Urgent EBM Question - Any BFC's or Expressing ladies please read.

[alux]

I just got to discovered 7oz of ebm in my handbag this morning that I should have left at nursery last nite when I picked up DD. It means she only has 5 oz there right now. I just tasted the 7oz and they taste fine. It was refridgerated immediately last night in sterile bags and no one's mouth has touched it.

Question: knowing all the anti-bac qualities of emb, would you risk feeding dd this or should I pour it down the drain and pump like mad and rush deliver over what I can manage today. I think I can pump and deliver enough to see her thru the rest of the day.

sorry where was the ebm overnight?

personally I would try and express some more. I wouldn't give her ebm if it had been in my handbag overnight in the house.

I think if it was in the house overnight, I'd pour it away. And cry OTOH, it could be fine - I'd just rather pump again than risk a sicky baby I think (much as I hate pumping!)

if it had been in the car for example I might give it a go.

thanks ladies. I am just gutted. I know that you are right.

oh I know
I threw out some frozen stuff the other day and had to dash away a tear...

I was even more gutted as its been a bad week fore ebm. First the nursery had to throw out 5 oz because they had dd 'hanging on' waiting for me to come pick her up and she couldn't wait anymore so they defrosted one lot and I walked in. the kicker was that they should have fed her at least an hr before anyway and they missed it! (they had better not make that mistake again!)

then the following night I went to put 2.5 oz in the fridge and left it out overnight on the side now my 7oz disaster.

My brain needs decluttering.

Alux - could the defrosted milk have been given anyway? Or will DD not take it if you've appeared in sight? Hope this doesn't happen again - how frustrating for you! Think you're brill for expressing for her like that, I don't think I could be so dedicated!

What a bummer.
All of us know the pain of wasting precious EBM.

I had to throw away 2 litres of the stuff before the milkbank could get my donating sorted out - that definately made me cry! I feel your pain, I hope you make enough for your DD alux, try not to stress over it though that always makes my supply go poof and disappear! (Teeny bit of formula isn't going to hurt in the long run )

oh no!
i had to throw away 2oz today as it had been hiding in the back of my friedge.....and I felt bad about that

did it work out alux?

just for another reference point - I regularly used to express during the day and then leave it in a sterile sealed bottle overnight until needed (usually about 4am) in our bedroom. Our bedroom was cool, but not cold. That was when I was expressing for my twins.

I took the view that as long as it was in a sterile container, and had gone straight in there and was sealed, and incidentally cooled slowly to room temperature rather than putting it in the fridge, was fine. I wouldn't do it with a brand-new baby but ok for those that have got the stage of puting everything in reach in their mouths.

Anything I did not use I usually cooked up to make rice pudding or semolina - couldn't bear to throw it away after the effort of getting it . Beware though - it stinks when you cook with it !

to add to the stupid theme - I once knocked over a whole oz bottle full of freshly expressed milk just as I was putting the lid on. I howled [sad[ - and had to face clearing it all off the carpet to boot !

that should be a 10 oz bottle

throckenholt that's almost as bad as placenta eating!! I routinely fed my baby stuff that had been kicking about in the fridge for a week... never had any ill effects just needed a good shake, still smelled ok...

(With my first I would resent him when he vomited for puking up 40 minutes of work! Now that's sad!)

fastaleep - me too - I got to the stage of giving them formula for the last evening feed - because that was the one that got puked most often - saved my milk for a more reliable feed !

And the semolina was for the babies - not me . Wasn't that desparate !

The placenta was fascinating to look at but don't think I would eat one (or even a bit of one - my one with the twins was huge !).

I went with - if it smells ok it is ok as well.

Alux, I would have used it! My logic being that these winter nights are cold and my handbag would be nearly as cold as the fridge and that EBM at normal room temp is good for 6 hours, and I've also heard 12 hours tho not sure about that.

I expressed late one night, got about six ounces, and left the bloody bottle on the side in the kitchen. Was there till the morning - about 8 hours later.

But our kitchen is really cold, so I used it. It smelt fine, I'd put the lid straight on, etc.

Throckenholt, I think I will try what you say if it happens again. Our house is cool at night but not as cool as when we lived in a victorian terrace. Iswym when you say about they put everything in their mouth anyway. And no, dd won't feed from bottle if I am there. Oh, and the cheeky little monkey possibly has milk allergy (getting tested next week so the formula option isn't open right now.)

popsy, it worked out but not in the way you would have thought.

Who was it who gave their FIL EBM in his tea?

alux, ds was sensitive to cow's milk for a while, so when I had started cutting back on my expressing, getting prepared to stop, I would mix half ebm and half soya formula. It worked just fine.

OK I can't promise I remember this accurately, but I am 90% certain on my BFI course we were told that bf does have antibac qualities and is safe for much longer than people expect. The guidelines in the course handbook states 24 hours in a domestic fridge though, and I'd go with that JIC.

This is what came in my book with my Ameda pump:

Room temp = 10 hours

In the fridge = 8 days

freezer compartment in the fridge = 2 weeks

in a freezer with a seperate door = 3 - 4 months

in a seperate deep freezer = 6+ months

previously frozen bm = 24 hours

I have done all of the above with no problems.

I think Jabberwocky's numbers are a good guide - but it seems that some women's milk lasts longer than others - only something you can figure out by trial and error.