frozen breast milk safety?

Question

I've been pumping and storing my breastmilk as I have to leave my little one for a couple of days for business. I've started to notice color variences from pump to pump, or day to day. How can you tell if frozen breastmilk has gone sour/bad?

Answer 1

I'm sure it's fine. It can stay frozen for awhile without going bad.

Answer 2

The constancy of your breastmilk changes during the day depending on: the time of day, how much has been consumed, what you have been eating.

Frozen breastmilk shouldn't go bad before at least 3 months. But if it is bad it would smell bad when defrosted.

"Breastmilk is not spoiled unless it smells really bad or tastes sour."
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkstorage.html

"To thaw milk

Thaw slowly in the refrigerator (this takes about 12 hours – try putting it in the fridge the night before you need it). Avoid letting milk sit out at room temperature to thaw.
For quicker thawing, hold container under running water - start cool and gradually increase temperature.
Previously frozen milk may be kept in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours after it has finished thawing. Do not refreeze.

To warm milk

Heat water in a cup or other small container, then place frozen milk in the water to warm; or
Use a bottle warmer.
NEVER microwave human milk or heat it directly on the stove.
The cream will rise to the top of the milk during storage. Gently swirl milk (do not shake) to mix before checking temperature and offering to baby.
"

Answer 3

I was worried about that also. My son was a preemie and in the NICU for 6 weeks so I stored alot of milk. I took some to the nurse to show her the different color variations and she said not to worry there were plenty of things that affected the color such as what I ate that day. If it doesn't smell sour its fine. You can store breastmilk in a freezer for 3 months and in a deep freeze for up to a year.

Answer 4

Frozen milk should stay good if you have put it in the bag and frozen it immediately. You can always tell a sour smell. But I think its okay, probably just slightly changed in color due to going from fresh to frozen. It should be fine once warmed up. I know plenty of moms at the daycare I worked at who did the same for their little ones.

Answer 5

Breastmilk color will change depending on the food that you have consumed so will the texture. you can freeze breastmilk up to 6 months so it can't go bad if you froze it right away or froze less than 3 days after you pumped.

Answer 6

kellymom.com has some info and the la leche league is a good resource for mom's. Depending on way you at and at what time you pumped your milk with have different colors and consistencies. As long as you are refrigerating and freezing your milk properly and in a timely manner, at latest after 8 hours, it will not get spoiled. Now if you heat it up and then try to refrigerate it, that wil cause a problem. Good Luck!

Answer 7

It's safe! I'd put the frozen milk into bottles, let it thaw in the fridge, and keep it cool throughout the next day. Remind them that they need to warm by bottle warmer rather than microwaving (which they should do formula OR bmilk, but who knows) And in fact, breastmilk can be kept at room temp longer than formula because it has natural antibiotics.

Answer 8

Does the mild look like it has a yellow tint to it? As long as it has remained completely frozen, it should be okay for a few days. But exactly how many days are you going to be gone and how many days has the milk been frozen?

Answer 9

It's normal for the color of your milk to vary some.

Frozen milk is good for about 3-6 mos in the freezer atop your fridge and 6 mos to a year in the deep freeze. Just don't store it near the door.

Answer 10

Frozen breast milk will last for months. The color maybe due to your diet.You can usually tell by the smell or taste.

Answer 11

My lactation nurse told me that you can keep breast milk frozen for 3 weeks and it will still be fine. The color variances may be due to what you are eating.(Everything you eat ends up in you milk.)