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My wife pumps and puts the milk in the fridge if it's not time for a feeding. We have to supplement with formula because the baby drinks about 4 more ounces a day than she makes. Feeding from the breast never worked out.

Anyway, the problem is, sometimes, we get the breast milk out and heat it up (running hot water over it or just holding it in warm hands) and the milk looks curdled. We just throw it out and grab a different bottle of breast milk whenever that happens out fear that it has gone bad.

Why does that happen? Is the milk still safe? It's never in the fridge for more than a day or so and we make sure to rotate them and even have some contraption where the new milk goes in one side and the oldest milk comes from the other side.

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If it doesn't seem rancid and you've followed proper storage guidelines (which you have, breast milk can last at room temperature up to 10 hours and in the fridge up to 3-5 days), then as long as it doesn't seem sour it's fine. The link there has information on causes of breakdown in breast milk. – justkt Jul 7 '12 at 12:51
Lots of different "guidelines" that range between 2 days in the fridge to 10 days. That's a big difference! But I like the smell test . . . I was never one to toss food just because it was past the expired date . . . it's more about how it looks and smells right at the point you want to eat it. – tooshel Jul 9 '12 at 15:14

2 Answers

up vote 7 down vote

Breast milk will separate. Just lightly swirl it back together.

As long as you are following safe Breast milk storage guidelines the milk should be fine.

And please stop throwing it away, your wife worked hard to make that!

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My wife wanted to toss the milk too! It was scary looking. But the "gentle swirl" to mix it back together was good advice from one of the links mentioned so far. – tooshel Jul 9 '12 at 15:09
up vote 2 down vote

On the keeping up with production front, it was suggested to me that I pump about 20 minutes BEFORE at least one regular feeding (like at bedtime for example) after the first month or so. It increases production to have so much demand all at once. Just an idea to try.

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The other option is right after a feeding, when the baby has already triggered the let down. You don't get much at once at first. There's also power pumping (pumping every 10 minutes over a long course of time). – justkt Jul 8 '12 at 13:04
Beside not having ENOUGH milk I think another reason for the formula at night is that you can mix it right there in bed and don't have to get up and warm the milk. And the less time the baby cries for milk the less likely she'll stay up. And I kinda like mixing it up and having her drink formula too . . . maybe this early variety will mean she'll eat something other than chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs. – tooshel Jul 9 '12 at 15:13
But if the mother can nurse just fine, there is no need to warm milk because it comes out of the body already warm. I guess I don't understand your comment. – balanced mama Nov 14 '12 at 0:17

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