How Long Can You Keep Breastmilk in the Fridge
How to store, freeze and thaw breast milk
Expressed breast milk is the all-time food for your baby to accept when you're non there. So how exercise you store and utilise your milk safely?
If you're returning to work, heading to a gym course or simply want your partner to requite a feed so you can catch upwards on some sleep, you tin limited your chest milk and store it for your babe to accept when you're not around. Expressed milk keeps nearly of its wellness-giving benefits, so if you have to miss a feed, it's far meliorate for your infant than any type of formula. But proficient hygiene is vital to ensure that stored milk is safe for your infant – read on to find out how to store breast milk properly.
Which breast milk storage method is all-time?
Chest milk is better for your baby than formula – but freshly expressed chest milk is preferable to refrigerated, and refrigerated is better than frozen. That's considering freshly expressed milk has the all-time bacteria-fighting properties and is higher in antioxidants, vitamins and fatty than milk that has been refrigerated or frozen.4
How long to store your expressed breast milk
If yous have expressed breast milk cleanly and safely, y'all can shop it at room temperature, in the fridge, or in the freezer, depending on how soon you want to apply it.
Follow this storage location and temperatures guidelines for freshly expressed chest milk (for healthy term babies)2,3 :
| Storage place | Room temperature | Refrigerator | Freezer | Previously frozen |
| Safe storage fourth dimension | Up to iv hours is all-time Upward to six hours for milk expressed under very make clean conditions* | Upward to three days is best Upwards to five days for milk expressed nether very clean conditions* | Upwardly to six months is all-time Upwards to 9 months for milk expressed under very make clean conditions* | Up to two hours at room temperature Up to 24 hours in the refrigerator Exercise non refreeze |
* Very clean conditions means rigorously post-obit the guidance in our commodity on cleaning and sanitising your breast pump.These guidelines for storing and defrosting breast milk are a recommendation – contact your lactation consultant or breastfeeding specialist for farther data.
If your baby is in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or special care ward, your infirmary may have stricter recommendations for cleaning and storage.
If you're refrigerating or freezing expressed milk, e'er label the bottles or numberless with the corporeality and the appointment it was pumped, so yous can track and manage your stored milk.
Guidelines for using expressed breast milk
Stored breast milk tends to separate into layers, with the fat (cream) ascent to the top. Gently swirl the bottle to mix the layers before feeding your baby. Vigorous stirring or shaking tin can damage some of the milk's nutritional and protective components.5
When your baby feeds on expressed breast milk from a cup or bottle, leaner from his rima oris tin naturally stop upwardly in the milk. For this reason, it's best to throw abroad any leftover, partly drunkard milk within one to two hours of his initial feed. To avoid wasting expressed milk, information technology's ever a skilful thought to store information technology in small amounts, and only use what you need.2
How to store breast milk in the fridge2,iii
Follow these guidelines to shop expressed milk safely in the fridge:
- Refrigerate your breast milk as before long as possible after expressing.
- Shop your milk in make clean breast milk bottles or storage numberless made from BPA-costless materials. BPA is a chemic that was previously widely used in plastic containers and coatings, which many manufacturers are phasing out due to its uncertain long-term effects.
- Minor amounts of expressed milk may be added to the same refrigerated container, provided the milk y'all want to add together is cooled in the fridge beforehand. Don't add torso-temperature milk to already cooled milk.
- Store chest milk in the coldest part of the fridge – at the back, on the shelf higher up the vegetable compartment. Don't proceed it in the refrigerator door where the temperature is less consistent.
How to store breast milk in the freezer2,3
Read on for how to freeze chest milk safely:
- Freeze your chest milk as before long as possible after expressing.
- Expressed milk may be added to already frozen breast milk, provided the milk yous want to add is cooled in the refrigerator beforehand. Don't add trunk-temperature milk to frozen milk.
- For easier thawing and minimal wastage, shop your milk in small portions (less than 60 ml). These can be combined after defrosting.
- Cheque that your breast milk storage containers can be used in the freezer – some products (such equally glass bottles) may crack at very low temperatures. Medela breast milk storage bags are ideal for storing frozen chest milk equally they're freezer-proof, ready to be used and easy to label.
- Don't fill up bottles or bags more than three-quarters total, as breast milk expands during freezing.
- Shop frozen breast milk at the back of the freezer where the temperature is most consistent. Keep it away from the walls of self-defrosting freezers.
How to defrost breast milk2,3
Take intendance when defrosting breast milk to make sure it's safe for your baby:
- Breast milk tin can be defrosted in the fridge, normally in around 12 hours. Alternatively, concur the bottle or handbag of frozen milk under warm running water (a maximum of 37 °C or 99 °F). Don't leave frozen breast milk to defrost at room temperature.
- In one case fully thawed, previously frozen chest milk may exist kept at room temperature for a maximum of two hours or in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
- Don't thaw or estrus frozen chest milk in a microwave or in boiling water. These can damage its nutritional and protective properties and create hot spots that could scald your babe.
- Thawed chest milk left at room temperature should be fed to your baby within two hours or thrown away.
- Never re-freeze breast milk in one case thawed.
How to warm your stored breast milkii,three
Healthy, full-term babies can drink breast milk at room temperature or warmed to body temperature. Some accept a preference, others don't seem to mind.
- To warm your milk, place the breast milk canteen or handbag into a cup, jug or bowl of lukewarm h2o for a few minutes to bring information technology to body temperature (37 °C or 99 °F). Alternatively, apply a bottle warmer. Exercise not allow the temperature to go above 40 °C (104 °F), and do not use a microwave, as this tin can overheat your milk.
- Gently swirl the canteen or pocketbook, without shaking or stirring, to mix any separated fat (see above).
Why does my stored breast milk odour odd?
You may detect that your refrigerated or defrosted breast milk tin can sometimes odour dissimilar. This is because an enzyme called lipase breaks downward fats and releases fatty acids – a process that helps prevent the growth of harmful bacteria.
Some mums written report that their stored milk has a soapy or rancid smell. But if you've followed all the safe-storage guidelines in this article, information technology will be perfectly fine to employ.2
Breast milk storage on the get
If you lot take to ship your milk between work and abode or daycare, utilise a cooler bag with ice packs.2 For more on pumping and storing milk on the move, read our commodity on travelling and pumping.
References
References
- U.s. Food & Drug Assistants. Using a breast pump. [Internet]. Silver Bound, Doctor, Us: Us Department of Health and Man Services; 2022 [updated 2022 Feb 04; cited 2022 Apr 12] Available from: www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/HomeHealthandConsumer/ConsumerProducts/BreastPumps/ucm061944.htm
- Eglash,A., Simon,L., & The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine. ABM clinical protocol #8: human being milk storage information for home apply for total-term infants, revised 2017. Breastfeed Med 12, (2017).
- Human Milk Banking Association of Northward America. 2022 Best practice for expressing, storing and handling human being milk in hospitals, homes, and child intendance settings. (HMBANA, Fort Worth, 2011).
- García-Lara NR et al. Effect of freezing time on macronutrients and free energy content of breastmilk. Breastfeeding Medicine. 2012;7(iv):295-301.
- Office on Women'south Health. Pumping and storing breastmilk. [Internet]. Silverish Leap, Doctor, The states: US Section of Health and Human Services; 2022 [updated 2022 Jan 12; cited 2022 April 12] Bachelor from: world wide web.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/pumping-and-storing-breastmilk
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Source: https://www.medela.com/breastfeeding/mums-journey/storing-and-thawing-breast-milk
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