I apologize in advance for posting.... I usually just lurk, as I am just
finishing up my CLEC, and plan on testing for the IBCLC in July of 2011, so
I don't have very much to contribute, but rather I lap up information from
all of you wise, wonderful women who are further down the road!

However, this is a fascinating subject for me, as I have had this experience
myself.  In fact, one of the posts in the archives was posted about my case
from the wonderful IBCLC who was trying to assist me.  (My son spent almost
the first entire year of his life in a PICU after complications from open
heart surgery, and though he never breastfed after his first heart surgery
at 4 weeks, I pumped breast milk (and fed through his GTube) every 3 hours
until he was 21 months.  He is now almost 12 years, and has ongoing medical
issues, but we are so blessed that he has done so well and is the amazing,
funny, wonderful child he is!  Many of our specialists gave copious credit
to breast milk and angels for his progress, as there was many times that
modern medicine had no answers for us.)

Though the LC tried to get info for me about the occasional bottles of EBM
not freezing, there was no response.  The milk was tested repeatedly, as
some of the bottles *from the same pumping session* froze and some did not!
There was NOTHING out of the ordinary about them, no drugs/alcohol/high
sodium/abnormally high fat or minerals, etc...NOTHING.  This occurred
multiple times during my pumping experience, and often the milk would freeze
after 3-4 days in the freezer.  We did use them, though!  

The fact that there are multiple inquiries about this on Lactnet (as well as
a regular Google search) suggests that it is something rare, but yet, does
happen.  Unfortunately, there seem to be no clear answers on this
phenomenon.   

Here is the post about me, only 6 weeks into our hospitalization:

********
Subject:	 
breastmilk that won't freeze

From:	 
Becky Buell-Silsbee <[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To:	 
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>

Date:	 
Thu, 20 Aug 1998 18:23:47 PDT


   Has anyone ever dealt with or heard of a reason some breastmilk won't
freeze?  Here is the situation.  Today, the mother of a 3 month old baby
in the PICU at the hospital where I work posed this same question to me.
Her son has a cardiac defect and has been through a first stage repair
with multiple post-op complications.  She has had milk that would not
freeze on more than 2 different occasions.  It has not been all the milk
from a day, but just some bottles.  It is not a freezer malfunction
because other bottles have frozen.  She usually pumps about 5 oz each
pumping.  I noticed today that she was not timing each bottle, but just
dating them because her son has been using "over 500cc every day".  I
suggested that even so it might help us figure out what is happening if
we know time of pumping.  She said that the only reason she could think
of for a liquid not freezing was high alcohol content and she had not
had any alcohol, nor does she ever drink.  I thought I remembered
something similar on Lactnet before, but my search didn't reveal
anything.  If anyone knows a reason why or has an idea why please
enlighten me.
                                   TIA.....Becky B RNC IBCLC
*********

Best, 
Leanna Moore Watson, BS (and CLEC in 1 week!)
Central California

             ***********************************************

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