Lipase And Bad Tasting Breast Milk

There is another solution besides scalding BM. As you’ve stated, lipase is an enzyme that breaks down the fat in breastmilk (It works like a little engine, and just like an engine, additives make it run quicker & better). Enzymes can be activated by metal ions such as Magnesium, Calcium, Manganese. Most likely the problem, for people with high levels of lipase in their BM, is these metals in the tapwater you are using to wash and rinse your breastpump equipment in. Trying washing, and rinsing anything that comes into contact with BM with distilled water. Also use phosphate-free dish soap. This should greatly reduce or even eliminate the problem. You will always have the high lipase in your BM, so your milk will not last as long as BM with normal levels of lipse, but it will last alot longer than a few hours. I’ve used this and even managed to keep my BM frozen up to 3months in a deep freeze w/o getting the soured taste. As long as the bottle/sippy cup I use has been well rinse with distilled water, it has even lasted over 4 hours at room temp w/o souring prematurely.

This is great advice! Thank you for sharing this with us.

Thank you so much for the info!!! I am a working mom. My son used to drink from a bottle but all of a sudden refused to do so. I was so confused!!!! I tried every single bottle invented and he just wouldn’t have it. Thanks for the tip…

I’ve just realized that my frozen breast milk is high in lipase. My son seems to drink it even though I tasted it and it’s horrible. I will now scald before freezing, but what about the milk I already have frozen? Is it safe to continue feeding it to him?

If your baby accepts the milk it is perfectly fine to give it to him. If he begins to reject the frozen milk, then you may have to start from scratch with storage in the freezer.

I just visited the pedi. today for my daughters 4 month check-up and she said to NEVER put your milk on the stove. Now I’m totally confused as to what to do. I have almost 200 oz of breastmilk that smells and tastes like spit-up and another 75 oz that has been put on the stove.

What to do?

Help! I go back to work in one day and just discovered all of my frozen breastmilk has the spit up sour taste. Should I destroy the milk, forget the pumping and buy a can of formula?

Has anyone ever tried adding flavor to the thawed out milk to get rid of that metallic taste? I was thinking of adding a few drops of vanilla extract to overpower the sour taste. It seems such a waste to throw away good milk, just because the fat broke down. Maybe adding some fat would help, (i.e.) oive oil, flax seed oil.

If your milk has excess lipase, milk banks will still accept it! I had 600+ oz in our deep freezer as my daughter refused bottles and reverse cycled. When I finally started mixing it with rice cereal, I discovered the lipase issue. My local milk bank mixes all breast milk and they said lipase doesn’t mean the milk is rancid. DONATE if your baby refuses it! That’s much better than tossing it.

how do you find out whether or not you have high levels of lipase in your breast milk? After reading up on “sour/metallic” milk taste, I think my freezer supply might be “rancid” for lack of better words….. if the baby will drink it is it still okay to feed it to her? and will scalding really help?

My dream of breastfeeding my last child was crushed when he was (1) diagnosed with a weak suck by my lactation specialist and (2) the round the clock pumping I did to increase my milk supply not only did not increase my supply, but what little I was able to pump and freeze was sour upon defrosting. I breast fed my first two daughters exclusively with no problems at all so the problems I encountered with baby #3 devastated me. Like many of you, I had too much lipase in my milk and not only was the milk unpalatable to me, but I couldn’t dream of feeding it to my baby so I threw it all away. My third child is now 4 years old and I am currently expecting a surprise/unplanned baby in 7 months. I hope I can breastfeed this new baby with no problems like I was able to with my first two but it seems that too much lipase in my breast milk is not isolated to just me. I have been researching this situation and cannot help but wonder why so many women have too much of this enzyme their milk. Could it really be our environment??
In any case, in my research I have found that it is not only okay but crucial to scald the breast milk before it goes into the refrigerator. Allow the milk to adjust to the room temperature, which should take a few minutes and immediately scald it, cool it, then refrigerate or freeze it. Unfortunately, once the milk is chilled or frozen and you discover that it is sour, there is nothing you can do but throw it away. And, the souring begins once the milk cools so it is important to scald it right away. I was told by my LLL leader and read some articles that it is okay to feed this “sour” milk to the baby but honestly, I cannot imagine why anyone would do such a thing. I tasted my “sour” milk and it tasted like vomit. It was disgusting and devastating to discover because had I known before all that pumping, I would have made a decision to either stop pumping altogether or attempt to scald my milk. The problem with me is that my son had a weak suck and this in turn reduced my supply and my milk supply never increased. In a 24 hour period of round the clock pumping, I was lucky if I pumped 2-4 oz but most sessions I was only able to pump less than an ounce. So you see, even if I decided to scald my milk, how could I justify scalding an ounce or less at each session?
Someone questioned how you would know if your milk is sour. Well, after it is frozen (or chilled in the refrigerator), un-thaw it and smell it. If in doubt, give it a taste test. IF it tastes bad, it’s bad. You will know, without a doubt. And, the baby will reject the milk if it tastes bad. The thing I learned about lipase is that the longer it is frozen, the more sour it gets so if you have old batches of frozen milk that is “sour,” chances are that it is really sour!

