I just left two pumped bottles of breasmilk in my car over night last night ... in a cooler pack but w/o ice packs. Considering the following might they still be 'good'? Can we still use them (I really can't spare dumping them!)
1) First bottle was in the fridge all day at work from a morning pump ... within the cooler pack.
2) Second bottle was expressed right before I left work ... then placed in the already cold cooler pack with the other.
3) Left in car, overnight, in garage. Temp last night around 45degrees.
My husband wants me to dump them. Better to be safe than sorry. BUT, I can't afford to dump them ... I don't have much breast milk in the fridge on reserve! Thoughs?
My husband is grinning like a child on Christmas ... just exploding with 'I TOLD YOU SO!' Haha, Fine ... DUMPED. Thanks Mama's for your advice. :-)
The cooler was useless without the ice packs.
Dump them. You may think you can't afford to dump them, but what's worse - dumped milk, or a violently ill baby?
Which affords better:
- Dumping them and snagging an emergency bottle of premixed formula?
- 24-48 hours of vomiting baby with exploding diapers?
Even if it's "probably" fine (in a warm cooler, in a car, in a garage... the temp would be 10-15 degrees higher at a minimum than outside...so 55-60 at a min...up to apx 70-80 depending on whether your car was warm. That's PRIME breeding temps)... when the chance; slim or wide is food posioning:
"When in doubt, throw it out."
((And yes. Crying over spilled milk when it's my painstakingly pumped breastmilk is something I've done... with real heartbreak. I'm also a supertaster and I tasted everything before giving it to my son. 2-3 hours at room temp breastmilk in my house started to turn. Something left for 10 hours -happened once... overnight on the counter- is noxious. But even just starting to turn isn't something I'd give my baby))
That's a tricky one. See this chart:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkstorage.html#storage
How long was it from pumping to finding?
If you have to toss it I would short each bottle today just a bit and then nurse, nurse, nurse when you are with your baby. Your child is more efficient anyway. There were times when I gave my DD 1/2 an ounce less per bottle and she was OK with the temporary change.
And I know how you feel. I always did OK but was never the huge producer my sister is.
I agree with hubby, dump them.
well, I would think of it this way, would you drink it if it were regular milk? Probably not. I suppose you could always try drinking it yourself to see if it's ok, but I would dump it.
According to charts, breastmilk keeps for 10 hour at room temp (68 degrees) and 24 hours with a cold pack. Since it was in a cooler and it was cool last night, so I'd go with closer to the the 24 hour limit, assuming it still smells fresh.
On a personal note - When breastmilk is bad, it smells really bad. I've done this exact thing (left it in the car overnight, but with a cold pack) and the milk didn't smell bad so I kept it and used it. Baby was fine.
While it's liquid gold, I would probably dump them since they were not with ice packs...I'm sorry...
It MAY have gotten down to 45 last night - but did it get to 45 IN your garage? most likely not.
You can test it and see...however, if it was milk that you had bought at the store and left it - would you drink it?
I'd dump it. I wouldnt drink store bought milk that was left in the car all night not on ice.... and that would be safer than mom milk since it's been pasteurized.
Definitely dump them!! It got DOWN to 45. Meaning, that was the low for the night. It doesn't usually hit the low until right before the sun comes up!! Also, it's likely your garage did not not get as cold.
I hate to say this to you bc I understand the value of pumped milk, but I'd toss it. It was out, without refrigeration for an extended time, I would not feel comfortable giving it to my little one. I love breast milk for babies all the way, but in a case like that, I think a couple bottles of fresh formula while you restock your supply is better than questionable milk. Good luck!
I would absolutely dump them. Your first bottle has now been out 24 hours (or more) and the second has been out for over 12 hours. They weren't being cooled...the were in a cooler pack without a cooling agent. I do that to get hot dogs home from the store...I don't leave them in there while I do the rest of my shopping! :)
I'd more say you can't afford to make your baby sick. You can always pump more milk, offer one supplemental feeding, etc. Sorry, I know it's a bummer.
I just googled it and read Breast milk can be at room temperature for 24 hours. That doesn't seem right though....If you left cows milk out for 24 hours I don't think it would be good. Anyway, I would dump it if it were me. Baby's are so little and if there was a problem I'd feel really bad! That's like getting food poisining from your meal or meals worth of food! Shudder!
Hi J.--
I'm chiming in a little late, but I wanted to point out that there is no comparison between pasteurized cow milk and raw human milk. Expressed breast milk is alive. That's why it can stay out so long. That having been said, I don't know if I would have kept it or dumped it. I definitely would have thought about it for a long time!!
I wouldn't do it. Sorry though. I know how much that liquid gold matters. I had to pump and dump a couple times and I know how hard it can be to see it go down the drain.
Your key words btw: I don't have _MUCH_ bmilk in the fridge. Be glad you havce SOME. You canmake up the two bottles in a week I'm sure, right?
At 45 degrees, that is pretty cold, but not refrigerator temperature. At a cool room (66-72 degrees), you can keep the milk for 10 hours. So depending how long the bottles were in the garage, you can probably keep them. To be safe, I would definitely give them a sniff and taste them. If they taste funny, dump them.
