Our latest breastfeeding story is from Kate. After some trials and error, she was able to figure out why her baby wouldn’t take her frozen breastmilk!
I shouldn’t have been surprised that my daughter was born with a discerning palate. My husband and I are self-described “foodies” after all, and we streamed a steady diet of baking and cooking shows while I was pregnant. Food, I like to say, is our love language.
Helena was born with a healthy appetite. She was born quickly and easily after only about 20 minutes of pushing - so quickly and easily that I was pretty much stunned and in disbelief. I knew I should try to get her to latch right away, but in my shocked mental state, I asked the nurse, “Should I try to feed her?” The nurse replied casually, “No, she’s not hungry yet.” Big mistake. HUGE. The poor baby wailed for the first 45 minutes of her life because I trusted that nurse’s advice rather than my own maternal instinct. Finally I latched her and she nursed for an hour straight. From that point on, it was clear that a full tummy was the key to a happy baby.
I spent most of my maternity leave with her latched. When she wasn’t, I was pumping. When I wasn’t feeding or pumping, I was researching the intricate dance of breastfeeding and seriously considering becoming a lactation consultant. The poignant beauty of nourishing this tiny hungry life form became a passion, perhaps an obsession.
I was blessed to be able to keep up with her needs while building a freezer stash. Nothing impressive, just a few dozen ounces on hand. My husband was able to give her a nightly bottle to get her used to being fed by someone else, and to have a tender bonding moment with her each night.
But when I returned to work, we started having struggles with giving her a bottle. She would take a few sips of milk, then have an absolute meltdown. Her end-of-day reports from daycare showed that she was only consuming a few ounces all day long.
Weeks of trial and error ensued. We tried different bottles. Different schedules. Different people feeding her. Warmer milk. Cooler mik. We finally realized that the frozen milk was the issue. With some research, we discovered that some babies simply don’t like the taste of milk that had been frozen. Only the freshest will do for these little gourmands!
A quick science lesson: Lipase is an enzyme that naturally occurs in breast milk, but some women can have an excess of lipase. Stored, especially frozen milk, can start to develop a metallic, sour taste. There’s nothing wrong with the milk, but pickier babies will decline it. From the number of forum posts I’ve seen on this topic, it’s not an uncommon issue!
Fortunately, I was able to schedule my pumping so that I would have a day’s worth of bottles ahead of time, guaranteeing a fresher flavor. We also started adding a formula bottle at night so that I wasn’t always on edge about having enough milk (or else one spilled ounce would have derailed us entirely!)
As my freezer stash grew and grew, I began to wonder what to do with all of the milk I had collected. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to donate it because my daughter was rejecting it, but after speaking to the absolutely lovely reps at the Mid Atlantic Mothers’ Milk Bank, I discovered that it wasn’t a concern! The recipients of the donated milk wouldn’t even taste it since it would be delivered via tube.
I get emotional thinking that my daughter is sharing her “meals” with other babies. The whole breastfeeding journey has been wildly more complicated, educational, eye-opening and rewarding than I ever would have imagined. But the fact that Helena and I are able to provide nourishment for small, fragile, hungry babies, giving them and their parents hope? Chef’s kiss.