Frozen breast milk - 1 year old (+bit self indulgent ramble)

[BertieBotts]

My DS is still up (heat... disturbed sleep patterns... long story!) anyway when he gets overtired like this and I am at my last resort, I sometimes give him cow's milk in a bottle rather than feeding him myself and it seems to calm him enough to fall asleep in his buggy.

Have just been to the fridge, and the milk is lumpy... yuk. Anyway, no shops open now obviously, but I remembered I had some frozen EBM left which I had been hanging on to but no idea when I would use it as it's easier to just give him cow's milk. The frozen milk is 1 year old (date on it is 20/6/09)

Anyway I have just defrosted it for him. Do you think it will be okay? I know you are only supposed to keep it frozen for 6 months, but as he has cow's milk and is 21 months old, it won't harm him will it? I assume the 6 month thing is that the nutrients are lost after that time.

Am a bit to be using it actually, I know it's stupid, but I never bother to express any more and it was a good solid 4oz block, I remember it taking agonising hours to get out this time last year. (And there is no way he will drink all 4oz tonight, so seems a bit of a waste...)

Doubly stupid because he's just worked out how to squirt milk and has probably wasted at least 4oz so far just doing this Silly what we get hung up on, isn't it?

Also - slightly random unrelated question, but this morning when I offered him a feed he just held my boob in his hands and poked my nipple in his eye and laughed then this evening did the same with his ear! Do you think this is a sign he might be coming to the end of breastfeeding? He has still asked for milk and had a proper feed a few times today.

I really don't know. Don't want to make you feel worse (especially if you've already given it) but a year is a long time for anything to be in the freezer.
The sideshow while feeding might mean he's not taking it so seriously anymore, but it might just mean he's opting for a caberet approach!
Hope you manage to get some rest.

I smelled it and it was fine. He's thrown it on the floor in disgust anyway! Charming!

I've definitely eaten things which have been in the freezer longer than a year before Just wondered if it was different somehow - 6 months doesn't seem like long for something to be frozen to me.

Breastmilk is still food, and subject to the same issues of bacterial growth/spoilage as any other milk. So the issue around long storage isn't just about decreased nutrients, but bacteria that can make someone feel ill.

That said, kellymom says that if it smells and looks fine, it's probably not spoiled. And says you can store for 6-12 months in a separate deep freeze.