Breast milk outside of fridge

[nypage1981]

Hi,

If I am going shopping and take a bottle of breast milk from the refridgerator and warm it up, by putting into a cup of hot water, how long does it last for? Is it 5 hours from the moment its out of the fridge, or 5 hours from when baby sucks on bottle?

also, if I took out a bottle and it was out a few hours but Kian never sucked on it, can it go back into fridge or is it bad once out of fridge.

AND one more separate topic------ Ive heard someone say frozen breast milk tastes aweful, like soapy, and some babies dont drink it. How many does this ring true for???!? I have quite a bit frozen....but never used yet.

I think I have gotten confused!!!

Thanks for the help!

 

[Leopard]

Breast milk can last 6hrs at room temperature (so around 20-28 degrees celcius).

 

[ashley2pink]

Actually if the bm has been refrigerated, its only good for 1 hour out of the fridge. If its just barely pumped milk that hasnt been refrigerated, then it can stay out in room temp(68-72 degrees) for 10 hrs before it would either need to be drunk or put in refrigerator. If the room is warmer (72-79 degrees) then its good 4-6 hrs
My breastmilk does taste soapy when frozen. Not all women will have this happen with their bm. I actually defrosted some then dipped my finger in and tasted it. Even that little amount I could taste the soapiness. It was really gross. Freshly pumped it tastes fine. Some babies dont mind the soapy flavor. Its still just as healthy either way, just the flavor is off
And yes, you can re-refrigerate it if its not eaten in an hour, but only up to 24 hrs I think

 

[DarlingMe]

If I am going shopping and take a bottle of breast milk from the refridgerator and warm it up, by putting into a cup of hot water, how long does it last for? Is it 5 hours from the moment its out of the fridge, or 5 hours from when baby sucks on bottle?
Are you warming it at home or just prior to LO drinking? After being in the fridge and then warmed it should only be out for about an hour. If you are going out for the day then you need a cold pack if it was in the fridge. If it was freshly expressed 4-6 hours at room temp is ok, but colder is still better.

also, if I took out a bottle and it was out a few hours but Kian never sucked on it, can it go back into fridge or is it bad once out of fridge.
Same idea as above. I was always told once it is re-warmed only an hour. If it is cold then it should be fine back in the fridge.

AND one more separate topic------ Ive heard someone say frozen breast milk tastes aweful, like soapy, and some babies dont drink it. How many does this ring true for???!? I have quite a bit frozen....but never used yet.
This has to do with a lipase issue that only some women have. No way to tell if he will drink it without trying it!

Can I ask if you are breastfeeding or just expressing? Your LO is still young enough to get a good latch and not have to worry about all this stuff! I just hate having to pump and take milk out with me! Glad you have found something that works though!

 

[nypage1981]

Thanks everyone. I am Mostly breast feeding, but if we leave the house I bring a bottle and one time in the night we use a bottle for OH to take a feeding and i sleep. I have extremely harsh let downs so when we are in public that's the reason I don't like to nurse. He usually chokes, I'm squirting all over, he is screaming and spitting up, and it's generally a mess. He latches well and everything if im not full but just my stupid over active boobs make nursing kind of a private event only. I will nurse if there's a mothers room or family bathroom though. I think I made my boobs produce too much milk at first with pumping so now I rely on it sometimes cuz he doesn't empty em or sleeps while I'm full already. I am freezing so I can have drinks on Christmas! Lol. Gotta have goals.

So, I've been doing it wrong. I'm horrible. But very glad I know now. I was always taking it out of the fridge and warming it before we left the house then keeping it out for 5 hours. I feel horrible. Probably poisoning my poor baby but this is what I was told is ok from some, some say 6 hours, and some 1 hour. It's confusing to get diff info!

So, when out and about how do you all warm the milk? Like, say I'm at target. Lol. What do I do with the bottle out of the freeze pack to get it warm enough for him to drink? This is complicated!