Please try freezing the milk immediately after pumping. My hunch is the lipase becomes inactive. No need to heat.

My milk goes bad in the fridge in just a few hours, but we have no problems immediately freezing and thawing. We act as if we have no fridge, only a freezer. Please try this and let me know if it works.

I only started having this problem when I started taking DHA supplements a few weeks ago. I am going to stop them to see if that helps. Baby is 3 months old and I had no problem with this at the beginning. Just an idea???

Did you figure it out?? Because I have the same problem. close to 150 oz. of milk that taste and smell sour. What to do?? It is soooo depressing.

I am just discovering the same problem with my milk, of course, right before going back to work within the next few weeks. I have a hunch that the lipase issue is compounded by my DHA supplemented prenatal vitamins. I hate to discontinue use of the prenatal vitamins, but am curious if my expressed milk will store longer when I am not using the vitamins? Anyone done any research on prenatals and lipase issues?

lipase stays active even in the freezer.

A few bits of advice. Freezing your milk without scalding it will slow, but will not prevent the process of the lipase breaking down the fat. My milk goes sour in 24 to 48 hours in the fridge, but can take a few weeks in the freezer. So if I know I am going to use the milk in a few days, I freeze it without scalding, but if I am adding to my stockpile of frozen milk for emergencies, then I scald it and then freeze it. Also, it is not harmful to give the sour milk if the baby will take it (as evidence for this, milk banks would not accept this milk if it was harmful and they do take it). I have also found it effective to mix fresh milk or scalded milk with the sour milk, so the sour taste is diluted and my baby will take it. Lastly, if you don’t have a local milk bank, you might find a friend whose baby will take the milk, a friend of mine is mixing my milk with her formula so that he gets some of the benefits (has to be a good friend who trusts you).

What do you all do about warming the milk up after scalding it? Is it ok to do or do you feed it cold?

High lipase is a problem for many nursing mothers, and it has NOTHING to do with the water that the pump parts or bottles are washed in. I am nursing my 2nd child and have had high lipase levels with both children. With my son, I just stopped pumping and took him everywhere I went. With my daughter however, I am determined to take a weekend away with my hubby so I’m building a stockpile. I scald my milk that goes into the stock pile and have not had a problem.

Like the previous poster said, freezing will slow the lipase but not stop it. I can keep milk in the freezer for 2-3 weeks and it’s fine, but once it hits a month, it’s rancid for sure.

Scalding should only be a concern for mothers who excusively pump because then the baby isn’t getting the full protective value and nutrients of the milk. For moms who supplement with frozen milk though, it shouldn’t be a problem.

What causes elevated levels of lipase? Anything to be concerned about?

I’ve mixed mine half half with Aptimil breast supplement formula with no bother, she laps it up and made her take bottle bitter which was a struggle after four months exclusive bf!

I meant take bottle better!

I have been in the process of weaning my six month old son for the last few weeks with a stockpile of milk in the chest freezer to last for a few more months. During the weaning process my son has been fighting the bottle, but I attributed that to teething as he has had no trouble with it until now. I did the same thing with my two girls…stockpiled so they would have milk for an entire year and it worked wonderfully. Now I have discovered my milk apparently has been affected by the lipase as it does not smell or taste all that great. I have started supplementing with formula reluctantly but I feel I am too far into the weaning process to turn back now. My son takes the milk in his cereal and I am considering adding some to his formula to see if he will take it. I tried cleaning out the freezer today but I just couldn’t make myself toss ALL THAT MILK! I’m just afraid the milk will upset his stomach harm him in some way.

My breastmilk has high lipase which I just now discovered (after giving DD it for months when she is in a 2 day a week preschool). From my research, it is not bad like most of us associate spoiled milk. It just doesn’t smell and taste like normal breastmilk. Some kids will drink it just fine (such as my DD) and some kids will turn away from it. If your child will drink it (from my research), then it is fine to let him/her have it. My DD has drank what is probably icky breastmilk for 5 months and never had a problem (never got sick, never turned away from it, etc…).

