Breastmilk in Recipes? Reheating in microwave?

[tattlebaby]

Hi all,

Do any of you use your breast milk in making baby/toddler's foods?
I haven't introduced my toddler to any other milk, besides my breast milk yet, and do not plan to any time soon. However she is now 16 months old and her appetite has picked up significantly. I was wondering if it is ok to use your breast milk in recipes that call for milk as an ingredient? This morning I reheated yesterday's oatmeal on the stovetop and added a little BM to get it back to a nice creamy consistency for her. She loved it, but I'm not sure if that was a good idea and if I should continue doing so. Also, what are the dangers of re-heating foods in the microwave vs. stovetop. I've been told its not a good idea to reheat foods in the microwave. The problem is not for me when I'm home I can reheat on the stove top without a problem. But while she's with nanny, who doesn't own a microwave, this could certainly be a problem.

 

[Amalee]

The biggest problem with reheating in a microwave is that it causes uneven heating (as I'm sure you've noticed in your own reheated foods!) One area will be piping hot, while another is just lukewarm, so it's really easy for babies to burn their mouths if caregivers aren't careful. The best thing to do about that is make sure to mix the food a couple times during heating so that everything heats more evenly.

The other issue is that since microwaves heat unevenly and some areas get to super high temps, it causes the food components to break down. Some studies have suggested that this may cause vitamins and minerals to break down, making the food less healthy than it was pre-microwaving. For that reason, I have never microwaved breast milk. I don't mind microwaving some apple chunks for my son to soften them up, or cooking carrots in the microwave for him so I can avoid dirtying a pot or pan... But I just can't bring myself to put breast milk in there. It takes too much effort to pump to risk losing any of those great properties!

As for adding breast milk to recipes, I've done the same as you. I've never baked with it or anything. I assume it would be a great substitute for regular milk... But personally, I would kind of feel like I was wasting something that I had worked so hard to produce, because the quality may drop so much with heating it to the temps you bake at. But good luck if you decide to try it out! I have no idea how much water those studies hold, and I know some studies say heating causes very little loss of nutrients. For me it's not worth the risk, I hate being hooked up to a pump too much!

 

[tattlebaby]

Thank you! And yes, the pumping…such a labor of love from us mamas. It truly is the most exhausting thing I've ever done! But now that I have several bags in my freezer that for whatever reason LO is not interested in anymore, I wonder if I could put them to use in recipes. She still enjoys feeding from my breast, just not as interested in expressed milk anymore like she use to.

 

[superfrizbee]

I would heat breastmilk in the microwave and have done so with recipes. I use a low setting and do short bursts, stirring the food inbetween so as to heat it more gently. It's not ideal for breast milk no, but it's not like you're doing it as a regular thing for a small baby who still gets all nutrients from milk. As an aside, I have excess lipaise (spelling??) In my milk so if I want to pump and freeze it I have to heat it in a pan until it gently bubbles at the edges. Otherwise when I defrost it it smells/tastes off even though it isn't! I wasted over 40 oz with dd that way! I didn't pump much for ds because it was too much effort, but what I did pump ended up in his meals.

 

[minties]

I've read some contradictory studies that show some foods end up retaining MORE nutrients when microwaved as they are exposed to less time being heated. It's difficult to know exactly what to do sometimes but I never worry about microwaved foods. I just do it and make sure to stir thoroughly.

I used to use breast milk for Thomas on cereal etc also and he enjoyed it. My milk did thay soapy taste thing with Sophie and she hated pumped milk