Breastmilk and Freezer Burn

I heard that sometimes frozen breastmilk will do that try scalding the milk before you freeze it and that should take away the smell and taste. I read it in my breastfeeding guide from Medela.

My son refused breastmilk from the freezer too - the smell was horrible! I used medela and gerber bags (which I liked better). I had a problem with my son drinking any pumped milk, even sealed in bottles in the fridge it would smell. I tasted all three types - fresh, fridge and freezer - it all tastes different. It loses its sweetness if it isn't straight from the breast. So, I do think it has something to do with the milk and not necessarily the freezer or the bags.

Hi
Very simple, you need to freeze in GLASS. You can use welll cleansed baby food jars. or i used these jars from Lanisoh that seal twice and say "my mommy's milk" in purple (very cute). I purchased them on Amazon. you can also google it and find them on other websites or stores. They are also better than the plastic because glass will not leach nutrients from the milk like plastic does. your milk will be both better protected and more nutritious. You can also add more to the frozen bottle, if you refrigerate the additional milk so it is cold and then add it.
Good Luck !
M.

I breastfeed my daughter for over a year and stored milk in the freezer as well. I used breastmilk bags and squeezed out the air. I never had any bad smell and my daughter drank it just fine. They weren't medela bags because those were more expensive but I can't imagine them being any different. You do need to discard any froozen breastmilk after 6 mths. I would make sure you take out the air, seal them tightly (I would turn it over to make sure) and only keep them for 6 mths, otherwise I am not sure why you are experiencing the problems you had. I know for me using formula was not an option because all of the benefits from breastmilk and how much better it is for your child. I would try whatever you can to make things work out, possible contact one of the breastfeeding groups and get some of there input. Good Luck!

J.,

I don't have much experience with this myself, but have you tried to call the lactation department at the hospital where you delievered? You may want to try to call the ladies at St. Joseph's Womens hospital. They were so helpful to me with the latching problems that I had maybe someone there could give you some helpful advice. Just a thought....Good luck

E. W.

I used the Avent bottles with the sealing discs. They worked for us, no bad smell, no freezer burn. Good luck!

I used the Gerber Breastmilk storage bags and loved them. Once you store make sure you squeeze the air out of the bag before freezing. I went out and bought a 5 cu ft deep freezer just for my breastmilk. You can store it in the deep freeze longer and less chances of freezer burn. The fridge freezer has greater potential of defrosting some of the milk from going in and out. I never had any problems with freezer burn or bad smell. When you defrost make sure you are using warm water or what I usually did was take it out of the freezer then night before and put it in the fridge to defrost. If you need to defrost suddenly then a bottle warmer on the lowest setting works well too. I purchased the parents choice warmer at Wal-Mart and put it on setting one for defrosting milk and it worked wonderfully.

Hi, I'm not much help. This happened to me too. I tried what Tara did (double bag, taking all the air out, baking soda) and I also found a plastic storage container like a shoe box from Walmart or a large tupperware container and put the bags in there with the top closed. (with the baking soda in the box
and a box of baking soda outside the box) It worked more often than not but.... sometimes it didn't. I know it's really frustrating but the good news is at least your baby will take formula - mine refused. I just about lost my mind. Good luck!

It could be that the bags are old. I have a American Academy of Pediatrics breastfeeding book and it says only keep milk frozen for about 1 month in regular freezer and store in the coldest area,3-6M in a zero degree deep freeze. Another thought, how are you thawing?? It says to always thaw in the fridge, or by placing in warm not HOT water, as this will also break down the wonderful cells in the bmilk. Never microwave either and never refreeze.

I know breast milk have a different smell, but I guess you must know that and your baby too. I saved some when I had a baby but I did it on small bottles, like the bottles the baby use, I never used bags. Maybe is better not to save so much, that way you won't feel sooo bad, I would be histerical if that happened to me. Maybe just save a week supply and try the bottles, they may work.

Best luck, I admire moms that want to breastfeed, that is great, keep trying. Be careful with the formula, it is easier for the baby and they can can get used to it fast.

J.

Do you have a deep freezer? I didn't keep my milk in the fridge/freezer (because of the auto defrost – that’s what creates freezer burn), but in a separate freezer and its good for 6+ months. Also, are you removing all the air? That is *really* important. Zip the bag to almost closed, squeeze the milk to the top to remove the air, then complete the zip and then store flat (there should not be any air pockets).

~J.

Hi, it's been 17 years since I breast fed. I had my 3 boys in all different places as we were military and traveled around. I had an american ob, german ob and a military ob and they all told me to never freeze my milk. I remember one of them saying it wasn't like freezing regular milk because a mother's milk is not homogenized and pastuerized like regular milk which is what protects the milk from spoiling even though it is being froze. Our milk comes from a warm environment and isn't made to be frozen, it reacts differently then store bought milk or formula.
Anyway, that is what I was told and I never froze my milk, I refrigerated it when necessary. I didn't work so I was there to feed the kids most of the time without having to use what I refrigerated. I used that for when I was away from them. I hope you can figure it out and find a way to get through this.
S. :)

I was actually going to suggest the Ziploc bags until you said you'd tried it. I had the same problems with the breastmilk bags alone. I would be sure to squeeze all the air out before I sealed it but same problem. Then I started to put them in the Ziploc bag after sealing them and that helped. The other thing that helped was when I put 2 boxes of Arm & Hammer baking soda into the freezer while I was freezing so much milk so the odors of everything else would be absorbed by the baking soda. That's my only other idea. Good luck and best wishes.

Breastmilk contains a pre-digestive enzyme, Lipase, which helps the milk digest in the baby's tummy. Some mothers have a higher level of lipase in their milk and after pumping, the lipase will start to break down the milk fat during storage. This will result in a bad smell and/or taste in the milk. To prevent this, you can scald the milk by placing the bottles of milk in a pan of water and heat just until the first tiny bubbles appear. Take it off the heat before it starts to boil. Cool the milk right away. Some of te nutrients will be destroyed, but it is still a better quality food for your infant than formula.

Hi,
I'm a new mother of a 2 1/2 year old son. I was breastfeeding for his first month and read tons about the storage of breastmilk! I remembered reading that it depends on the type of freezer you have as to how long you can store it. I've copied and pasted the "rules" below..I've also listed the web address where I got the information from.

Breastmillk can be stored in the freezer section of your refrigerator that has a separate door for up to 3 months.

Breastmilk can be stored in an upright or chest freezer at a constant temperature of 0 degrees (Fahrenheit) for 6 to 12 months.

Website: http://www.breastfeeding.com/workingmom/storage.html

Hello J.,

I don't know if the bags had anything to do with it, but I used to freeze mine in lansinoh bags (from target) and in aventi plastic cups and I didn't have that problem.

The other thing I did, I usually pumped for him to drink the day after and I ended up discarding most of the frozen milk because I didn't get to use it; he just drank refigerated milk (never more the 48 hrs., usually 24). I did this for 13 mo. and it worked for me.

The only thing is that for the above to work, you have to pump several times during the day, even at work if you do work outside the house, as if you were actually there to breasfeed.

Good luck!