After reading these posts I see that women have discovered high lipase levels in their breast milk. How was this confirmed? What professional resources are there to support this theory? I am curious to learn about this on the professional level. Thanks for your time.

I have high lipase for sure. I pump all day at work and keep the milk on an ice pack. Can I scald it when I get home or is it too late since the milk has been cooled already? Anyone have some good advice on what I should do? My son refuses bottles at daycare all the time and I just figured this out-he is 7 months! I want to give up but I was hoping to go 1 year. Somebody help. Can I change my diet to decrease lipase production?

I recently discovered I have this problem as well. After some research, it seems the amount of time before the milk changes tastes is different from woman to woman. I’m testing mine today – drinking a spoonful every hour – to see when it changes. I’m hoping when I return to work that it will last long enough for me to scald it when I get home rather than each time I pump.
Also, I learned that a bottle warmer is a good way to scald your milk if you don’t have access to a stove top and can’t wait until you get home. The Munchkin one gets hot enough and I’ve heard the same about the Avent.

Same problem and I ended up with a freezer full of milk that my baby would not eat. My LC said not to throw it away and to give it to her with solids, which I did. It worked – she would eat the rice cereal with the funky tasting milk without any problems. I managed to save a lot of the BM but still had to throw some away after the 3 month mark. A colleague from work managed to build up the baby’s tolerance to frozen BM by mixing it with fresh breastmilk little by little – first only a quarter of the bottle of frozen and the rest fresh and later she increased the amount of the frozen milk until the baby no longer rejected the milk. She says it worked like a charm.

Thank you so much! My preemie daughter is 8 months old and has been bottle-fed since she was born. She was doing fine until about a week ago, when my milk started souring within half an hour of taking it out of the fridge. I realized today that I had started a magnesium supplement around the same time the milk started going bad. At first, we thought it was because we were putting pedialite in her milk because she was sick and had so much phlegm. But now I realize it’s my new magnesium supplement!!! Thank you so much!!! You just saved me from quitting breastfeeding and from a lot of tearful nights for my daughter (and me)!

Like many I am now under the impression that I produce too much lipase. After doing a fair amount of research I have come to a conclusion,at least in my case, that vitamins and supplements may cause this. My son is three months old and I have been pumping and storing the entire time..I recently returned to work and had no problems up until a week ago. Although many things I’ve read state that diet has nohing to do with it I find it hard to believe seeing as how what you injest flavors your milk. So how would it not make sense that supplements would have an effect as well. Around the time I noticed this I had started taking prenatals again as well as viactive. Therefore, I have stopped taking the supplements..I figure if I stick to a healthy well rounded diet I should be fine.

Freezing the milk slows down the activity of the lipase, but does not stop it.

any tips on cooling the milk once it’s been scalded? i’m using lansinoh freezer bags and am hesitant to pour the hot milk directly into them.

I just started scalding my milk as well–I’ve only done it twice. I don’t know if this is the best way, but I poured the milk into a glass measuring cup and put it in the fridge until it was cooled enough to pour into the bag.

So after reading this entire page, I think this is definitely my problem – in some form anyway… I have a 9-week-old who is exclusively breastfed and went about 4 days without having a bottle (of breastmilk). Today I had a huge struggle giving him a bottle and finally said to myself, hmm something has got to be wrong with the milk and tasted it… Well I almost died and more than understood why my son was fighting me and crying. Poor guy! I take a prenatal vitamin and Expecta DHA supplements and the pediatrician said that’s what is doing it – the Expecta. I sure hope she’s right because I never had this problem with my now 2-year-old and I really don’t want to have to go through scalding all of the milk that I save. (Really worried about all of the milk in the freezer!)

I can’t believe this! After all the hard work stock piling breast milk, I return to work only to find out that some of the milk is nasty smelling and tasting and my son wants nothing to do with it. It tastes almost like bile, smells metallic and one taste turned my stomach so I can’t imagine giving it to him even if it is “okay” – here’s the odd thing, when thawing milk for bottles I discovered several bags of milk that were “bad” but only about half of those I thawed, the other half smelled normal (or not at all)….if I have high lipase wouldn’t all of the milk that is about 2 months old be bad? Why just some of it?

