Does freezing breastmilk impact the nutritional value?
Unfortunately, the answer is yes. Freezing breastmilk does impact the nutritional value.
Freezing breastmilk does result in a decrease of nutritional content. However, the loss is not significant when compared to the nutrition that remains.
Frozen breastmilk still retains most of its nutritional value. This includes essential antibodies that boost your baby’s immune system as well as proteins, vitamins, fats and minerals that still provide amazing nutrition for your baby.
While giving fresh breastmilk will always be preferred, frozen breastmilk is still a preferred method of feeding over formula.
Here are a few ways to help mitigate this loss of nutrition when storing breastmilk in the fridge/freezer:
Clearly label the freshly expressed breastmilk with the date it was expressed
If you don’t think you will use freshly expressed breastmilk within 4 days, freeze it right away to protect the quality of the milk
Do not store breastmilk in the door of the refrigerator/freezer due to the changes in temperature from the door opening and closing
Store frozen milk in a deep freezer if possible, this is typically colder and is opened less often than a regular freezer (one attached to your refrigerator)
When freezing breastmilk, freeze it in small quantities to avoid wasting milk (2-4 ounces, or the amount your baby takes per feeding)
According to the CDC, ideal temperature for the freezer is 0°F or colder and frozen breastmilk is best if used within 6 months but is acceptable up to 12 months
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