop ins & had a couple of times where myself (or someone else) squeezed the air out too forcefully & popped the bag spilling the whole thing. I know it's really disappointing to lose even a drop of that hard earned milk!

SnoopyLuv

Just FYI I had lipase issues and DD1 would drink it mixed with formula. I know thats not the best ansrwe but it worked for us and saved me from having to toss my entire massive freezer stash.

thedash

SnoopyLuv said:

Just FYI I had lipase issues and DD1 would drink it mixed with formula. I know thats not the best ansrwe but it worked for us and saved me from having to toss my entire massive freezer stash.

Thanks! I'm keeping what I have and figure I can try to use it when she is older to either mix with puréed food or WCM or something.

Carnation77

I use the Nuk bags and I've never had one leak (crossing fingers).

savish

Maybe while you're thawing it out put an extra bag over it just in case it leaks. I had the worst experience with the nuk bags. We were shopping once and I put a bag of breast milk on the dash to thaw while we were driving, I didn't notice it leaked all through the dash until I went to check if it was thawed! We tried so hard to clean it out but it went into every little crack in the front of the car. A week later you could smell it coming out of the heater and everything it was horrible haha I don't think I have pumped since then actually.

JilllyBean

I think the dr browns bags are the best. So much thicker than everything else

thedash

Thanks everyone. It actually happened again this morning! I was taking a frozen bag to our DCP for her to keep as a backup in her freezer. When I pulled it out of the cooler little drops were leaking out of the bottom corner. Ugh!! It was still mostly frozen so I just double bagged in ziplock but still annoying.

lexielovebug

I found tht the lansinoh bags leaked A LOT. I started using targets up&up brand bags and they are way better. Same design as the lansinoh, but the bag is thicker and more durable. They have been working great for me!

Angler1029

I second the target up and up brand. They seem so much thicker to me and I have yet to have a bag leak.

amaburch

I've always used Lansinoh and considered them the best, no leaks here after a 150 bags or so. I've used Ameda where 50% of them leaked. I just bought the Medela for direct pumping too, just have used a couple of bags.

Hopefully it was just a fluke!