breastmilk storage/use question

[juls_1974]

During the 2-3 weeks after delivery I produced a huge amount of milk and was able to pump and freeze quite a bit of it.  Now that my LO is 9 weeks old I've begun to give him some bottles of breastmilk about once a day.  My question:  Is it all right to give him the breastmilk that I had frozen 6-7 weeks ago even though it was from so soon after my delivery?  Will the breastmilk from that time provide the nutrients he needs now that he is a little older?  The reason I ask is that I thought I read somewhere that breastmilk changes in lactose/fat/other nutrient content as the milk supply gets established.  Also, the older milk looks much yellower than what I produce now so that adds to my suspicion that it's very different from the milk I make now.

And another question while I'm at it:  after I thaw a bag of frozen milk and give it to my LO and he only takes half of it, can I save the rest for later?  and if I can save it, how long is it good for?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Johanne]

Those are questions I'd like to know the answers to too! I pumped for the first time a couple of days ago - Alex loved the milk in a bottle! 

Jo

[NikiJ]

Hi Juls

Thawed breast milk can be stored in the fridge for up to 24hrs for later use.
Any milk pumped after baby is 6 days old can be frozen & used later on.  This is because your milk comes in between day 2 & 6 so day 6 just to be safe.  Colostrum cannot be frozen but can be stored in the fridge for up to 12 hours.

Human milk is very yellowy & can change colour with what you're eating.  The milk you have frozen you said is 6-7wks old & your baby is 9 weeks so thats perfect to use.  I think the major change in your milk happens around 6mths.  So the milk you have now is ok until he's about that age.

B.T.W if you keep your milk in the freezer compartment of a fridge (you know those small boxes at the top of a fridge) it will only be good for 2 weeks.  If you keep it in a fridge/freezer (the half & half one) it's good for 3 to 4 mths.  And if you keep it in a deep freeze box in the freezer it will last 6 mths.

Hope this helps.
Niki

[LyndaManus]

It does change in content.  It certainly is not bad for your LO and is still far better than formula, but everything I have read has said that you want to try not to let your freezer stash get over a month old.  As Niki said, it will stay good for 3 to 4 months.

Also, just an fyi.  Freezing the milk kills all of the antibodies.  I use to rotate all of my milk and just kept freezing and thawing out when I went back to work.  When I found this out I started just rotating the freezer stash once a month (again, it will stay good for 3 to 4 months but, from what I have read, composition changes every month or so).

Also, be careful about over-eating from the bottle.  I had this problem.  There are some online calculators and charts out there that will tell you how much they need.  My lo is a big suckler so he over-ate just because of a need to suckle.  Now, the health care provider cuts him off at a certain point and give him a paci.

More than you asked, but these are just some things I ran in to.

[jbepko]

La Leche League and Medela's guidelines for frozen milk-
In a separate freezer in a fridge (2 doors) its good for 3-4 months
In a stand alone freezer its good for 12 months

http://www.medela.com/NewFiles/faq/coll_store.html
http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/milkstorage.html
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkstorage.html

Frozen milk- has a lot of value- its liquid gold! Look at this list of good stuff in breastmilk.....freezing may change some of the immunologic benefit, but a lot still remains. I would be careful to think that frozen BM doesn't have any immunologic benefit. ANY breastmilk is better than none....and frozen is better than none. Look at this chart....its amazing what a google search will yield. And...donor milk for milk banks is frozen- again proving its value.

http://www.latrobe.edu.au/microbiology/table7.html (has a table showing what exactly IS LEFT with frozen EBM).
 http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/milk/immunefactors.html

I gave my LO milk from months previously b/c I has a stand alone freezer- he didn't seem to notice the difference at all.

Here's an answer to re-using frozen EBM-
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/reusing-expressedmilk.html

[Katet]

I'd have to question that freezing kills the antibodies... I worked in immunology/immunology research for 12 years & we used to "grow"  antibodies & freeze them (-70C, much colder than a normal freezer) & they retained all their antibody properties. by rights freezing shouldn't change the protien composition (heating will though) & it is when you microwave to warm frozen milk that the antibodies are destroyed

[juls_1974]

Thanks for your replies.  The kellymom website is very helpful!

[LyndaManus]

Thanks - I will have to do more research on the antibodies.  I e-mailed similar questions to the ones juls posted when I started rotating out my freezer stash.    The lactation consultant from Medela e-mailed me the following, but from what you guys are saying she might be wrong.  In the e-mail, she said that the information came from La Leche League International's Breastfeeding Answer Book.

"Freezing destroys the antibodies in breast milk. It is true that breast
milk changes over time, however, it's impossible to say when the
composition of breast milk does not match the baby's age. Breast milk is
also different at each pumping and nursing session. I wouldn't recommend
worring about the baby receiving "inappropriate" breast milk because it
is three months old. It is so far better than formula."

[LyndaManus]

me too - it is still way better than formula antibodies or not.  I hate knowing that they are giving inconsistent answers though

[Katet]

the antibody concentration is not as high in frozen bm as fresh & depending on how rapidly it is frozen (slower worse) some of the antibodies are destroyed, but they are also lost when the adhere to the sides of containers.
When you freeze it is a good idea to put them in the coldest part of the freezer & actually wrapping in a frozen ice pack can help it freeze faster