 

[ashley2pink]

I have a fast let down too. Thats why I wait 3 months or so to nurse where a lot of people will be, because she pulls off and I have to catch the sprays with a burp cloth. She is almost 3 months, but she still has to pull off when it first lets down. But for the past couple weeks she is way less gassy and doesnt spit up nearly as much. My last dd it took 3 months for her to keep up with the flow. It taking this baby a little longer.
I dont give expressed milk though. So if I'm at a store I actually just go into a dressing room to nurse her. Its so much easier. I guess its not possible at grocery stores to do that, so I just go sit in the car and nurse her.
If you still dont want to do that, then you can pump right before you go that way its already warm and it can stay out several hours. Or going in the store bathroom and running the bottle under warm water? It would be faster if you stored it in a breastmilk storage bag, then when you need it run it under the warm water, then transfer it to a bottle. The bags warm up faster then bottles do.
Some babies dont mind cold milk. You could try to give it to him cold and if he hates it then warm it.
You didnt poison your baby. Its just as a precaution to not leave refrigerated milk out in room temp for more than an hour. It could go bad. If he didnt get sick after, then the milk was luckily still okay. Just be careful in the future

 

[nypage1981]

Thing is, he IS always getting sick I chalked it up to reflux and was told he has reflux by the doc....but now im wondering if I poisoned him with bad milk. Or you also mention it with your fast let down...didn't know it could be b ecause of that.

Cool about the dressing rooms, never thought of that. And yes, Bringing the milk about in the storage bag is a great idea, as I learned too that they heat up super quickly. I also thought cold milk gave them more tummy cramps...no?

 

[ashley2pink]

I haven't heard of cold milk giving tummy cramps.
My daughter did spit up a lot the first couple months. She also seemed uncomfortable after feedings and was really gassy. It was worse in the evenings. She would gulp a lot of air while nursing because the flow was too fast. Its so much better now. She isnt too fussy anymore, spits up just a tiny bit now. She pulls off at let down and I just catch it in the cloth then put her back on when it stops spraying. It usually frustrates her to have to wait until it slows, but if I dont then she swallows so much air. Sometimes I take her off after a couple minutes to burp her when she seems to have swallowed air. As it is she is done in 5 minutes or less because it empties quite fast with the fast flow

 

[Ashley8806]

My LO can't drink cold milk, it gives her a tummy ache. So we take the frozen milk with us in a cooler bag, and maybe take a cup that I could put in the sink with hot running water over the bag or container of breast milk. If it's hot water, it won't take long to thaw and warm it. If we go out to eat I ask the waiter for a cup of hot water. Hope you have a fun shopping trip, it's nice to get out!

 

[nypage1981]

Ok, so then I'll bring it on ice from now on! May hafta e warming up milk in public with an unhapy guy, but thats life! Tonight I just pumped right before we left and took that milk. Then we can use it for longer.

I hope he gets a hang of my fast let down soon. he is always fussing and pulling away and I spray all over and get frustrated!

 

[DarlingMe]

You can always pop into the bathroom and run the bottle under warm water. This is how OH warms it at home. It takes a couple minutes but works. Or you can ask for a hot cup of water half filled and drop the bottle in there if you are out to eat. Most places are happy to do so to keep the baby from crying.

I think the guidelines are to keep the milk as close to it's natural state and healthy as possible. If the milk wasnt sour I think it is probably ok just not as nutritious as it could be. Hope you find something that works!

Thought I would share this too: https://www.mobimotherhood.org/MM/article-milkflow.aspx

 

[nypage1981]

Thank you!

 

[lisaf]

I didn't do this often, but what I would do was take a refrigerated bottle out, did NOT warm it up, and just kept it in my bag for a couple hours if needed. Is it ok to do that if you don't actively HEAT the milk until its needed?
It wasn't in a cooler, just an insulated pocket.

I often wouldn't even need to heat it because it was at room temp by the time it was needed.
(I don't need to do this anymore, just curious)

 

[nypage1981]

Hmmmm. That's a good question, anyone?

 

[DarlingMe]

I know freezing it kills some of the immune and anti-bacterial properties. Which is the reason for only 24 hours after freezing. I would imagine refrigerating it would kill some too, but not sure if it is enough to matter! It is so much more simple to NIP! I cant keep track of all the guidelines!

 

[nypage1981]

His doc yest said use common sense. Lol. What if I havnt got any? Gee Thanks!

 

[DarlingMe]

His doc yest said use common sense. Lol. What if I havnt got any? Gee Thanks!

That was his way of saying "I don't freaking know lady, give the kid formula and quit bugging me." I know that's what all the US docs think!

 

[nypage1981]

Darling yes I thought so too. Cept she is a lady so she was like telling me what she did with thawing frozen and I'm like, not the question! I know how to do that! So, yea, I'm now using common sense. Lol. I'm actually not using fridge milk when we leave the house. I've now nursed in my car instead and also pumped fresh right before we leave the house so that bottle can come with us for a few hours. I'm learning!