I am just wondering if any other Moms out there have this problem with freezing breastmilk. Whenever I use breastmilk that has been in the freezer, it ends up having a real strong smell and taste. That breastmilk smell, you know? But really, really strong. I pulled one out yesterday that was only dated back to about Jan 19, and it just has that strong smell and taste. Any thoughts or explanations why? Anyone else experience this?
I use special bags for freezing my milk and it has never smelled or looked any different. I keep it on the door of my regular freezer with no problem. I get the bags at target and they're great!
I was the queen of pumping since my son was born at 31+ wks. The only time I had issues with the smell was when the milk was too old or not properly freezed. The only real good way to store milk is with a deep freezer. Otherwise, if it is stored in the door of your fridge it won't freeze right away, which could turn it sour before it actually freezes. Also - it dpends on what you ate or drank or if you are on antibiotics.
If you don't have a deep freezer, then just store a bit of milk in the fridge up to 2 days and keep any other foods away from it, like onions, etc. that the odors could seep in the milk.
FYI if it smells when you're making a bottle - dump it out!
i experience the same thing- i am not sure why, but i also use a regular freezer (not deep freeze).i still use the frozen milk and my daughter does fine with it. i try to not go past 3 months.
I would try to use the smell of formula as your guide. If the breastmilk smells stronger than formula, then toss it. Fresh breast milk has little or no smell at all--so if it gets worse than newly made formula--get rid of it!
That does not sound right to me at all. What are you storing it in? And what part of your freezer are you using? You should never use the doors to store it. I have breast fed two children - one for 10 1/2 months and one for 14 months and never had that issue.
Sometimes my pumped/stored milk will have a strong aroma if I have eaten a lot of garlic or any other foods with strong spices or distinctive odors (i.e. asparagus). My rule of thumb is if the stored milk smells like spoilt cows milk, even a little sour I don't use it. You should definitely make sure that whatever you store the milk in is as airtight as possible and make sure your freezer is cold enough. Check the La Leche League website for storage guidelines, www.llli.org
I have never heard of breastmilk smelling...Mine was completely odorless.
I would definitely check w/ a lactation consultant or go to the Le Leche website...www.llli.org
It's been a while since I've stored breast milk, but it doesn't sound normal to me. I don't remember it having a super strong odor. How are you going about thawing it? I always took it out and put it in a dish with hot water. Then later, someone told me that you're supposed to thaw it out in the fridge first and then put it in a bowl of hot water to thaw it - no microwave or anything. I'm not sure if it matters putting it in the fridge first or not to have it thaw. Anyway, so if you're thawing it differently than a bowl of warm water, maybe it's making it weird? I honestly have no idea! It shouldn't be bad milk in that length of time.
I wasn't able to breastfeed either of my children, but milk should not smell "strong" in any case. If you have one, I would suggest talking with your lactation consultant, or calling La Leche League nearest you (the hospital or birthing center where you gave birth can refer you to one, if you need). I don't know if it's a matter of where in your freezer you are storing it, what type of container you are storing it in, or something in your diet, but a Certified LC can definitely help you with this issue.
Congratulations on the birth of your new baby!
~J.~
