Medela Pump & SaveTM Breastmilk Bags 20-pack - Medela 87033

As a working mother of two I've tried a lot of breast milk freezer storage bags and I'm sad to say that despite Medela's impeccable reputation when it comes to pumps, their breast milk storage bags fall way short of the mark. First off, the perforations aren't cut completely or set up incorrectly or something which leads to skewed tearing of the tops of these bags rendering the bag useless since you end up tearing the bag. I had to use scissors to cut the tops off these bags to make sure I didn't tear into the area where they seal. Secondly, the inside of the bags SMELL HORRIBLE compared to the inside of other bags. Perhaps this has no bearing on how the milk turns out when it is thawed but I don't think I'd like to take that chance with my "liquid gold".

Also, I pump into a bottle and then pour into these bags. I use the Medela bottles to pump into. The bags say they can hold up to 5 oz. of fluid. Sorry, but not only can they not hold 5 oz. of fluid, the markings...Read more

I bought this item because I can pump directly into it; I wanted to save time washing bottles, save time pouring from one to another, and save space in the fridge. But after giving this a try for 3 months I have decided I hate these bags. Here is why:

1. It's impossible to tell when these bags are closed. I've lost several bags of milk due to spillage. Every time I thought this time I closed it really well...but then I'd get home to find milk all over the bag.
2. It's very difficult to pour into the bottle without some spillage
3. Bags have small leaks. The other day, when trying to warm up the milk (just by putting it in a bowl of warm water) I noticed that the water turned white. I picked up the bag and the milk was leaking out from the bottom. This was the deal breaker for me as it could mean other bags are contaminated.

I still haven't found a great solution for freezing milk.

Don't waste your money on these. I prefer the Lansinoh Storage Bags.

Cons: do not have a double zipper, so they tend to leak
they do not hold as much milk as the other brand
they do not freeze as flat as the other brand because there is not extra room at the top to squeeze out the air
more expensive
Pro: they attach directly to your pump, however I don't think it is very hard to pour the milk from bottles into the other brand's bags.