Stored Breastmilk Gets Rancid Quickly

QUESTION: My milk goes rancid even when stored in heavy plastic in a stand-alone freezer. It smells like rancid nuts and tastes worse even after a few days. I pump into clean bottles using very clean pump parts and clean hands then transfer straight to the freezer. I've even tried scalding the milk before freezing and that didn't help. I'm back to work now and would like to save up a little extra milk for those growth spurts that we look forward to but haven't had any luck with storing. This happened with my first baby, also, but I didn't know until we weaned and I broke out my total frozen supply of three gallons and it was all rancid. I stood over the sink crying as I threw it all away. Please help! Thanks.

 

Dear Debbie,

Some women have more lipase in their milk than others. Lipase helps to break down the fat in the breastmilk. That is what is happening that is causing the milk to smell rancid. You obviously are one of these women. From the research I have done, the only suggestion I have read says to scald (not boil) the milk before freezing. I know you said you did this, but did you offer it to your baby? Many babies don't care about the taste change, yet others will. Scalding will not change the taste or odor, but it does make the milk OK to drink.

If that doesn't work, then the best think for you to do would be to stop freezing. Human milk is safe in a refrigerator up to 8 days. Don't ever think that you have wasted any milk because you have to pour it out. Expressing it helps to keep up your supply, so think of it as an investment instead! If you keep your supply up, then you shouldn't necessarily need any more than what you can store up during an 8-day period.

Two last thoughts--try freezing in glass bottles and storing in a freezer that does not have an automatic defrost cycle. It's thought that this automatic defrost cycle is part of the problem, so it would be worth experimenting with if you could find a friend with such a freezer. Good luck!

Cher Sealy, RN, BSN, IBCLC, LLLL

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