Let me introduce you to lipase

I own now over 360oz of breast milk stored. That's 15 hours of extra work besides my usual self hooked up to a machine every three hours, every day, for the last few months.

The little bags of milk take over two thirds of the freezer, which I only open to either store more milk or just to gaze proudly at my cow abilities.

I protect that freezer like that squirrel from Ice Age obsesses over his chestnut. If stepson wans ice cream out of the freezer, he can't have any, because no unnecessary heat can ever hit my precious.

Anywho, baby is eating most of his solids. He is sitting on the big boy part of (my new and fancy) jogging stroller. He goes to sleep easily. Life is finally good. Now all we need to do is slow down with this boob madness by rotating the stored milk with the new one to give momma a break.

Except the milk I defrosted stunk, and it tasted like crap. I threw one bag out, and then another one, until a friend told me that some women just produce too much lipase, which makes the milk get like this.

Lipa-what?

Lipase. It's an enzyme that every breast milk has to facilitate the break down of fat. Otherwise it's too heavy for baby to digest it. Except some women (such as moi) produce it in excess. Once expressed, those boogers start breaking down the fat in the milk and all it's yummy properties into a yucky soapy taste and sour smell.

The best way to fix this problem is to scald the milk before freezing, to kill some of the enzyme (which will also kill other good milk properties, mind you).

Most stories of women that find out they produce too much lipase end unhappily with the baby rejecting the milk and all of months of hard work thrown down the drain. Luckily my tiny takes after his dad and will eat anything. He gulped down yucky milk, making a yucky face.

FYI: most milk banks will take milk with high lipase, so if you happen to have it, don't throw it away. Donate it!