Freezing expressed breast milk

[LovelyMonster]

Hello,

I am lucky enough to have a fantastic milk supply and want to freeze some for a rainy day. My question is what is the best thing to store the milk in? Containers? Or mini plastic zip lock bags?

If the plastic Zip lock bags do they need to be sterilised? And how?

Many thanks for any answers

I've got some ziplock bags esp for storing breast milk. They say they are pre-sterilised. They are called Pump and Save by Medela.

Lovely thanks

I used to shove mine in sterilised plastic bottles so the CM could just whack on a teat and feed DS with them. Kept it up for a year, nearly drove me mad but 8 years on he's a fit big lad who's never had an antibiotic and barely a day off school so was worth it. I was working FT so used to pump like a maniac on one breast while he was guzzling on the other.

As Orange says, you can get special bags which have got a double seal. I've bought/seen them in Mothercare, ASDA & Boots. Don't fill the bag and try and freeze it flat rather than upright as that way it defrosts more quickly (as there's a greater surface area).

Boots do their own bags which are fab! :D

I did the bottle/contaniner thing a couple of times, but it takes AGES to defrost if you need it in an emergency, whereas Murtette said, there is a greater surface area, and a thinner layer of plastic for heat to penetrate if you put it in hot water.

you need some Axifeed bottles - google for suppliers

reusable, dishwashable, stack neatly in the freezer and never ever leak amd much cheaper than bags in the long run, esp if you express when back at work

If you're freezing in bags remember to put them into some sort of container when you are defrosting in the fridge. From experience there is nothing so disheartening/upsetting as going to the fridge expecting to take out 4oz defrosted milk and actually finding 2oz in the bag and the rest all over the salad box things at the bottom.... (bags can get punctured easily when forzen...)

I don't use anything specifically targetted to breasteeding because I am northern and therefore tight so just use normal freezer bags which work just fine. I date everything and store in the freezer with most recent at the front. I agree with previous poster about being careful to ensure bags don't get punctured (although I don't bother with the container, I just make sure I don't puncture them). You can defrost a freezer bag with a couple of ounces in within half an hour if you just dip the bag into luke warm water. Then pour contents of the bag into a bottle. I've never had any problem with this.

Having said this, I take Mrs Badger point of view that over the long term bottles may be cheaper than using lots of bags although I use seriously cheap non-breastfeeding bags so I'm sceptical that a bottle really would work out cheaper.

MrsBadger thank you! I've been trying to find those type of bottles for ages!!