Talk to me about freezing milk

HattieLove · May 2012

Help meeeee!

I just went back to school so I'm trying to pump and build up a decent stash. On sunday I pumped 5oz and froze it in a regular bottle and then put it right in the freezer. Today SO fed half of it to LO and when he went to feed her the second half about an hour later it was all chunky and weird. What went wrong there?

If anyone could share their whole method of milk freezing I would be very grateful. TIA

pennyandandy · May 2012

Hmmm, not sure why that happened. Did you shake it up? BM will naturally separate, like the cream will rise to the top, so if it's just that, it shouldn't be a problem. Usually you can shake the bottle and it mixes and is fine. Not sure if that's what happened to yours or not.

I pump at night and in the morning, and pour the milk into either Avent reusable storage containers or those Lasinoh breast milk baggies. Then I freeze right away. If I'm at work, I pump, refrigerate for the day and then freeze it when I get home, if it won't be used within the next few days.

When you are ready to use it, take it out and warm it in a bowl of hot water, put in a bottle and you are good to go. HTH!

nanilove87 · May 2012

Don't shake breast milk! An LC told me it breaks up nutrients. She said to swirl it gently to mix it up.

I mostly pump and after making all the bottle for the next day I freeze whatever is left in Lansinoh bags and stick them in the freezer.

The fat probably separated and that's why it was chunky

KatelynEA90 · May 2012

I freeze in medela bags. I've never froze it in a bottle so I don't know?

MigenMigen · May 2012

Warm it up and swirl it, if it smells OK, then its probably just the milk fat.

Also - did you re-chill it in between feedings? That's a no-no. Once its thawed and heated, keep it that way. BM can last for a few hours at room temp, so there's no need re-cool it if your LO doesn't finish the bottle right away.

karleegirl · May 2012

Not every bottle is suitable for freezer use. Also never shake bm, only swirl.the fat separates out so you want to swirl it back together. I freeze bm in lansinoh freezer bags.Just lay it flat in your freezer, than you can stack it together easier. You can either just set bm in fridge to thaw (like the night before) or place the bag in hot water. Frozen milk should be used within 24 hours of being completely thawed out.

kms34 · May 2012

Ditto PP's!

Never shake BM in a bottle. Gently swirl it if it's separated.

Never reheat frozen BM. If it's been frozen and thawed and LO doesn't drink it all it should be held at room temp or discarded.

I would try freezing in smaller quantities in a BM storage bag. Not only does it thaw out easier that way, it also takes up less room in your freezer (if that's a concern).

preggersINschool25 · May 2012

The only thing I have to add is that your milk might not mix when you swirl it. You may still see "chunks" of the white cream floating around. However, once you WARM it up, it will mix very nicely.

Tbh22012 · May 2012

Agree with all the PP. I freeze in Lanisol bags and warm up the bag in a cup of warm water when ready to use. I don't keep any left over milk after an hour and yes don't refridgerate again once thawed.

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