Breast milk storage: Do’s and don’ts

Breast milk storage can be confusing. Stick to these sensible guidelines on deciding upon containers, freezing breast milk, thawing breast milk and more.

By Mayo Clinic Employees

If you might be breast-feeding and likely back again to operate or wanting for more flexibility, you might be in all probability looking at working with a breast pump. And once you start off pumping, it can be important to know how to securely keep your expressed milk. Consider these do’s and don’ts for breast milk storage.

What type of container should really I use to keep expressed breast milk?

Ahead of expressing or managing breast milk, clean your fingers with soap and water. Then keep the expressed milk in a cleanse, capped foods-quality glass container or tough plastic container which is not produced with the chemical bisphenol A (BPA). You can also use special plastic bags designed for milk selection and storage.

Will not keep breast milk in disposable bottle liners or plastic bags designed for typical domestic use.

What is the best way to keep expressed breast milk?

Working with water-resistant labels and ink, label each and every container with the date you expressed the breast milk. If you might be storing expressed milk at your baby’s baby treatment facility, add your baby’s identify to the label.

Position the containers in the back again of the refrigerator or freezer, in which the temperature is the coolest. If you will not have entry to a refrigerator or freezer, keep the milk quickly in an insulated cooler with ice packs.

Fill person containers with the milk your infant will will need for just one feeding. You might start off with 2 to 4 ounces (sixty to 120 milliliters), and then adjust as wanted. Also think about storing smaller sized portions — 1 to 2 ounces (thirty to sixty milliliters) — for unforeseen situations or delays in common feedings. Breast milk expands as it freezes, so will not fill containers to the brim.

Can I add freshly expressed breast milk to currently saved milk?

You can add freshly expressed breast milk to refrigerated or frozen milk. On the other hand, comprehensively awesome the freshly expressed breast milk in the refrigerator or a cooler with ice packs before including it to earlier chilled or frozen milk. Will not add heat breast milk to frozen breast milk because it will trigger the frozen milk to partially thaw.

How long does expressed breast milk hold?

How long you can securely hold expressed breast milk depends on the storage method. Consider these typical recommendations for healthy infants:

  • Home temperature. Freshly expressed breast milk can be retained at room temperature for up to 6 several hours. On the other hand, it can be optimal to use or properly keep the breast milk inside four several hours, particularly if the room is heat.
  • Insulated cooler. Freshly expressed breast milk can be saved in an insulated cooler with ice packs for up to just one working day.
  • Fridge. Freshly expressed breast milk can be saved in the back again of the refrigerator for up to four times in cleanse disorders. On the other hand, it can be optimal to use or freeze the milk inside three times.
  • Deep freezer. Freshly expressed breast milk can be saved in the back again of a deep freezer for up to 12 months, but working with the frozen milk inside 6 months is optimal.

Preserve in intellect that investigate suggests that the longer you keep breast milk — no matter if in the refrigerator or in the freezer — the bigger the loss of vitamin C in the milk.

It is really also important to notice that your breast milk alterations to fulfill your baby’s requirements. Breast milk expressed when a infant is a newborn will not as absolutely fulfill the very same baby’s requirements when he or she is a couple of months older. Also, storage recommendations might vary for preterm, ill or hospitalized infants.

How do I thaw frozen breast milk?

Thaw the oldest milk initially. Position the frozen container in the refrigerator the evening before you intend to use it. You can also carefully heat the milk by placing it under heat running water or in a bowl of heat water.

Will not heat a frozen bottle in the microwave or pretty speedily on the stove. Some areas of the milk might be also scorching, and many others chilly. Also, some investigate suggests that fast heating can affect the milk’s antibodies.

While further more investigate is wanted on no matter if earlier frozen milk which is been thawed can be frozen again and securely used, quite a few authorities endorse discarding thawed milk that is not used inside 24 several hours.

Does thawed breast milk scent or appear unique from fresh new breast milk?

The colour of your breast milk might differ slightly depending on your diet program. Also, thawed breast milk might appear to be to have a unique odor or regularity than freshly expressed milk. It is really even now secure to feed to your infant. If your infant refuses the thawed milk, shortening the storage time might help.