My thawed breast milk smells fishy (not soapy or like bad cheese). Is it okay to give my daughter?

Yes. It is normal for thawed breastmilk to smell or taste fishy or soapy. The change in frozen milk taste or smell is due to excess of enzyme lipase in the milk which break down the milk fat soon after the milk is expressed. Most babies can accept a mild change in taste. If your baby rejects the change of milk taste, you can mix thawed milk with freshly expressed milk to lighten the change of taste. Test the taste of your breastmilk before giving them to your baby. The milk should not taste sour. It is spoiled if it tastes sour. http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/milkstorage/lipase-expressedmilk/

If you want to minimise the fishy smell, try scalding freshly expressed breastmilk before storage. Scalding milk inactivates the lipase and stops the fat digestion process. Nutrient levels may be lowered but it is not a huge issue unless all the milk is at a rolling boil. Scalding the milk involves heating the milk to about 82 degrees celcius, when you see bubbles forming at the edges of the pot. http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/milkstorage/lipase-expressedmilk/

thanks