Frozen BM ? - past "use by" guideline

Hooray2005

I have a freezer full of frozen BM that DS never drank (5-6 mo old; in a conventional freezer, not a deep freezer).  Should I pitch it, or is it safe to try to use it still?

I'm trying to teach DS to drink milk from a straw cup and it seemed like a good use of the older stash since DS tends to take 3-4 sips and pitches the cup anyway (even with fresh BM)    I'm trying to wean (so I can start med. treatment I need), so I don't want to add more pumping/increase my supply in any way ...

 will look this up online, too, but thought I'd ask here...

KoriBrett

Thaw a little, smell/taste it, if it's not funky go for it.  If it seems off, well, yeah pitch.

penguingrrl

I just pitched about a gallon this morning that was 6 months old.  I just didn't want to risk it.

Hooray2005

KoriBrett:

Thaw a little, smell/taste it, if it's not funky go for it.  If it seems off, well, yeah pitch.

Yeah, it smells fine... I just wanted to make sure there wasn't some major toxic disaster waiting in the bag by using it (I'm kinda assuming the guideline is simply set up to save babies from having to drink milk that tastes like the freezer - haa haa!)

KoriBrett

lol Yeah I think freezer burn and it loses some nutrients over time.  Otherwise as long as it has the usual smell/taste to it I don't see why not.

AnnapolisLari

If you're just using it for cup training, it should be fine. The taste and nutrients may have degraded a little, but it's not toxic.

Hooray2005

penguingrrl:

I just pitched about a gallon this morning that was 6 months old.  I just didn't want to risk it.

Ugh!! Yeah, that's about how much I have and it kills me to dump all that hard work down the drain

AnneUCSB

I donated about 200 oz. to a breast milk bank and some of it was up to 9 months old.  It was in a conventional freezer (although the freezer was an extra one in my garage and rarely opened).  The milk bank said they take milk up to 12 months old no problem.  So, I think you're fine using 6 month old milk.  No way I'd pitch it after all that work.  That stuff is liquid gold!

penguingrrl

AnneUCSB:

I donated about 200 oz. to a breast milk bank and some of it was up to 9 months old.  It was in a conventional freezer (although the freezer was an extra one in my garage and rarely opened).  The milk bank said they take milk up to 12 months old no problem.  So, I think you're fine using 6 month old milk.  No way I'd pitch it after all that work.  That stuff is liquid gold!

Interesting!  Good to know!  I'm upset, but not devastated since Emma will only drink milk straight from the tap

Hooray2005

AnneUCSB:

I donated about 200 oz. to a breast milk bank and some of it was up to 9 months old.  It was in a conventional freezer (although the freezer was an extra one in my garage and rarely opened).  The milk bank said they take milk up to 12 months old no problem.  So, I think you're fine using 6 month old milk.  No way I'd pitch it after all that work.  That stuff is liquid gold!

Good to know!  So even if I don't end up using much of it, maybe I can find a place around here to donate it