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November 2011 Moms
Question about breast milk
I am slowly building my "stash" for when I go back to work and also trying to get a freezer supply going. It's going okay (as long as I find the time to pump) but my question is this:
I have 2 bags pumped (2-3 oz each) in the refrigerator from 1/20/12. They have separated and the creamy white is on the top. I would like to freeze them now. Is it okay to put them in the freezer with the milk separated?
I also heard that freezing BM takes away a lot of the nutrients...how much does it negate the purpose of BFing??
TIA.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Question about breast milk
What I would do is swirl it to mix the fat back in, and then put in the freezer. I don't think you'd hurt anything freezing it as is, as when you thaw it out to use it it will need to be swirled to mix it back up anyway.
As far as breaking down the nutrients, I'm not sure exactly how much it takes away from the milk...but my pedi said that if I can continue to produce BM, even frozen is better than going to formula. Sooo, I would say it's still worth it to take the time to pump and freeze instead of quitting.
Not that I don't think about how much easier it would be to FF every single day.
It's fine to put it in the freezer just like it is.
Yes, some of the nutrients break down in the freezer but it's still better than formula. Straight from the tap is best, followed by freshly pumped, then frozen pumped, then formula. What I've been doing is mixing fresh and frozen pumped milk to send to daycare so I'm still rotating my stash, but she's getting some of it freshly pumped as well.
~Working Mom~Breastfeeding Mom~Cloth Diapering Mom~BLW Mom~
Blog - No Longer on the DL ~ The Man Cave
Shawn and Larissa
LO #1 - Took 2 years and 2 IVFs ~ DX - severe MFI mild PCOS homozygous MTHFR (a1298c)
LO #2 - TTC 7 months, surprise spontaneous BFP!
Freezing BM doesn't negate BF altogether; any BM your LO gets is better than formula. Freezing takes away some of the nutrients, not all, so maybe just try to use it sooner than later, and not keep it frozen for a long time. I have a small stash that I'm building when I have extra milk, and glad that once I decide to stop BF, LO will still benefit from the milk from the frozen stash.
It's definitely worth the trouble to pump so LO gets all the "good stuff" as I call it sometimes! You're providing the best nutrition possible and it's FREE!