Mark Cregan presented some very good analyses of breast milk quality on fresh milk. When scrupulous cleaning and handling of pump equipment was done (and by the way, this was Medela equipment), there was NO growth of bacteria at 7 days PLUS stem cells were still alive and present.
-----Original Message-----
From: Lactation Information and Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Morgan Gallagher
Sent: Sunday, August 16, 2009 2:53 AM
Subject: Re: Refreezing breastmilk
This is one of my bugbears too. I always advise mothers that if there is still ice crystals in the bag, it's still frozen, so refreeze.
If they are worried about cold milk, that's still sealed and in the container, then refreeze and mark refrozen, and then cut it with fresh.
This is in respect to the small loss of nutrients from re-freezing. But it's still a gazillion times better than formula.
If milk has been sitting at room temp, and there is real worry it might have developed more bacteria, I advise to scald before re-freezing.
Again, to mark as such, and use as filler with fresh.
All this is based on how you treat fresh milk! Yes, milk that has been frozen and thawed and scalded and refrozen is going to have less nutrients than fresh... but it's still a gazillion times better than formula! Mothers scald fresh for excess lipase after all, and then freeze. The added 'loss' from another freeze in there, isn't going to reduce breastmilk to formula.
Drives me mad that we treat human milk, like formula. It's much more robust.
One thing I do say, 'tho' is for Mums to be scrupulous about getting it into the freezer. The problem would be if it sat for a few days, before any of this. But even then... it's only sour milk. Not liquid poison.
It's important to know the time line, so good judgement can be made when the freezer fails. But at the end of the day, your nose is going to tell you if it's sour, and baby will just spit it out anyhows. Using up 'old' batches from the freezer, as filler to fresh stuff, stops it being thrown down the sink.
Morgan Gallagher
[log in to unmask] wrote:
>
> If your choice is breastmilk that has thawed and been refrozen, or formula
> -- which would you choose?
>
>
>
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