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frozen breast milk

ShianeNicoleShianeNicole member
in November 2015 Moms
Has anyone used their frozen freezer stash yet?

I have about 25 bags of frozen milk, 6 oz each. I built up my supply of frozen milk when I was pumping every 3 hours. I've since decided to pump every 6 hours. I can still produce enough to feed her just breast milk. She's eating about 3 oz every 3 hours (except at night). Since I don't have a deep freezer, I don't feel comfortable leaving the milk in the freezer more than a month. I've decided to start using December's milk, and freezing what I pump everyday now, in January. My LO does not seem to like the frozen milk. It doesn't have a weird smell or look bad, but obviously it tastes different? Anyone have experience with this? Could it be the medicine I was on in the beginning of December? I had a c section and was on a few different medications. Not sure what to do with it. I really hate the thought of not having a frozen stash. She did eat it but just had a weird look on her face and she pushed the bottle out of her mouth. Is it just something she has to get used to because it's different? I just don't want to give it to her if there could be something wrong with it. Any experience/advice would help! Thank you.
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Re: frozen breast milk

  • MargaretC5MargaretC5 member
    edited January 2016
    BM changes to meets the needs of your baby, so maybe it just tasted different than your LO expected. You could try mixing half fresh milk and half frozen.
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  • GoogleMDGoogleMD member
    ShianeNicole said:

    Has anyone used their frozen freezer stash yet?

    I have about 25 bags of frozen milk, 6 oz each. I built up my supply of frozen milk when I was pumping every 3 hours. I've since decided to pump every 6 hours. I can still produce enough to feed her just breast milk. She's eating about 3 oz every 3 hours (except at night). Since I don't have a deep freezer, I don't feel comfortable leaving the milk in the freezer more than a month. I've decided to start using December's milk, and freezing what I pump everyday now, in January. My LO does not seem to like the frozen milk. It doesn't have a weird smell or look bad, but obviously it tastes different? Anyone have experience with this? Could it be the medicine I was on in the beginning of December? I had a c section and was on a few different medications. Not sure what to do with it. I really hate the thought of not having a frozen stash. She did eat it but just had a weird look on her face and she pushed the bottle out of her mouth. Is it just something she has to get used to because it's different? I just don't want to give it to her if there could be something wrong with it. Any experience/advice would help! Thank you.

    BM is good for 6 months in a freezer that is attached to the fridge. There is nothing wrong with it, but proteins break down in low Temps so it will have a different tast. I recommend you give her at least 1 bottle of fresh milk a day so she is getting your antibodies, as they break down at low temps.
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  • Pontot31Pontot31 member
    As pp said milk in the freezer attached to your fridge is good at least 6 months. A year in the deep freezer. I've used milk past the 6 months without any issues.

    You could have a lipase issue- which doesn't hurt the baby- some just don't like it once it's frozen.
    You can try mixing half frozen and half fresh. But don't freak out over using milk that quickly- you're just making more work for yourself.

    Drugs shouldn't affect it too much. Maybe do half frozen and half fresh each day. That should help.
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  • rubirubi89rubirubi89 member
    The bottles my son gets when Im gone are from december and he does fine. I have them in the freezer part of my fridge. I think if it was bad she would have thrown up or not drank it at all.
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  • volimte11volimte11 member
    I started on my frozen stash at the beginning of January and it took a couple weeks my lo to get used to the different taste but now he eats fresh and frozen the same, as long as they are warm. And your freezer should be fine for a few months ! :)
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  • autumnalwaysautumnalways member
    I thawed some frozen breast milk the other day to introduce a bottle and it smelled strong and so I tasted it because I hated to give my baby something that tasted bad. It was awful. It tasted and smelled like soap. I researched and found out that some women produce more lipase and it causes bm to take on a soapy smell and/or flavor. There is certain points at which the fats start getting broke down by the lipase and take on that change. Usually around the 24 hour mark, but different for everyone. I pumped and put some in the fridge and at 24 hours it still smelled fine, but I didn't taste it. I've read that you can still give the milk to the baby, but some will reject it if the smell or taste is too strong. Apparently you can scald the milk before freezing and it's supposed to help the milk from breaking down. Good luck!
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  • ShianeNicoleShianeNicole member
    Thank you ladies!
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  • ShianeNicoleShianeNicole member
    edited January 2016
    I did notice a soapy smell. I researched this and it says to sald the milk before freezing, but not to bring it to a boil.. I'm very nervous about messing that up. Also says it's perfectly fine to give to the baby. Some babies may not drink it because it's different. If they do drink it, there is no reason to scald it, risking the loss of nutrients. I guess as long as she drinks it, it'll be fine. I will try mixing it and see if she likes it better. Thanks for the advice!
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  • Ceridwen77Ceridwen77 member
    I have been building up my stash since November. However, I've yet to give my LO milk from the freezer. Guess I better experiment this week since she starts daycare in February.
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  • jdal1206jdal1206 member
    How far in advance do you take the frozen milk out of the freezer? Like if my sister will be watching LO on Saturday should I take it out now to thaw or can I just take it out on Saturday morning?
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  • rubirubi89rubirubi89 member
    jdal1206 said:
    How far in advance do you take the frozen milk out of the freezer? Like if my sister will be watching LO on Saturday should I take it out now to thaw or can I just take it out on Saturday morning?
    You can move it from the freezer to the fridge the night before or just thaw it out in warm water when needed. 
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  • ShianeNicoleShianeNicole member
    I've read after its thawed to use it within 24 hours. So I would say Saturday
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  • Cook3133Cook3133 member
    jdal1206 said:

    How far in advance do you take the frozen milk out of the freezer? Like if my sister will be watching LO on Saturday should I take it out now to thaw or can I just take it out on Saturday morning?

    You can give it to her frozen and when she needs is she can run it under warm water to un thaw. This is what I've always done, I hate in thawing BM and then it not be used and go to waste
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  • jdal1206jdal1206 member
    Great, thanks everyone!
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  • LivHamidLivHamid member
    My son actually had the same reaction where he didnt want the frozen BM at first. This freaked me out because half of my freezer is BM already. Eventually he did eat it.
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  • Pontot31Pontot31 member
    ShianeNicole said:

    I've read after its thawed to use it within 24 hours. So I would say Saturday

    You've got longer than that. A couple of days is fine.

    I take mine out the night before it's needed because it thaws so slowly. Sometimes I leave it on the counter for an hour or 2 to jump start the thawing.
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  • cdepperschmidtcdepperschmidt member
    KellyMom said defrosted milk is good 24-48 hours.
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