Breast milk storage question - should it separate?

[barbamama]

I am storing expressed milk in the fridge for up to a week before using. I find that even overnight the milk separates a lot and when I use it all the creamy bit stays in the container stuck to the side. Is this normal and how can I try and mix it in again before using so as not to waste it?

Mine did that, I warmed it a bit then gave it a really good shake. It then went back to normal.

Yes, mine did too

mine does that too. barbamama, i dont know if i misundertood your post... but just wanted to let you know that breast milk in the fridge only last up to 5, at the best 7 days.

Separating is completely normal, mine always did. I read that it is better to swirl to mix in the creamy stuff, rather than to shake. Our breastfeeding advisor recommended storing it in bags you could drop in to the bottles, so as not to lose that creamy stuff - Playtex brand maybe? - but I found that quite fiddly and ds would only take the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature bottles anyway, so I just used the Boots storage bags and swirled and squeezed in as much of the creamy stuff as I could. On how long to store, we were given a leaflet from the Breastfeeding Network www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/assets/docs/pdfs/BFNExpressing&Storing.pdf which said 4-8 days in the fridge if the fridge is below 4 degrees, any longer in the freezer.

It always does that, but if you warm the milk in the container it was stored in it melts back in with no problems.

That's where we are going wrong - warm it in the container and then pour it in the bottle!

Re: storage I mean I am using it a maximum of 7 days after it was first expressed and put in the fridge - I thought this was ok as kellymom siad 5-8 days? It mostly gets used by the 5 day mark.

One other thing though, if I am expressing to freeze rather than refridgerate I am freezing it soon after expressing. Can you keep it in the firdge for the 5 days or so and then freeze it if you don't use it?

I've read conflicting opinions on this - on the Dr Sears website I read that as breastmilk has antibacterial properties, if you have it in the fridge for a few days before freezing it it will actually have fewer bacteria in it by that point. But to be honest I never quite trusted that and always did what I would do with any other food, that is, cool and freeze as soon as possible. You can always defrost it fast if you need it.

Once I'm up to 6oz in the fridge I decant to a freezer bag rather than leaving it any longer - normally that's within 24h.
But we don't give ebm routinely so it probably wouldn't get used within a week anyway.

I was under the impression it could only be stored in the fridge for 24 hours. I've had the problem of the thicker milk sticking to the sides too. I use a weaning spoon to scoop it off and knock it into the Avent bottles I use because I pump into the little Medula bottles.