Question about milk storage??

[LionessMom]

I never stored my milk before but want to try this time. I would like to have some just in case. i want to pump and freeze it in the ice cube tray then switch it to a plastic freezer bag. would that work or should i go get the special storage bags? also, the last time i pumped a bottle (when DD1 was a baby) it seemed to sour real quick. thoughts?

[mama_Agnieszka]

Originally Posted by LionessMom

I never stored my milk before but want to try this time. I would like to have some just in case. i want to pump and freeze it in the ice cube tray then switch it to a plastic freezer bag. would that work or should i go get the special storage bags? also, the last time i pumped a bottle (when DD1 was a baby) it seemed to sour real quick. thoughts?

Hi!
I'm not a pro - don't make enough milk to pump and store myself, but have had mamas help me by donating their milk and this is the info I got for them:

Breast milk can be stored for 2 weeks in the freezer compartment inside a fridge

3 months in the freezer section of a fridge with seperate door,

6-12 months in a deep freeze (-18C or cooler)


It doesn't matter what method you use to store it (bag, bottle), as long as it is frozen. The only advantage of the special storage bags is that they are designed to pour out easier than say a ziploc would be. So, you lose less as you pour out from bag to bottle. Also, you can write down on the bag the date and time of the pumping, which will help in keeping track of the milk's age.

Hope that helps!
Nishy

[April Dawn]

I would get the storage bags. Freezing your milk in open ice cube trays could lead to freezer burn - the best way to avoid freezer burn is to use a bag you squeeze the air out of. I use the Lansinoh brand bags. They're actually one of the cheaper brands of bags, and they work great.

If your pumped milk sours quickly you may have high lipase in your milk. I know that some mamas with this problem have good luck with scalding the milk briefly when it's freshly pumped. I don't have high lipase, though, so I don't know all the details.

Good luck!

[LilMomma83]

I love the Lansinoh bags...I've tried just about every method, and they are my only fully reliable and easy to use method. I know they are the most pricey, but, I've found that some grocery stores carry them without he extras (when I get them from Target or Babys R Us etc the box contains samples of creams etc and it costs more). I put the BM directly into the lansinoh bag and fill a gallon freezer bag with lansinoh bags each lansinoh has the date and ounces written on it and then the gallon freezer bag is label by the range of dates inside it.

[boobs4milk]

Originally Posted by April Dawn

I would get the storage bags. Freezing your milk in open ice cube trays could lead to freezer burn - the best way to avoid freezer burn is to use a bag you squeeze the air out of. I use the Lansinoh brand bags. They're actually one of the cheaper brands of bags, and they work great.

If your pumped milk sours quickly you may have high lipase in your milk. I know that some mamas with this problem have good luck with scalding the milk briefly when it's freshly pumped. I don't have high lipase, though, so I don't know all the details.

Good luck!

i thought heating the milk to a high temp killed of the sIgA??

[April Dawn]

Originally Posted by boobs4milk

i thought heating the milk to a high temp killed of the sIgA??

I searched Kellymom for more info and found this:

What can I do if my storage problem is due to excess lipase? Once the milk becomes sour or rancid smelling/tasting, there is no known way to salvage it. However, newly expressed milk can be stored by heating the milk to a scald to inactivate the lipase and stop the process of fat digestion. Scald the milk as soon after expression as possible.

To scald milk:

Heat milk to about 180 F (82 C), or until you see little bubbles around the edge of the pan (not to a full, rolling boil).
Quickly cool and store the milk.
Scalding the milk will destroy some of the antiinfective properties of the milk and may lower some nutrient levels, but this is not likely to be an issue unless all of the milk that baby is receiving has been heat-treated.

From: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/l...essedmilk.html