It seems some people are getting a bit confused – there is a big difference between sour smelling milk and metallic or soapy smelling milk. The metallic or soapy smell or taste caused by lipase should not make you wretch. Spoiled milk will, without a doubt. If you don’t know what your milk smells like fully spoiled leave an ounce or so out overnight – if your stored stash tastes or smells like that then it has nothing to do with lipase And you need to reevaluate your storage. Try storing in glass or hard bpa-free foodsafe plastic.

I personally don’t scald, because my baby takes the milk fine. Its an extra step that messes with necessary enzymes, such as lipase, which aid digestion.

Wow, when I googled breast milk smells like metal I never expected to see so many responses. I sometimes take a dha prenatal vitamin but often forget it. Does anyone have concrete info if the dha affects breAstmilk? I just wanted to say that I always smell the metallic smell and when I thawed the 2 week old milk it was stronger smelling but tasted fine. Out of nervousness, I threw it out, mostly because I have never managed to stockpile so I wasn’t willing to take a risk on such a small amount of milk. I wanted to share that I always have a thermometer in my fridge and make sure my milk in the fridge is always stored below 40 degrees. When it was a bit higher like 45 my milk did seem to sour even in a matter of 10 hours. Does anyone have any advice on
When it’s perfectly ok but the smell just grosses us out, and when it would be unsafe to dry k because of the effect of the lipSe on the milk?

Sorry, iPad problems. When it is unsafe to use it because of the effect of the lipase on the milk? How can We tell when it unsafe or if it is only is gross smelling to us?

I had this with my DD. For those of you who are concerned, the smell does not affect the nutrition or safety of the milk. As long as your child takes it, it is fine. @Jane-if your milk is spoiling after 10 hours this is probably the problem, not real spoilage. If it was really rotten, it would smell/taste like rotten cow’s milk.

I have a question though if anyone knows any ideas. This article at the end was a little high and mighty saying ” Any mother that feels compelled to scald or microwave her breast milk should cautiously weigh the cost verses the benefits to her baby.” Which is all well and good. Honestly, if I could, I would stay home and nurse 24/7. I wish I could NOT scald. But I have to pump at work. But then what? I can’t scald at work. So then what? Any ideas?

I just realized after for months of pumping and freezing that my milk tastes awful. I’m assuming high lipase. I was not taking prenatals or anything for DHA when I pumped the milk that I tasted today, so I doubt that has anything to do with it.

Hopefully my daughter will drink it, if not I’ll mix it with freshly expressed milk and try it that way.

I agree, Teresa, I took offense at the article’s tone as well. I am blessed to be able to stay home with my children, but even I like to have an evening out with my husband, or run an errand now and then without worrying that the baby will starve while I’m gone. Furthermore, I am certain that a child who receives nothing but scalded breast milk is still getting a more nutritious diet than one on formula. Breastfeeding women, especially those who work outside the home, have enough pressures on them without being made to feel as though they are cheating their babies by attempting to ensure that their pumped milk tastes good! Honestly.

I have read in several places that some moms use a bottle warmer to scald their milk – the Avent and the Munchkin brands being mentioned specifically. This might be a workable option for you since it is more portable. One mom said on her blog that she was able to pump and refrigerate a full day’s worth of milk and then scald it all at once before freezing. This method would probably vary in success depending on your individual lipase production – whether your milk starts to change within a few hours or a day. I would think that as long as the milk still tastes good at the moment it is scalded, whether it’s been in the fridge or not before then is not as important.

I have the lipase problem and had it with my first baby too. I have to express one feed to be given when I am at work so I use an avent bottle warmer and a glass bottle and heat it for 6-7 minutes so it reaches a temp of 144f for 1 minute. Kellymom has lots of good info and advice on temp. Also I fine that I can delay heating the milk for about 8 hours if i keep it in the fridge, but I hadn’t thought of frezing it for a few days to halt the process – i’ll have to try that one!

I recently have had the same problem. I have been pumping for 6 months and the milk has always tasted sweet like melon. Then all of a sudden the thawed milk started to taste sour. It started around the same time that I started to take an additional supplement with DHA in it. I’m going to stop taking it and see what happens.

I am Mr. Mom on Thursdays and Fridays, and today I just discovered this awful bile taste in milk that was just pumped last night. I was getting ready to feed our 5 month old some cereal, heated up the mixed cereal just barely and put an extremely small bit on my finger, then into my mouth. It was absolutely vile! I have tested the milk like this multiple times before, and it always tasted like half and half to me. I called her at work and let her know; we are both scrambling to find a solution, because she pumps exclusively. She is not taking any medines, supplements, or vitamins. The only thing I can think of is that she has been having Kashi cereal (high in fiber) and yogurt (high in enzymes) every day for a few weeks now. Can anyone speak to any other dietary causes or solutions?

