xp- bad milk??? help please!

NiceAsstra

Hi there- it's been a LONG time since I have been on the bump.  I need some help ladies.

In the past month the few times my H or sitters have tried to give my 5 month old thawed milk he has rejected it.  He has in the past had NO problem taking bottles.  Every time this has happened the milk has smelled funky to me.  Not necessarily spoiled though.  I have tasted fresh-from-the-pump milk and it barely has a taste to it, just sweet, and no smell.  This rejected milk def. has a smell to it.  I usually end up leaving expressed milk on the door of the fridge for 2-3 days before freezing it.  The milk was only 1.5 months- 2 weeks old. 

I read this somewhere, "You can tell if breastmilk has gone bad by the smell, if it smells sour it probably is, you can taste it to find out if needed. If you find that even fresh pumped milk within a few hours smells sour, tastes soapy, sour or rancid it can be due to too much lipase (an enzyme in milk) which breaks down the fats in the milk. Most babies do not mind a mild change in taste, and the milk is not harmful, but the stronger the taste the more likely that baby will reject it. If this is the case then newly expressed milk can be stored by heating the milk to a scald to inactivate the lipase and stop the process of fat digestion. Scald the milk as soon after expression as possible"


I think that might be what's going on.  But I am not sure and  freaking out since I go back to work next week.  Has anyone had an experience like this??  I will try scalding it, but also wanted to hear similar situations.  tia!!

iluvmeg11

This happened to me too. I thought maybe it was lipase but I really don't think it was that. I never attempted to scald the milk because realistically I just don't have the time. Exclusively Pumping takes enough of my day but a few things I tried after a little research.....I started freezing some fresh milk as soon as I pumped it. Not sure if that was the culprit either but it was worth a try. Also I read you should not keep the milk on the door of the fridge but closer to the back of the fridge so it stays cold with little temperature fluctuations. I since have kept my expressed milk in glass jars instead of bags or plastic bottles and I find that it helps to keep it fresher. I do freeze in the target bags though. I gave him some thawed milk about a month after he rejected it the first time but I made sure to give it to him within 12 hours of it thawing and he took it fine. Hope this helps...good luck!

rspalding001

My milk has an over active lipase enzyme and will start to taste bad after about three days in the fridge and immediately if frozen. I scaled the milk before freezing and this solves the bad taste issue. I had to toss all my previously frozen milk however because LO won't drink it because of the taste. So sad. Scalding won't work on already frozen milk.

tisunge602

karissa2009 said:

No personal experience, but that sounds about right. If you're not opposed to it, you can try mixing with a bit of formula to cover the taste. Or keep it for when baby starts solids to be mixed in purees. Really, you only need enough for the first day, so 8-12oz? Maybe add a pump before you go to bed every night or pump the other side in the morning after baby nurses?

No experience here either, but I think if that happened to me I would just mix it with some fresh milk and see if LO will take it that way. GL!

linzeek44

If you think it's lipase, you might want to "test" it and see when it gets funky. For some moms, it starts to get lipasey quickly, so they have to scald right away. For other moms, they have some wiggle room and can combine milk from a day or two and scald it and then freeze. So put it in the fridge, try it at different intervals, and see when it gets lipasey to know how long you have. 

Also, moving your milk from the fridge door to an area by the back of the fridge can also help. Recommendations are to keep it far from the door so that it doesn't have the opportunity to get warmer. 

daniann333

I have a high lipase and LO takes the milk fine.  However the smell bothers me. So I do add some fresh milk to it.  This seems to help me.  He doesnt care however.  BTW, taste it.  If it tastes soapy, its lipase.  This is how I figured it out.  If it tastes spoiled, than it is.  Good luck

MrsPena3457

Hi there - this has happened to me as well - I've noticed the longer it is left to thaw the more of a funky smell it has.  I thawed a bag and gave to baby - smelled fine - he didnt drink the entire bag so i saved the rest for later - the same batch got that funky smell later on in the day - so I thaw the milk right before i serve it to baby so avoid this.  Also - a friend of mine the same thing happened-  not all the milk had the same smell - some batches had it some didnt so dont throw away ur milk - every one can be different!

jennifertewart

I freeze my milk right after pumping and LO has not rejected it yet.  He did however not take refrigerated milk over a few days old... that was when I assumed if it stays good for a week then he will drink it.  Also try keeping the milk in the back of the fridge where it is the coldest!

JRT512

Same thing happened to me--it's the lipase, which gives it a soapy taste. But only when it was in the fridge before freezing or frozen and then defrosted in the fridge. Since then, I bag and freeze right away and defrost in warm water right before a feeding. HTH!