Anyone using frozen breastmilk older than 6 months?

viva11diva · June 2012

to give you some background, all has been going well until DD got her first tooth at 9 months and started biting me. It's been four weeks of ups and downs of biting and this past weekend, she bit so hard that besides breaking skin and bleeding, I had a shooting pain in my arm and up through in my neck and I figured this is not enjoyable anymore.

so luckily i have a big stash of frozen breastmilk to carry her through the next two months until her first birthday to rely on since nursing is not going so well anymore. But I was curious, is the 6 months rule set in stone? Can i use frozen breastmilk older than 6 months?

mzblondiee · June 2012

I am not currently using breast milk stored for that length of time. However, from what I've researched it really depends on what temperature you stored it at. What I found was that BM stored at negative 4 F will last longer than when stored at your usual freezer temperature. That being said BM does change it's composition over time and I would question whether or not your LO would get the full nutrition she needs with frozen BM only. Could you give her frozen and fresh? Just aside note: My 9 month old has bitten me that past couple of weeks unintentionally due to 4 teeth coming out at once. Now that it looks like they have broken through the gums, he is not biting me anymore. Of course that was after he broke the skin on one of my nips.

. Good luck!

lucylea · June 2012

I will use the stuff in my deep freeze up to 12 months out, but would only use the stuff from my regular freezer for about 6 months give or take. The milk in my deep freeze is at the very bottom and under other frozen items so I know that it isn't getting disturbed, but the regular freezer is opened multiple times per day so I'm not as confident with it. I usually only keep 1 month in there and then transfer, though. Honestly, if its only a difference of two months in the regular freezer and you feel it was well frozen that entire time I'd probably go ahead and use it.