Thanks in advance,
Bobby
(Mr. Mom)

I have didn’t have this probem that I know of with my son, who is now 5yrs. I stockpiled about 30 btls while on materniy leave before going back to work. I used it all withn 3 mons of the date expressed. I only noticed it with my daughther, now 7 1/2 mons, who spit up more then my son ever did so I’m more aware of what the spit up smell is and that was what my thawed milk smelled, and tasted like. I compared it to fresh expressed and the fresh was like sugar milk. I couldn’t imagine leaving my baby with only that spit up milk to drink all day, even though my LC said it would be fine because it was within the guidelines for storage. I notice it happens when I freeze it so I just pump and store it in glass btls, the pastic bags make it taste soapy. I’m lucky if it lasts 5 days. I haven’t tried scalding it b/c I was told by my LC that needs to be done right away and I’m pumpming at work so that’s not something I can do. It’s been a struggle, I had to throw out abt 30-40 btls worth, very depressing, but we are almost 3/4 of the way there, I plan to nurse for 1 yr. I just pump whever I can and have not had to give her formula yet. Also taking mother’s milk plus helps with production.

I have a 3mo old. I have always taken my prenatal supplement,as well as a DHA supplement. My milk just started to sour. In just a matter of hours in the refrigerator. Also one batch that we pulled from the freezer.Which is weird because a batch I pulled out a week ago was fine.So anyhow..When my husband would pull out the milk I pumped earlier that day and warmed it under running water. It smelled disgusting..and I tasted it and wanted to throw up! I tossed it. Now Im wondering if I should even pump at all? My daughter has been really fussy and barely wanting to eat during the day.She started teething recently. Im worried my supply will dwindle.Maybe its the calcium mag vit d supplement? I vomited my whole pregnancy.. So I took my supplements at night for better odds of staying down. The calcium made me tired,so I was in the process of switching my supplements back to AM and taking the calcium at night. But I’ve been slacking on remembering the calcium the last couple months. This week I started it again. Maybe thats it? Im sad to see other women are experiencing this, but selfishly glad it isn’t just me!

Hey there. I just figured out that I have the high lipase issue as well- my 4m old has always been a ’super booby boy’- loving milk directly from me. He will tolerate milk that has been freshly expressed or stored in the fridge for 3-4 days. He rejects my frozen milk or milk that has been re-heated more than once. When I smell or taste the milk- it is soapy smelling and when I taste it, it has a strong aftertaste. The fresh milk also has some of this aftertaste- but it is subtle.

I have read a bunch of forums and the only research based advise I found was through La Leche League (LLL). The thing to remember is that ALL breast milk has lipase- it is the enzyme that helps the fat in the BM be digested- just some of us have higher lipase than others and some babies seem to be OK with it (my baby #1 was fine with my frozen milk- however he was a total hog and would eat anything).

Luckily, my milk supply is better for baby#2 and I am pumping enough during the dayso I have not needed to supplement with my frozen milk pumped before I figure out this issue. I am going to try scaling some and It would be nice if there was more research on this to help us out.

My milk is fine in the fridge for a few days so I can pump enough during the day and extra at night to make it through most days. I am going to try to scald and freeze for extra milk, however am also going to supplement with formula when I need to. As a good ‘earth mother’ type person has assured me (she is also a Nurse Practiciner) formula is one of the most regulated foods out there and is perfectly safe for our babies.

We breastfeeding women tend to be ‘all or nothing’- it has to be ALL breastmilk or nothing- and this kills us- particularly if we need or want to work and need to rely on pumping. The beauty of living in 2011 in the US is that we do not HAVE to exclusively breastfeed, it is OK to supplement with formula. Let’s be OK with doing the best that we can without driving ourselves nutty.

In regard to the above post: I agree we do have a choice in the 21st century and CAN supplement with bottles of formula BUT the health benefits attributed to a breast fed baby are if they are EXCLUSIVELY Breastfed for 6 months. I have done research on this and even a bottle of formula in the early days can destroy the protective lining in the stomach. This information was new to me – found out before having baby 3. I wonder if it’s not well publicised because it better to breast and bottle fed than not breast fed at all. However the fact still remains that the best case scenario is breast feeding exclusively.

Is there any way of finding out if I have high lipase levels?? My thawed breastmilk smells and tastes absolutely awful and all this time I was trying to figure out why my 3 mnth DD wouldn’t take the bottle all of a sudden..

