Do Breast Milk storage bags smell???

I just warmed up my first frozen bag of breast milk and it smells funky. It has been frozen for 2 months. I tasted it and it made me gag. I have it stored in a medela storage bag. Is it normal for it to take on a strange smell when frozen or is my milk bad?

I opened up a 2nd one to see if it was a fluke and that one is nasty also.

YIA

Re: Do Breast Milk storage bags smell???

How did you warm it up? I used to use those, but then switched to the Gerber ziploc kind. Never had any smell problems, but the milk would separate, so I always made sure I shook it up well. I warmed it by placing the bag in hot water.

Re: Do Breast Milk storage bags smell???

i did same....warmed it in cup of warm water. Maybe I had the water too hot????

Re: Do Breast Milk storage bags smell???

I use the Lanoish ziplock storage bags and have not had any problems with smell. I warm it up in warm water.

I did find this information on kellymom.com

A few mothers find that their refrigerated or frozen milk begins to smell or taste soapy, sour, or even rancid soon after it's stored, even though all storage guidelines have been followed closely. Per Lawrence & Lawrence (p. 781), the speculation is that these mothers have an excess of the enzyme lipase in their milk, which begins to break down the milk fat soon after the milk is expressed. Most babies do not mind a mild change in taste, and the milk is not harmful, but the stronger the taste the more likely that baby will reject it.

What can I do if my storage problem is due to excess lipase? Once the milk becomes sour or rancid smelling/tasting, there is no known way to salvage it. However, newly expressed milk can be stored by heating the milk to a scald to inactivate the lipase and stop the process of fat digestion. Scald the milk as soon after expression as possible.

To scald milk:

Heat milk to about 180 F (82 C), or until you see little bubbles around the edge of the pan (not to a full, rolling boil).
Quickly cool and store the milk.
Scalding the milk will destroy some of the antiinfective properties of the milk and may lower some nutrient levels, but this is not likely to be an issue unless all of the milk that baby is receiving has been heat-treated.