Share tips please! Can you freeze breast milk?? Is it bad to?

♥♪Megan♫♥ - posted on 01/27/2012

You can freeze milk. Most electric pumps come with the special baggies to freeze it in. But you have to watch the expiration dates. And you can NOT microwave breast milk because that will break down the nutrients.

Ania - posted on 01/27/2012

You can freeze milk just make sure you get special baggies for it and write the date. Google the best ways to store Breast milk, it depends on what freezer you have. Milk can stay there for 3-6 months...I think Make sure that you are using frozen according to your childs age. You don't want to give milk to 6 month old from the time that he was 3 months old, because he probably won't like it :

M - posted on 01/26/2012

Coupled with what the other ladies have already said... I would, personally, advise against the Medela breast milk bags for storage. I did this a couple times in the beginning when I was first freezing my milk and my son didn't take too well to the milk inside (and I doubled bagged by sealing the breast milk bag well and then placing those bags in a Zip Loc freezer bag - because I'm paranoid). My son took much better to the milk stored in the breast milk containers from Medela (and yes, I then bagged THOSE in Zip Locs, too). When you're freezing or anytime you're storing your breast milk, date the containers, bags or bins. Those dates become crucial when you've gone on a month or 2 (or 3) and you need to use the milk that is "expiring" soon. Hope that helps!

Suzie - posted on 01/26/2012

yes you can freez it it is only good for about three months as your brest milk is constantly changing so a baby at birth has a diffrent more fatty brest milk than a three month i would sugest freezing in brest milk bags and lay the flat as they defrost faster and to defrost simply run them under Warm water and personaly i like the lanosh bags the gerbers always brook when the siter defrosted it

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 01/26/2012

Here's some great info on storing milk:

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milks...

Liz - posted on 01/26/2012

Yes it is safe to freeze. But do not heat it in a microwave, use a bottle warmer or let it sit in hot water to thaw. It loses a lot more of it's nutritional value when you microwave it. Also, once it has been frozen and then thawed, it is not safe to refreeze and needs to be used within 24 hours.

Amy - posted on 01/26/2012

Yes you can freeze it, I believe it's 3 months in a regular freezer and up to 6 months in a deep freezer. It loses some of it's nutritional value but you lose some of that just by pumping or refridgerating. Sometimes as a working mom you do what you have to do and it's still cheaper then formula. I pumped when my daughter was younger and froze so I would have a stock pile when I went back to work. Just a word of caution when it defrosts the milk separates so it will look watery on part and thicker on the other part (I forget top or bottom), but that does not mean it's gone bad it's completely normal.