I too have soapy smelling defrosted milk, which I only realized was an issue with my second child, who at 5 weeks just refused a bottle with defrosted milk. I can actually attribute this to not only DHA, but my taking a major supplement of lysine, to avoid mastitis and hopefully keep plugged ducts at bay. It’s one of the few things that has worked for me so I plan on continuing and freezing extra supply for now. What I did do last night which seems to work is to put in some frozen milk with freshly expressed milk and she took the bottle fine (according to my husband). My first child took this ’soapy’ milk after refusing it at first, and while it’s not the best tasting, I kind of feel as though babies have different tolerances than we do and we shouldn’t necessarily use our judgment when deciding whether or not to give our kids our milk. So to those determined to use what’s already frozen, I’d suggest trying to slowly get your child used to the taste that way. Also, I plan to mix it with cereal when we get to introducing solids.

My mistake above — I meant Lecithin, not lysine, to prevent clogged ducts….

Very interesting… there are so many of us out there with this exact same problem of which we are completely oblivious until our tiny ones clue us in! There must be some medical research available on this issue, no?

I just ran a quick search on Google scholar and found several articles reporting a link between high lipase levels and breast milk jaundice. So if your baby was diagnosed with breast milk jaundice, this is a good clue that you have high lipase levels. I wish my doctor could have told me what other problems were likely to follow!!!

Now my question is what causes some of us to have such high lipase levels? Everyone’s information about supplements etc. is fascinating. I have not taken any vitamins/medication etc. since my DD was born 7 months ago and I clearly have exceptionally high lipase levels (my milk smells like chemicals within hours in the fridge and my DD won’t go near anything that has been frozen for even a day). I’m leaning toward the hypothesis that it might be my water that I am both drinking and washing the bottles with…

I’m curious about how much dairy those of you with excess lipase consume on a daily basis?

I, too, discovered that my previously frozen milk tasted rancid. I also happened to discover that my dairy consumption was causing me to have a hormone imbalance (discovered through dramatic personal experience, not lab tests–read up about naturally occuring pregnant cow hormones in milk and the link b/t dairy and acne, endometriosis for details). I wondered if my dairy-induced hormone imbalance had also caused the lipase excess, so I tasted my dairy-free milk after freezing it for two weeks and it did not taste rancid.

I recently learned I have a lipase problem too when I returned to work. When I pumped right after birth and up to 4 or so months, I could freeze with no problem. I was even donating milk with no problem. Milk from the fridge or freezer still smelled sweet and creamy. At that time, I was taking prenatals and lots of DHA. For a while I was also taking lethicin for mastitis. I stopped pumping for a long time, and now that dd is 18 mos and I’m pumping again, my milk smells like vomit, bile, spit-up etc. when frozen or refrigerated. The only lifestyle differences are that i am taking vitamins less regularily. I’m also vegan, so it’s not dairy for me. I pump at work, keep on ice in my lunch bag, and scald 6-7 hrs later. (I teach then commute for that 6-7 hrs, so I don’t have a fridge to use, else I would.) After scalding, I cool on the stove then freeze in lanisoh bags. The scalded milk is still sweet and creamy when I thaw it. The rest makes me want to vomit, and dd won’t touch it. Thanks everyone for sharing. I kept reading about “soapy” smell and mine is defiantly not soapy. It makes sense that the lipase ends up making milk smell bilious, as it is digesting the milk fats!

I have been breastfeeding for 4 months and 2 weeks and I have corrected the high lipase in my breast milk. I realize that my problem might not be the same as many other cases, but I would like to share my story in case it may help any other breastfeeding moms out there. I was devastated when I realized all my milk smelled rancid at about two months. I started googling and didn’t find a lot of info on the subject. My lactation consultant hadn’t heard of it either. Here is my story:
I found out I was gluten intolerant about one year before I got pregnant. I was getting really bad headaches and I was very tired. A nutritionist suggested I get a stool allergy sample done. I got my results that I was intolerant to gluten (different than celiac). So, I cut gluten out of my diet and began feeling a ton better. When I was pregnant, I had read online that since your immune system is lowered during pregnancy, some may be able to eat gluten during pregnancy. So, I had a bite of bread here and there, where before I would never ever sneak a bite. I was much less stringent about my gluten free diet since I wasn’t reacting to the gluten and I was no longer getting headaches. But, my body/intestines must have been reacting. As soon as I had the baby, all my gluten intolerance symptoms came back if I had even a small bite of bread. So, I have been back on the strict no gluten diet. About two months after I gave birth, I unfroze a bag of milk I realized my milk smelled off. I then did a bunch of tests with my milk and realized it started smelling off after just one day in the fridge. So, I started scalding it, I never thought to check it again to see how long it lasted. Then, around 4 months after birth, I accidentally left a bottle of milk in the fridge when I went out of town for four days. When I came back, it smelled fine. I could not believe it. So, I left a bottle in the fridge for five days… I smelled it today and it is still good. I have not changed anything else in my diet since giving birth. I do not know if this is any other momma out there’s problem, but I just wanted to share my story. Scalding your milk is so hard when going back to work. I have done it for a month and a half. Also, there are intolerances to many foods, corn, gluten, dairy, and soy seem to be the most common. If you do get tested for allergies, get a stool test. The blood ones are not accurate unless you have full blown celiac.

