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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

What shall I do with my 8 month old frozen EBM?

55 replies

Mung · 30/03/2008 22:20

I have loads. I painfully expressed loads and never really used much and now its over the 6 month mark. DD is 1 in 2 weeks and I am going to stop bf. can I give it to her? Or is it actually harmful if its over 6 months old?
I cant face pouring it down the sink!

OP posts:
PussinJimmyChoos · 30/03/2008 22:39

Moondog - how eloquently put...I envy your ability to be so articulate...!

StarlightMcKenzie · 30/03/2008 22:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

moondog · 30/03/2008 22:43

You need it given to you straight Puss as you sure as hell weren't getting the message any other way.

GillianLovesMarmite · 30/03/2008 22:45

Soap!! You can make soap - after a quick look on everyones favourite search engine the first link I found was this one... traditionalmidwife.com/mothersmilksoap.html
I think this is a beautiful use for surplus breast milk as you can use it on yourself/child/partner etc. I'm definately going to try it!
Am less convinced about breast milk soup though .

Gillian.

robinrednomorenowemptybreasts · 30/03/2008 22:45

id give it too her mung, its too good to waste on soap !

StealthPolarBear · 30/03/2008 22:48

I have been known to drink EBM that my DS refuses myself rather than waste it
hmm should I have admitted that
oh well it is late and I've had a drink

PussinJimmyChoos · 30/03/2008 22:49

I wasn't getting the message? That is a bit rich coming from you Moondog!

BearMama · 30/03/2008 22:50

Soap is a lovely idea. Next best thing to bathing in it - very Cleopatra!

moondog · 30/03/2008 22:50
Grin
LynetteScavo · 30/03/2008 22:52

Oh breast milk down the sink? I remember throwing DS1's expressed frozen milk away, and feeling very bitter.

My mum reckons microwaving changes the composition of milk, so I never microwaved breast milk. (I know your'e not supposed to, but I always heated formular in the microwave)

RGPargy · 30/03/2008 22:54

Stealth!!!

Agree tho, deffo give the EBM to the child. It certainly wont do any harm!!

PussinJimmyChoos · 30/03/2008 22:55

Ok, I've just googled a few websites about EBM and the times given by one website for frozen breast milk is to use within 6months max and the West Wiltshire NHS website says 3 months...

chipmonkey · 31/03/2008 00:04

this kellymom link says that breast milk is good for six to twelve months in a deep-freeze. And that it is only "gone off" if it smells or tastes bad. I'd say use it!
Puss, you are right that breastmilk changes composition as the baby gets older but it's not true to say that "old" milk shouldn't be used at all. It's still better than formula or cow's milk.

solo · 31/03/2008 00:37

I left a bottle of EBM with mum one evening and Dd refused it. I tried it and it made me heave badly, it was rancid, I couldn't believe it. It was a little over 6 months old from the freezer and was sooo difficult to express. So, looking at the drawer with the half dozen bags in there, I wasn't sure what to do with it. Very sad isn't it? I feel really emotional about it. I expressed with ease with Ds(gallons of it), but Dd has been a nightmare. I might give the soap a go...sounds a fabulous idea.

Bumperlicious · 31/03/2008 07:39

How about making breastmilk bread?

MrsBadger · 31/03/2008 09:19

solo I have had the same problem
I expressed faithfully every day in the autumn but got lazy/busy over Christmas so had been relying on my old freezer stocks

dd had been refusing/messing about with bottles both at home and nursery for a few weeks before I tasted it - this was the beginning of March and the milk was from Nov, so about 6m old - and my god it was off - way off. Quite revolting and a million miles from the fresh stuff.

Don't know if it's my milk or my freezer but am now trying to keep storage to 6wks or less and she is happily chugging 8oz a day at nursery...

solo · 31/03/2008 10:12

MrsBadger, I'm glad it's not just me IYSWIM. I'm sure it isn't my freezer, so I wonder if it could have something to do with what we have eaten prior to expressing and freezing and maybe that ingredient doesn't keep well...? I don't know

solo · 31/03/2008 10:12

MrsBadger, I'm glad it's not just me IYSWIM. I'm sure it isn't my freezer, so I wonder if it could have something to do with what we have eaten prior to expressing and freezing and maybe that ingredient doesn't keep well...? I don't know

chipmonkey · 31/03/2008 10:26

some women have an excess of lipase in their EBM which means it goes off very quickly and doensn't freeze well. If you have this problem you can solve it by "scalding" the milk as soon as it is expressed, i.e bringing it to just under boiling point and allowing to cool. One lady on La Leche League Forums found that when she cut flaxseeds out of her diet this problems improved hugely.

MrsBadger · 31/03/2008 10:29

we might have high lipase - good page here

Not sure I can be arsed to scald it though - the less-tahn-6wk stuff is fine so I might just keep it on a quick turnaround

solo · 31/03/2008 10:41

MrsBadger, I'm glad it's not just me IYSWIM. I'm sure it isn't my freezer, so I wonder if it could have something to do with what we have eaten prior to expressing and freezing and maybe that ingredient doesn't keep well...? I don't know if it could work that way.
I am quite disappointed about not being able to express well this time around, but Dd hasn't gone without, I've just had to make sure she has access to me most of the time. With my Ds, I would've been able to feed quads I think as I had so much milk, so expressed half a pint a day with a hand pump on top of feeding him first hand. I'd like to have been able to do it this time, but at least I've been able to feed her naturally - I'd have been devastated if I couldn't have...

solo · 31/03/2008 10:50

I've only heard about this scalding milk thing on MN. It sounds odd to me as I would've thought that the process would've taken out a lot of the goodness...we live and learn I guess.

My milk supply is much reduced now but I'm tempted to try expressing again - even if just to make some soap! LOL!

chipmonkey · 31/03/2008 10:55

Scalding does take out some of the goodness but scalded EBM is still better than formula for babs.

solo · 31/03/2008 11:38

Absolutely chipmonkey, I'm totally pro Bf ing. I can never really understand why some people only do it for a short time, or give up at 6 months...WHY? but that's just me. Not meant to offend anyone at all...
My mum says she could only feed me herself for 4 to 6 weeks because I wan't getting enough!I would hazard a guess that had she had support, she would've continued far, far longer and you'd think in the 60's it would've been the ' normal' thing to do...
Glad I'm able to and want to breast feed.

Akiandme · 31/03/2008 12:14

I binned a load of EBM on the weekend. Stored sterile in the freezer and it was well and truely OFFFF. Some of it was only 3 months old. Sour milk soap anyone?!?