Swirling the milk to re-mix in the fat is fine. Hard shaking denatures (breaks up) some of the protein molecules, therefore weakens protection for the baby. Sorry, I don't know where to draw the line between the two actions. Generally, the less handling, the less likelihood of denaturing and contamination. Human milk is a living tissue as well as the perfect food for babies. Remember, in real life (normal situations), the milk goes straight from the breast into the baby's mouth, without stopping somewhere along the way. Linda J. Smith, BSE, FACCE, IBCLC Bright Future Lactation Resource Centre www.bflrc.com 6540 Cedarview Ct., Dayton, OH 45459-1214 USA (937) 438-9458 email [log in to unmask] *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html