Some breastmilk thawed...do I have to toss it?

[liberal_chick]

Our freezer door got left ajar today and two bags of breastmilk thawed out. Can I re-freeze it or do I need to toss it (or use it)?

[PatioGardener]

I would try to keep it in the fridge and use it within a week. If this isn't possible then honestly I would mark the bags and re-freeze. You aren't supposed to re-freeze anything, I know, but it was only, what, 12 hours at most? I bet it was still cool this morning. And breastmilk is so resiliant. If you mark the bags you know to use them first and also to taste before giving to baby.

[Icehockey18]

I have read (I think it was a medela website) that you can not re-freeze milk. It also says that milk only lasts in the fridge for 4 days, and out in room temp for 8 hours. I am sure these times have some wiggle room, but I am not sure how much. I agree that breast milk is resiliant, but I also err on the side of caution. If you do re-freeze it I would def. taste/ smell it before use. I treat my milk like gold and HATE to throw it out, but if I am afraid it will be bad for my son I throw it out, with much disgust. I feel your pain for the frustration of milk being wasted, but I would thaw it in the fridge and if I don't need it in the next four days, I would throw it out.

[Rivka5]

I have found that thawed milk goes sour pretty quickly. If it were me, I'd use it to make the baby oatmeal or something.

[PatioGardener]

There's great info in this thread:

http://mothering.com/discussions/sho...ht=thawed+milk

Check out post 5 by CathMac

[liberal_chick]

Thanks! They were completely thawed but still super cold. I used one bag last night, but I'll stick the 2nd bag back in the freezer after I mark it.