Freezing breast milk

[bearcrumble]

I've been expressing at the end of most feeds - so only getting miniscule amounts (between 10 and 20 ml depending on time of day).

I was putting it straight into the freezer in a lansinoh milk storage bag and topping the bag up throughout the day until there was about 60 ml (enough for one feed) in there.

Now I'm worried this isn't hygienic - my what to expect book says you should chill the milk in the fridge for half an hour before freezing. Also is it ok to add fresh milk to an already frozen bag?

Thanks in advance.

I wouldn't add fresh milk to an already frozen bag as it will raise the temp of the frozen milk which may cause bacterial action, but I have never refrigerated it for half an hour before freeezing; if i had enough for half a feed, it went straight to the freezer!

human milk has antibacterial properties so can be treated a bit more lax than other milks including formula. It can also be stored in the fridghe for ages before needing to be frozen, so you can add your little amounts in the fridge until you have enough for freezing.

you can also just freeze the little amounts if you like and then just defrost as much as you need to make up a full feed.

I would store it up in the fridge in one bag during the day and freeze the whole days worth on one go at the end of the day.

As LackaDAISYcal says, adding warm to cold will increase the temperature of the bit already in the freezer which isn't good.

I stored it in the fridge and moved it to the freezer when I had a feed's worth.