What is wrong with my milk??

[Stash777]

I pump occasionally so dh can feed lo when I'm working and doing homework, but normally I end up having to hurry home or break from homework to nurse her. Today we decided to taste my expressed milk as she was refusing it again only to find that it tasted horrible - like it had mixed with dirt and metal. We use the Kiinde system so the milk is expressd straight into the bag which then connects to the nipple so there is no transfer of milk from bag to bottle. The milk is only three weeks old and went into the freezer immediately after being pumped. Why is this happening??? I thought it could last 3-6 months in the freezer...

 

[Kelskiii]

I have to heat my breast milk for LO otherwise she will refuse to drink it, health visitor suggested it to me & it worked straight away.

 

[Lownthwaite]

Really you need to leave the EBM in the back of the fridge to cool before it goes in the freezer.

Give that a go and see if it helps.

 

[Stash777]

I have to heat my breast milk for LO otherwise she will refuse to drink it, health visitor suggested it to me & it worked straight away.

Do you mean thawing and heating before the actual feed? If so, we're already doing this...testing on the wrist to make sure it isn't too hot. I did just read that it may be due to too much lipase and to scald the milk before freezing to deactivate the lipase. We're going to try that to see how it works.

Really you need to leave the EBM in the back of the fridge to cool before it goes in the freezer.

Give that a go and see if it helps.

Ooooh, I'll be trying that before the scalding since the scalding also diminishes the quality of the milk. I really only pump once or twice a week, so it's not that big of a deal, but it is frustrating on days like today when I have a lot of homework due.

 

[summer rain]

It could also be the freezer bags, if it is a lipase problem it may be worthwhile trying glass. Anecdotally it does work (inc. for me personally) and can't do any harm to try xx

 

[kung_pao mama]

I have excess lipase as well. Scalding works for us. It does diminish the nutritional value, but you are only using it once in a while, so I wouldnt worry.

 

[Stash777]

How do you go about the whole process of scalding from pump to storage? I'd like to do it the most efficient way.

 

[kung_pao mama]

well. I don't think my way is the most efficient. I am thinking about getting a bottle warmer. I hear that is the easiest way to do it.

But for me, my milk starts to taste strange pretty fast. So I have to scald every day that i work within a few hours of pumping. I usually pump twice while i am away. As soon as i get home I combine the milk in a small saucepan on the stovetop. Low heat. Get it up to about 170 degrees F for about a minute. (Watch for tiny bubbles to form along the side of the pan but don't bring it to a boil.) I set it off the burner to cool a while, then it's into bottles and into the fridge (or freezer).

 

[kung_pao mama]

And i HAVE heard that storing in glass is a better method for those of us with too much lipase, but i haven't tried this myself. It's Something you could look into.

 

[ecarroll2]

Hello ladies.. that's the first I've heard of this! What I do is simply express in bottles, transfer or not into the bottles I will store the milk in the fridge in, and then my baby drinks from that (no more than 3 days old), while I replenish the stash while working (I BF when home). Are you saying I should be doing something else? What do you mean by extra lipase... is this common?? I will be looking at freezing some bags of milk soon so are you saying just freezing the expressed milk and then thawing it in the fridge before warming it, won't do? Many thanks

 

[Stash777]

I'm not sure if it's exactly common, but I don't think it's something you really need to worry about. My 14 week old has always just spit the milk out of her mouth or flat out refused it when we feed from the bottle so we just thought it was coming out too fast for her or she was refusing the bottle. It wasn't until thus past Sunday that I decided to taste it thinking that it had gone bad. It wasn't soured but it tasted horrible. Basically like we had soaked a few pennies in each bag of milk (if that makes sense). I think as long as your lo is taking the milk, you're fine. . Also, excess lipase (from what I've read) doesn't actually make your milk go bad, it's still safe to feed to your baby if your baby will drink it.

 

[ecarroll2]

I'm not sure if it's exactly common, but I don't think it's something you really need to worry about. My 14 week old has always just spit the milk out of her mouth or flat out refused it when we feed from the bottle so we just thought it was coming out too fast for her or she was refusing the bottle. It wasn't until thus past Sunday that I decided to taste it thinking that it had gone bad. It wasn't soured but it tasted horrible. Basically like we had soaked a few pennies in each bag of milk (if that makes sense). I think as long as your lo is taking the milk, you're fine. . Also, excess lipase (from what I've read) doesn't actually make your milk go bad, it's still safe to feed to your baby if your baby will drink it.

Thank you! Yes, she is taking it for the time being, hope it continues!! I will definitely try to bring myself to tasting the milk to make sure it is fine!

 

[Stash777]

Oh yeah, you should definitely be okay then.

 

[sue_88]

Unless a baby is livi solely on expressed milk, the occasional bottle of scalded milk is absolutely fine. I have to do this for my LO, although she does drink formula at a push so might stop expressing.

 

[Stash777]

Yeah that's what I figured, it's usually only once a week if that that dh tries the bottle with her. I think I'm going to just go with the scalding since she's going to have to take expressed milk tomorrow.

 

[kung_pao mama]

Hello ladies.. that's the first I've heard of this! What I do is simply express in bottles, transfer or not into the bottles I will store the milk in the fridge in, and then my baby drinks from that (no more than 3 days old), while I replenish the stash while working (I BF when home). Are you saying I should be doing something else? What do you mean by extra lipase... is this common?? I will be looking at freezing some bags of milk soon so are you saying just freezing the expressed milk and then thawing it in the fridge before warming it, won't do? Many thanks

There's no need to do anything else if your baby is happy with the milk you are expressing. Excess lipase seems to be somewhat common, but not a problem every mother has to deal with. Lipase is an enzyme that helps to break down the fat in your milk so it is easier for baby to digest. Sometimes, it causes milk to taste strange after it is expressed and stored for a while. I have heard others call it a "soapy" taste. It's still perfectly safe for babies, some just don't tolerate the taste.

I didn't find out about my lipase problem until I started using milk i had frozen during the early weeks. My baby wanted nothing to do with it. It smelled and tasted really weird but it hadn't spoiled. Had to throw it all out. So, I'd recommend testing a small amount before you start freezing a TON of milk just to throw it out later.

 

[leylak]

I had tasted my milk once and it tasted like metal. I asked my mum and she said breast milk tastes like that so I assumed it is normal. Now that I read this, I believe it is the normal taste of breastmilk.

 

[Stash777]

I tasted my milk fresh and after it thawed - totally different tastes, the latter of which tasted horrible.

 

[susannah14]

Does anyone know if it's possible to not have this problem with one baby, but have excess lipase with the next baby? Or is it something you inherently have?

Just a question I randomly thought of!

 

[kung_pao mama]

I had tasted my milk once and it tasted like metal. I asked my mum and she said breast milk tastes like that so I assumed it is normal. Now that I read this, I believe it is the normal taste of breastmilk.

yeah, that's how i would describe my milk after being left for a couple of days. Metallic, soapy, chemical ridden. it's horrible tasting and leaves a very harsh taste in your mouth. I feel a little bad for trying over and over again to get my baby to drink it. Now i know why he was so upset But When freshly expressed, breastmilk tends to be sweet.