Hi, Krista,

Thanks for sharing your story. I find it interesting that you noticed a change in your lipase/milk after making dietary changes as well.

Did a doctor order your stool allergy test, or was this something you were able to have done independent of a doctor?

I did it independently of my doctor. I think there are a few labs who do it, but I did it through Entero Lab, enterolab.com.

Has anyone that stopped taking DHA had a change in taste of their BM? If so please post” thank you.

The easiest and free way to tell if you have a food intolerance is to completely avoid the suspect food for three weeks… then eat it. If you get sick, you have an intolerance.

Here is some research that links high lipase and celiac.

Here is a study that was done on celiac patients:
Source: CLINICAL GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY 4 (4): 455-459 APR 2006

Abstract: Background & Aims: The frequency of elevated serum pancreatic enzymes in patients with celiac disease (celiac disease) is unknown. The aim of this ’study was to evaluate the serum levels of pancreatic enzymes in celiac disease patients. Methods: Serum pancreatic isoamylase and lipase levels were assayed in 90 adult and 112 pediatric consecutive celiac disease patients at diagnosis and after 12 months of gluten-free diet (GFD). Serum elastase and trypsin levels were assayed in a subgroup of adult celiac disease patients. Pancreatic ultrasonography was also performed. Results: Twenty-six adult (29%) and 29 pediatric (26%) celiac disease patients exhibited elevated values of serum pancreatic amylase and/or lipase; trypsin was elevated in 69% and elastase in 19%. The frequency of elevated serum pancreatic enzymes observed was identical in the patients with “typical” and “atypical” celiac disease symptoms and in the asymptomatic patients. Most of the elevated values were lower than 2-fold the threshold limits. Elevated pancreatic enzymes were not associated with alcohol consumption, drug use, presence of abdominal pain, or diabetes mellitus. Abdominal ultrasound scan showed no abnormal findings in the pancreatic region in any of the celiac disease patients. After 12 months of GFD, pancreatic amylase was elevated in 3 cases and lipase in 2 cases; these patients had not strictly adhered to the GFD. Conclusions: We demonstrated a frequency of about 25% of elevated pancreatic enzymes values in celiac disease patients, including subjects without gastrointestinal manifestations and apparently asymptomatic subjects. The finding of elevated serum amylase or lipase level, in the absence of signs of pancreatic disease, would appear to suggest a need to screen for celiac disease.

I find that adding powder formula to frozen/thawed breastmilk helps with the bad taste.

I just learned that my frozen milk tastes soapy. My baby takes it regardless. Funny thing is that this just started happening. The only change is I’m taking the mini pill. Ive wondered if that’s the cause of it. My baby takes the milk but I feel so guilty giving it to him. What I’m doing is either mixing the fresh with it (but it still tastes a little soapy) or mixing it with two ounces of formula. Funny thing is my baby won’t drink straight formula. He would rather drink the soapy bm.

Do you know where I can donate the milk? I have 15 Litters in my freezer within 1.5 months. My son is 2 months old now. I had to buy a new freezer to store them, but my son doesn’t like the smell. He’s absolutely not taking it even though I add 50% with formula.
Thanks,

I nursed 2 babies just fine, but have had this problem with my third. I noticed my milk spoiling after it being in the fridge after 3 days. My baby was sick and hospitalized for 11 days after his birth and I had a huge milk supply in the freezer. I was even more devastated to realize all of my frozen milk was this way as well. I recently talked to a lactation specialist and she said it is not “bad” and can be fed and recommended mixing in bananas with it to cover the bad flavor. This is definitely an option for me as my guy is 7 months old and is eating baby food at this point. It is something I am going to try before getting rid of all my liquid gold. I have scalded some of my extra milk I get when I am home, but doing so at work is next to impossible. But the stuff I did scald smelled and tasted fine so it worked for me when I was able to do it. It is amazing to see so many other people struggling with this as well.

