Can I mix 2 frozen breast milk from different days?

Mixing Frozen Breast Milk: What You Need to Know
When it comes to the delicate process of feeding your baby, many parents wonder about the safety and practicality of mixing breast milk from different days. The good news is that, yes, you can mix frozen breast milk from different days, but there are important guidelines to follow to ensure the health and safety of your little one.
Temperature Matters
One of the key factors in safely combining breast milk is temperature. According to experts, both the freshly expressed milk and the frozen milk must be at the same temperature before mixing. If you have just pumped new milk, it’s crucial to cool it in the refrigerator until it reaches a cold temperature before adding it to the frozen milk . This practice helps prevent the growth of bacteria and maintains the quality of the milk.
Storage Guidelines
When mixing breast milk from different days, it’s essential to adhere to proper storage guidelines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that you label the container with the date of the oldest milk being used. This is important because the shelf life of the combined milk will be determined by the date of the oldest milk . If you plan to use the mixture within 24 hours, it’s generally safe to combine them, provided they have been stored correctly.
Thawing Frozen Milk
If you are working with frozen breast milk, it’s advisable to thaw it in the refrigerator or by placing the container in warm water. Once thawed, you can mix it with freshly expressed milk, but again, ensure that the temperatures match. If you’re in a hurry and need to use the milk immediately, mixing thawed milk with fresh milk is acceptable as long as you plan to use it right away.
Best Practices for Mixing
While it is safe to mix breast milk from different days, some experts suggest that unless absolutely necessary, it might be best to stick to using milk from one container at a time. This approach minimizes the risk of waste and ensures that you are always using the freshest milk available.
In summary, mixing frozen breast milk from different days is permissible as long as you follow the guidelines regarding temperature and storage. By taking these precautions, you can ensure that your baby receives the best nutrition possible while making the most of your breast milk supply.

Does breast milk have to be the same temperature before mixing?

The American Academy of Pediatrics previously stated: “Mothers can mix warm milk and cold, or even consider pooling milk from 24 hours together, which may help even out variability in nutrients due to pumping time or breast emptying (which influences fat content of the milk).”

How long is frozen breast milk good for after thawing?

Using thawed breastmilk
Milk thawed in the refrigerator must be used within 24 hours. Milk thawed to room temperature or warmer should ideally be used in 1 to 2 hours. If your baby didn’t finish the bottle, the leftover breastmilk can still be used within 2 hours after the baby is done feeding.

How to tell if frozen breast milk is bad?

The milk is likely to have a very distinctive sour smell and may even taste metallic, like soap or bitter. If it smells sour, it is very likely because of the lipase enzyme’s action on the fat content of breast milk.

Can I mix left and right pumped milk?

Combine the milk expressed from the right and left breasts into one container, seal it, and cool it. Let’s call the milk from this pumping session milk 2. Once cooled, you can pour milk 2 into the container of milk 1. If this is enough for a full feeding, great!

Can I mix frozen breastmilk from different days?

Yep, you’re right! You can definitely combine frozen milk from different days/bags, as long as all the milk you’re mixing is already frozen or has been thawed to the same temperature. The advice about not mixing fresh with frozen is more about making sure the milk is handled safely.

Can I mix morning and evening breast milk?

If you pump or hand express your breast milk at different times, you wonder if you can mix breast milk from different days into one storage container. Most of the time, combining breast milk is acceptable unless you have a preterm baby or you’re in an unclean environment.

Can you add milk from different pumping sessions?

Yes, you can mix left and right breast milk when pumping. It’s common to produce different amounts of milk from each breast, and breast milk from both breasts is the same and can be combined without any concern.

How to know if frozen breast milk is bad?

The milk is likely to have a very distinctive sour smell and may even taste metallic, like soap or bitter. If it smells sour, it is very likely because of the lipase enzyme’s action on the fat content of breast milk.

Can I combine milk that I pumped on different days that has been stored in the fridge?

You can add freshly expressed breast milk to refrigerated or frozen milk. However, thoroughly cool the freshly expressed breast milk in the refrigerator or a cooler with ice packs before adding it to previously chilled or frozen milk.

Can you mix breast milk collected on different days?

If you combine breast milk from different days, be sure to cool your fresh breast milk before adding it to the previously refrigerated milk. Make sure the container of combined milk is labeled with the date the older milk was pumped. Store it in the freezer if the oldest milk was pumped more than four days ago.