I think my breastmilk was off!

[Toms Mummy]

Im not sure ...

I expressed 2 days ago (sat), stored it in the fridge and then took it out this morn to take with me for the day, so was out of the fridge for 5hrs before I fed it to her. She took it fine, like normal. But then I was messing about with my son and nephew with the remaining half ounce and we were tasting it.... It tasted a bit sour! I didn't like it! Although my nephew and son did but they're only 2 & 4 so wonder if it's just me

Dd seems okay though!

 

[dan-o]

Might just be what you ate? X

 

[Toms Mummy]

Yeah possibly! Never thought of that!

So can the taste change dramatically with what you eat? Or is there just a hint of a change?

 

[Dream.dream]

Im not sure ...

I expressed 2 days ago (sat), stored it in the fridge and then took it out this morn to take with me for the day, so was out of the fridge for 5hrs before I fed it to her. She took it fine, like normal. But then I was messing about with my son and nephew with the remaining half ounce and we were tasting it.... It tasted a bit sour! I didn't like it! Although my nephew and son did but they're only 2 & 4 so wonder if it's just me

Dd seems okay though!

Personally I think maybe 5 hours out was a bit long. I know they say 4 hours at room temp is okay but if you left a glass of milk out that long and tried to drink it it would taste funny

 

[Toms Mummy]

I read that.6hrs out is okay as it's more resiliant than normal milk, so I went by that but now I reckon it was too long!

 

[missbabes]

I read that.6hrs out is okay as it's more resiliant than normal milk, so I went by that but now I reckon it was too long!

We stick with the 6 hour mark too, from various online advice as well as it being midwife/health visitor advice. DS has never had a problem with it being that long.

I would agree with that it could be down to what you had eaten/drunk.

 

[missbabes]

Im not sure ...

I expressed 2 days ago (sat), stored it in the fridge and then took it out this morn to take with me for the day, so was out of the fridge for 5hrs before I fed it to her. She took it fine, like normal. But then I was messing about with my son and nephew with the remaining half ounce and we were tasting it.... It tasted a bit sour! I didn't like it! Although my nephew and son did but they're only 2 & 4 so wonder if it's just me

Dd seems okay though!

Personally I think maybe 5 hours out was a bit long. I know they say 4 hours at room temp is okay but if you left a glass of milk out that long and tried to drink it it would taste funny

If you had milk directly from the cow rather than it being treated then it would store fine for longer at room temperature. So really it can't be compared to your normal store bought milk.

 

[BunnyN]

Breast milk can go sour tasting without necessarily being bad. This happened to me with milk that had been in the fridge the whole time for 24hrs. I read an explanation and it has something to do with an excess of something converting to something else. Sorry I can't remember the details!

 

[misspriss]

Everyone quoting how many hours breastmilk is good at room temp. Those hours are for FRESH breastmilk, not previously refrigerated milk! You don't get 6 hours at room temp, plus days in the fridge. If it sits out for 6 hours at room temp, I wouldn't leave it 6 days in the fridge after that, does that make sense?

Previously refrigerated milk (like more than 24 hours old) I would do maybe 3 hours for myself.

 

[Toms Mummy]

Thanks for the info everyone. It's complicated this expressing lark!

 

[Noo]

Excess lipase can make your milk taste bad though very rare. I'd say it's more what you ate. Mine tastes more bitter if I garlic though the baby doesn't seem to mind. Also it seems to taste different at different temperatures.

 

[noon_child]

My milk always tasted bad even if only expressed 30mins before - like the sour edge yoghurt has, with an oniony twist. I was gutted as I'd read it was supposed to be really sweet and delicious...LO never cared, it was nectar to her!

 

[Toms Mummy]

Thanks .... I'm expressing tomorrow to use that afternoon so will taste it once freshly expressed to see!

 

[Mum2BKW]

Could be excess lipase, I have this problem. Lipase is the enzyme that breaks down the fat in the milk.

My lactation expert advised me not to shake my milk when I take it out of the fridge (as the milk will have separated) but to swill it around instead, the opposite to James Bond's martini! The shaking makes the enzyme more active.

 

[MommyJogger]

I think excess lipase (or chemical oxidation which is mistaken for excess lipase) is less rare than most think. Many women have more lipase than would be ideal for long-term bm storage because it's not really designed with storage in mind.
Just out of curiosity, have you tried scalding it, OP? To scald, you can take freshly pumped bm in an open-topped bottle, put the bottle in a little pot of water on the stove and boil the water. I check it with a bm-only meat thermometer and take it to 180F for ~15 seconds before pouring it into a bm storage bag sitting in some cold water. Then into the fridge/freezer for a couple days to see if it's still "off" after storage.
Shaking it when you take it out of the fridge really isn't going to make a difference either way in regards to lipase. By the time you take it out of the fridge to feed it, the lipase will have already done its thing. It was active over the duration of the storage; the enzyme isn't capable of a turnover number large enough to affect the milk in the time it takes to de-separate, heat, and feed.