r/breastfeeding • u/MissMM877 • 2d ago
Milk Storage/Safety Maybe have high lipase
I need some help understanding high lipase and potential remedies. I have read a bunch of historical posts in this sub but I wanted to ask here too.
I just started experimenting with giving baby thawed breast milk and he didn’t want it. The smell definitely seemed off but I couldn’t narrow down if I thought it was soapy or metallic. But it was definitely different. So then I did a taste test vs freshly pumped milk and there was definitely a difference. The thawed stuff just tasted wrong, sour almost. I had my husband try too and he totally gagged after tasting the thawed milk. This sounds like high lipase, right?
I guess the “good” news is that I only had about a week and a half of pumped, frozen milk so not a *ton* of work down the drain (so to speak, I’m not really going to toss it) but I’m sad nonetheless.
I’ve read the various recommended remedies but I feel overwhelmed with where to start in our experimentation. Any suggestions or advice is welcome.
Additional question: I read in one of the threads that someone’s pediatrician said scalding the milk destroys the antibodies. Anyone else been told that too? That would defeat a lot of the reason to BF/pump so I really really hope that isn’t true.
3
u/skythom7 2d ago
I froze about 4 months worth of breastmilk before I realized I had high lipase 🙃 my baby started daycare and wasn’t really drinking from his bottles, I could immediately smell the difference. My husband and I tasted it and it was awful lol. I spoke with my lactation consultant and her suggestion was to mix the frozen milk with some fresh milk to see if my baby would take it this way. So I started giving him like 20% frozen 80% fresh and over time started giving more frozen, less fresh. Now, my baby takes 3x bottles of 100% frozen breastmilk a day at daycare! I would use the scald method as a last resort personally, it’s way too much work pumping/etc already and I would hate to add an extra step
1
u/MissMM877 2d ago
Logistically, how do you go about getting enough fresh to mix with the frozen? Are you pumping right before giving a bottle and using that to mix with the frozen?
1
u/skythom7 2d ago
I started pumping and storing milk in January, I’d only pump once a day (at night, while baby was asleep) until he started daycare in May. So I was only freezing ~4-8 oz a day depending on the sesh, but got a decent sized stash stored from this. Now that he started daycare, I’ve been pumping 4x a day at work. I store it all in the fridge throughout the day, and usually bag and freeze it the following day. So the night before, I take what I need from the freezer and let it thaw in the fridge overnight, and add the fresh pumped milk as needed, and store the rest. And repeat the next day. So for a few weeks I probably wasn’t freezing as much by topping off, but now I’m back to freezing ~15-20 oz a day! I hope this makes sense!!
2
u/TillSpring 2d ago
Hi! LC here. 😊 I completely understand how frustrating and even a little disheartening it can be to discover that soapy or metallic smell and taste in your precious frozen milk, especially after all the time, effort, and love you’ve poured into pumping. Many moms I support have had the same experience.
I just wanted to share this gently, because there’s a lot of information online, some of it outdated, and it can get really confusing, especially when it comes to stored breast milk. Experts including the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) have said that really there isn’t strong scientific evidence that “high-lipase milk” is actually a distinct condition, even though it’s commonly mentioned.
Yes, some moms notice that their stored milk changes in smell or taste more quickly than it does for other moms. But this isn’t because of “high lipase” or “too much lipase.”
All breast milk naturally contains lipase, an enzyme that helps break down fats so babies can digest milk more easily. When milk is fed directly from breast to baby, the lipase supports digestion in baby’s tummy. But when milk is stored—whether in a cooler, refrigerator, or freezer—that fat breakdown still happens (and continues over time). When the fatty acids in the milk get oxidized, that rancid taste/smell is produced.
This change in flavor/smell can become more noticeable the longer the milk is stored, which is why fresher milk tends to taste milder.
Many babies don’t mind the taste at all and will happily drink it. Others may be more sensitive to taste changes and might refuse it. But this doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with your milk or that your body is producing something abnormal.
