what would you do?

[leaves]

i feel silly even posting this, but i really don't want to toss the 5.5 oz of gold liquid!

my husband and i were out with our son last night and i had taken an expressed bottle of milk. the bottle was in the cooler all day, and i felt it around 8:30 pm and it was cold, but the ice pack had melted.

we came home and i forgot to put it in the fridge. so at 5:30 this morning i realized i had left it out - i felt it and it was room temp, but i put it in the fridge anyway, hoping it could be used. i know breast milk can go 8 hours at room temp (yes?), and it had been cool before, so... does this sound like a loss, or can i use it? i may just toss it anyway, but it'd be good to know anyway.

[Ruthla]

It depends on a number of factors.

Do you have a large stash of frozen breastmilk, or can you really "not afford to lose this milk"?

Do you do a lot of pumping? Is it easy for you to feed the baby the milk this morning and then pump to replenish the freezer stash instead of nursing him, or would that be a hardship for you? Would there be a risk of depleting your milk supply if you skipped a feeding when you didn't "have to"?

If you really can't afford to lose the breastmilk, and you can easily re-pump it (or, say, you'll be at work and need to pump anyway) then I'd go ahead and use this milk today. I wouldn't put it in the freezer for "sometime in the future" use after it's been out this long.

And, of course, if you're considering using the milk, smell it first. If it smells like spoiled milk, toss it.

I have two tips for you in the future:

1) Don't make such big bottles! Make bottles of 2-3oz each, even if it means needing 2 bottles instead of one. There's less waste this way.

2) Why did you need a bottle at all if you were out with the baby?

[Sk8ermaiden]

I would smell it, and possibly dip my finger in and taste it, If that all seems fine, I would keep it. I would use it as soon as possible though.

[leaves]

long story short, we are photographers and have a city-wide shoot to complete, and last night i didn't know if we'd have time to take a nursing break. but we did, so i didn't use the bottle.

could toss it, but i've been expressing more so we can take bottles with us, and i don't have a stash. i've been expressing in the middle of the night if he doesn't wake up, and in the morning.

thanks so much for your help!

[2goingon2]

Originally Posted by Sk8ermaiden

I would smell it, and possibly dip my finger in and taste it, If that all seems fine, I would keep it. I would use it as soon as possible though.

Yep - this. Hope you can use it.

[PatioGardener]

I'd use it - but I wouldn't freeze it.