Using up what's in the freezer now and freezing for later?

[kalishea]

I have tons of frozen breast milk. Some of it has been in there since DS was born, so it's about 7 months old. I would like to add breastmilk to his diet even after I am done breastfeeding so I was thinking that maybe I should start using some of the freezer stuff and freezing what I am pumping now (I work part time) that way, say this next winter he is no longer breastfeeding, I can have some new stuff to give him as a supplement.
So I guess my question is.. is it better to give him fresh and not worry so much about having some for later down the road, or give him some frozen now and keep freezing some?
Another question is, after he is older, how much breastmilk will he need to give him the health benefits? I am just asking so I know what portion sizes to freeze- if I should freeze smaller sizes or like an 8 oz size?
TIA!

[mambera]

Freezing kills the white cells in milk, so frozen milk probably won't be nearly as immunologically beneficial as fresh. Of course it will still be a nutritionally healthy food for him.

Also I think I've read that you shouldn't give a baby BM that's been frozen for longer than 3-4 months?

If you want to keep giving him milk after he weans from the breast I would rotate your freezer stash, but I wouldn't expect it to protect him from the flu next winter IYSWIM.

[lkmiscnet]

I could have written your post, but I've been freezing a stash since 8 months ago. I just thawed one of the first batches and it had an "off" smell and taste, kinds of sour and soapy. It wasn't bad where it seemed rancid. To make sure it just wasn't because it was 8 mo old, I opened a bag from Dec 12th and it was exactly the same. I was planning on using it to mix in his pureed foods and eventually to give him in a sippy cup as I start to wean.

I would suggest you thaw your early pumpings and test them.

The storage guidelines are that milk can be stored frozen 3-4 months in a regular freezer/fridge and 6 months or longer if stored in a dedicated deep freezer. I had mine originally in a regular freezer of my fridge and we ended up buying a dedicated upright freezer just for storing it after 3 months, so I moved it all into that freezer after, so I'm on the fence about the earlier batches.

I'm told the off smell/taste could be because I have excess lipase, which affects how the milk will freeze due to the impact on the fats. I was also told that my baby might very likely not care about the weird taste/smell and that he's going to be the ultimate decider on whether or not I've pumped 250 bags of frozen milk for nothing whether it's good or bad.

I talked to a La Leche consultant and she suggested not using the older stuff, but maybe going back just the past 6 months only. I just wanted to make sure he wouldn't get sick from it. I have a ped appt next week, so am going to get her opinion on whether it's okay to try it with him and any risk of making him sick.

If you do thaw out one of your earlier bags, I would love it if you could report back on your findings just to compare.

Linda

[JollyGG]

I know I've fed frozen milk that was 6 months old without any issues. We have a chest freezer. I stopped pumping at 6 months of age but was still able to avoid using formula at all as my freezer stash last until exactly one week before my daughters 1st birthday. I continued to nurse in the evenings and at night even after I stopped pumping. My son also probably was fed milk that was six months old as well since I stopped pumping with him at 6 months as well and the freezer stuff initially was probably from eary pumping sessions initially. Though my freezer stash only lasted two months for him.

As for the question of feeding fresh verses frozen when you are not there. I always fed my kids fresh and just used the freezer stash for back-up and once I stopped pumping.

[CherryBombMama]

a few months ago, i started freezing all my freshly pumped milk and giving my DS my frozen milk from earlier. i didnt want to let too much time go by, because my earliest milk is made differently than my later milk. (you know, like giving a 6 month old frozen milk that is made for a three month old?)

[groovyem]

Some babies do not like the taste of the milk once it has been frozen. So I would make sure yours does. Mine protested when I started the bottle with fresh then added frozen to finish. There is a way to warm the milk on the stove before you freeze to kill the enzyme that gives it the soapy smell and taste. Call Medela 800-435-8316.