Freezing breast milk - quick question

[Starshaped]

I'm probably being really dense but just wondering if you can use a bog standard freezer bag to freeze expressed breast milk or does it have to be a proper breast milk bag? Are the breast milk bags sterile or do they have anything special about them?

[Zimm]

I would have thought a special breast milk bag as it is sterile.....

[thisisyesterday]

no, you can use freezer bag. nothing is sterile once you've opened it and exposed it to the air/freezer etc. boobs aren't sterile!!!

that said, the bags are normally designed so that you can tie them round a breastpump and pump straight into them, which is handy, and they're smaller than freezer bags too which helps

[japhrimel]

Normal bags might be contaminated before even opening the packet, so personally I would have wanted to clean them before use which would be a right faff! Yes, anything exposed to the air is no longer sterile, but at least you know what your storage bags have been exposed to.

One thing to remember is that bags are for 1 use only, but pots can be washed, sterilised and re-used many times.

[thisisyesterday]

contaminated with what? if they're safe to put food in they'll be safe for breastmilk!

[HipHopOpotomus]

I found many of the special (expensive) bm freezer bags leaked after defrosting. Dissppointing. This time I will mostly use the reusable bottled you can get sling with a few bags.

[chloeb2002]

and the "guidelines" certainly here is aus now highly overrate sterile... as said.. a boob is not sterile....babies hands are far from styerile.... toys are not sterile.. clean will do just fine.... breast milk is just like any other food...