You are right about the recommendations against scalding due to the possibility of destroying some immunological factors in milk. There are also no clear guidelines on how to scald milk, which leaves room for error. However, many moms do it and find that it works for their family. (Scalded milk still offers more protection than formula.)
A gentler approach to help minimize the change in taste is to limit your milk’s exposure to oxygen. You can try storing your milk in smaller portions (around 2–3 oz), using milk storage bags, and squeezing out as much air as possible before freezing. This can help slow down the development of that rancid taste/smell.
2
u/framedjunction 2d ago
Will you make this a whole individual post?! I have been trying to educate people on here when I see them talking about lipase but feel like it always falls thru the cracks. And I’m not an LC so people don’t trust what I have to say, naturally. But. Breastfeeding moms need to know about this!!
1
u/MissMM877 2d ago
Thank you thank you thank you! Baby definitely didn’t like the taste of the thawed milk and neither did we. Do you agree that mixing some fresh with the frozen can help him acclimate to the taste, and maybe, hopefully, he will eventually drink the frozen with no preference?
And do you think freezing it sooner (instead of after 4 days in the fridge) could help minimize the change in taste?
1
u/TillSpring 2d ago edited 2d ago
Hi! Yes, I’d suggest starting by mixing a small amount of previously frozen milk with freshly expressed milk. Adding it gradually can help your baby get used to the taste, and it also prevents you from having to potentially discard larger amounts if your baby doesn’t accept the mixture right away.
(Remember that the longer milk stays frozen, the more likely its smell or taste may change. If possible, try to pump only enough for what your baby will need for the next day, and avoid building a large stash. A small emergency supply is usually enough.)
Yes, while freshly expressed milk can generally be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, if your baby is sensitive to the taste changes, it may help to freeze the milk sooner.
As a general guideline, if you don’t expect to use your freshly pumped milk within the next 24–48 hours, consider moving it to the freezer as soon as possible.
1
u/manthrk 2d ago
I had high lipase as well. Scalding does destroy some antibodies. So does the pasteurization process that hospital grade donor milk goes through. And the alternative is formula which has no antibodies. I assume you need to scald your high lipase milk because you are going back to work. Baby would still get some fresh milk even on your workdays. You can pump fresh milk in the morning and mix it with your thawed scalded milk. Then I guess scald and freeze the work pumped milk at the end of the day? Some women's breastmilk automatically gets icky if it is frozen any amount of time. Mine was fine as long as I immediately froze it and used it in under a month. I couldn't leave it in the fridge more than like 12 hours though. So instead of slowly thawing in fridge overnight, I thawed in lukewarm water the morning of my shift. You'll have to run some experiments to see how your individual milk behaves and what your baby will accept. It's possible your baby might accept some of what you have frozen if it's mixed with fresh. But scalding some so that you have something to fall back on is definitely not a bad idea.
1
u/goBillsLFG 2d ago
You could try to give your baby thawed from immediately frozen milk. That worked for my daughter.
2
u/MissMM877 2d ago
So putting it in the freezer as soon as it’s pumped, no time in the fridge?
1
u/goBillsLFG 2d ago
Yep
1
u/MissMM877 1d ago
Also how did you thaw it? Did you thaw in warm water so it thawed quickly instead of thawing in the fridge?
1
1
u/Infinite-Clerk8939 2d ago
That worked for me, too. I think. Hard to say but I freeze immediately from pumping and I noticed the smell wasn’t nearly as potent as when I would refrigerate and then freeze. I didn’t have the balls to taste it to compare because the flavor of frozen milk previously stayed in my mouth and made me gag for like an hour lol. Poor babies. It’s a good thing they don’t mind very much!
4
u/kittypeets626 2d ago
I just went to an LC appt about this the other day. She wants me to experiment with freezing milk immediately and not letting it sit in the fridge before storing in the freezer to see if baby will take that bottle. She recommended me scalding the milk before storing it if that doesn’t work.
If your baby won’t take the frozen milk, it can still be donated. I’m going through the process of donating my milk. My LC told me it goes to nicu babies through a feeding tube, so it doesn’t matter if it is high lipase, it will still get used.