I am a pediatrician and a mother of two. I have high levels of lipase. My first daughter did not mind my thawed milk, despite it’s soapy taste. My second daughter, however, does. Of course, not having to scald my milk would be most convenient, but in the end, I need her to take the milk as I work.
A few things to address some of the questions I have read in others’ posts.

1. The composition of your milk varies day-by-day, so if some of your frozen supply seems fine, by all means use it.
2. ALL of the milk truly is fine, so if your baby will take it, give it to them (it is NOT harmful). My milk always made me want to gag but my first daughter loved it. She was exclusively fed breast milk until ~15 months of age with 50% being expressed milk, 50% breastfed. She is almost 3 years old and healthy as a horse!
3. While scalding is less ideal than not having to, remember that milk banks pasteurize milk so scalded milk is fine for consumption. It does decrease some of the benefits of breast milk but most of the benefits are still there.

If you’d like to read some of the research, go to pubmed.org and put in the following number in the search field: 21091243. This article is open-access so you don’t need an account to see it. In this particular article they are looking at “flash-heat treatment” (scalding) in the setting of HIV-positive mothers, but the effects on the milk are generalizable too all of us who scald our milk. It also details how they heated the milk, so that’s a bonus for anyone wondering about the details of scalding.

Hope this is helpful!

As a parting word: the fact that we have devoted this much time, thought, and effort to our baby’s nutrition is a testament of what wonderful moms we all are. It’s our love, not whether our babies get unadulterated breast milk, scalded breast milk, or formula, that will help us raise happy, healthy children!!

Just a correction: the website is pubmed.org

Mommy brain! I meant pubmed.gov

I have stored approx. 1800ml of breast milk starting November 2011. I was told that I can put them in the freezer for up to 6 months. I have decided to use the first badge of my frozen milk to make sure It does not go wasted.

I am devastated to find out that my breast milk smelled and tasted awful. I have been diluting the breast milk with formula to reduce the bad taste but it is still very strong and my son does not like it at all. I also feel bad giving it to him. On the other hand I spent half an hour eight times a dqy pumping the first two months. Hence I am finding it very difficult to throw away the milk supply. I am not sure what I should do with all that milk! If I knew my breast milk will have a bad after taste I would have given it to my sister’ baby instead of trying to stock up on my breast milk supply for the “rainy” days.

My research says it is still ok to use the breast milk although it taste bad. How sure can I be that my breast milk is not spoil indeed?

Thank you Rochelle for the detailed information! I am a mother of three and heading back to work for long 12 hours shifts as an L&D nurse in a few weeks. I recently discovered all of my sacred frozen milk is also sour and my 4 month old son won’t touch any of it. I wish I discovered this before I invested all of the time freezing it! Great point regarding scalding and milk donations. I will give it a try. Any concrete information on DHA?

I just recently went back to work and my son is 2 months old, so I nurse while I’m home with him, and I pump while I’m at work so my husband can feed him. But lately Emmett hasnt been taking the breast milk in the bottle, and it has that metal smell immediately after pumping and a sulpher smell the next morning. But he’ll nurse without objections. I cant scald the milk while I’m at work and I work 2nd shift 1/2hr away from home. I have considered quitting my job to be home and nurse him. Is there a suppliment that I can take that will help reduce the lipase? I couldnt nurse my daughter and I will be devestaed if this effects my milk supply. Please help.

Is there some type of test my OB can do to see if I produce too much Lipase? Or, do I just defrost some milk, give to LO and see what she does? I am so worried I will have to throw out my 1,500 oz!

I pumped with my first son, now 3 yrs old as I had to get back to work. Fortunately he never had to take the bottle as I could always find a solution ( work from home or daddy bringing him to my office). So I had huge amounts of BM in the freezer and I used them all when we started solids. I mixed it with soluble oat or the veggies. I had the same lipase problem and it smelled awful but he took it so I never worried. On the and i could breastfeed for 19 months. Now I have a 6week old second son and will go back to work at 4 mo so I started pumping again but I’m researching the subject as I don’t know how my second will react to the smell. I could do scalding with my avent bottle heater but does it really gets so hot that it has an effect on lipase? If anyone is using this technique pls share your experiences. I did take lots of calcium supplements with both of my pregnancies and also during breastfeeding. I also take Femibion ( vitamin supplements plus dha).
I was also thinking may maternal metabolism be the cause of the lipase issue? I’m overweight, does it have anything to do with maternal weight?