Breastmilk storage and shelf life

I will be going back to work soon and have been stocking up expressed milk in the freezer since December. Recently I took out a few bags from the Dec lot and try feeding bub with bottle. Bub refuses it. I found a strange fishy smell in the milk so I disposed it. Have tried another few bags and even the January lot. All has similar smell in it. Bub has never refused to take from bottle before (milk that is expressed within two days and stored in the fridge). This is the only time.


I compared the smell of the old milk to the new milk. The new one does have similar smell but it's much much weaker.



The way I store the milk - pump directly into Medela milk bags and store in regular freezer. We seldom have frozen meat or anything in the freezer. Usually just ice-cream. And I even put the milk bags into big ziploc bags for better storage. There is no way the milk is contaminated.


The Meridian says breastmilk should stay fresh in regular freezer for up to two months. It shouldn't have been expired yet then!


The way I thaw the milk - place the bags down to refridgerator one or two days before. By the time I need it, I reheat it in a bowl of warm/hot water.


I now have around 40 bags of frozen milk and if it doesn't work out I'll have to dispose them all which is truly a waste... Anyone has similar experience before?

Nicher, I think you're right to toss anything with a suspicious smell .. better to be on the safe side. I use the Lansinoh sealed bags and they seem to be fine. I store pumped milk in the Avent 'Insulate' bag - says it keeps it the same temperature for 4 hours, and you can put the whole bag in the fridge then if you need to. Then take it home, put it in the fridge to use the next day, because fresh milk is better than frozen in terms of antibodies, etc. Thawing frozen milk: I just put it in a jug of lukewarm/warm water and let it thaw, then put it in the fridge or warm it for use. But I've read that you shouldn't keep thawed milk in the fridge for longer than 24hrs.

Hi Nicher, I agree with the others in that your milk is probably fine but you're not using it from the fridge fast enough. I think you should just defrost it as you need it and use it straight away. I expressed for 6 months for my last son and had this happened to me quite a few times.

Thanks all. Actually I've been following the method that you all advised. I also put the frozen bags down to the fridge compartment at most two days before I need it and then warm it right before I use (or should I warm it in lukewarm water instead of hot water?). Will definitely try again.


Waffle - U said it well - I also tasted a drop of breastmilk once. It was OFF. Had to rinse my mouth immediately after! Wonder why my son loves it so much haha!

Yes, you need to really take it out and use it within a few hours, you'll be surprised how fast it defrosts especially if you store it in say 4oz bags.

Infact it gets even grimmer because if you leave it more than 2 days it'll turn green with a thick sediment in the bottom. Yuck!

I see. I'll try to just defrost it a few hours before I need it. Thanks!


Ruth - thanks for those links. Very helpful indeed. I hope it's not because of the high lipase level.

Sometimes breastmilk does change in smell and taste after being frozen, seeming to smell sour, soapy or rancid. If care has been taken to properly collect and store your milk, it does not mean your milk is spoiled. The rancid taste and smell can be due to the breakdown of fats. A soapy smell may be the result of the freeze-defrost cycle in self-defrosting freezers. Scalding freshly expressed milk, without bringing it to a boil, then cooling it rapidly and freezing, stops the process of fat digestion. The milk may o rmay not be be more readily accepted by your baby. See the following link for more information. http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/lipase-expressedmilk.html







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