Breast Milk Storage - Answering FAQ's About BreastMilk Storage

Many mothers wonder about storing breastmilk. Is it safe to store breastmilk? How can I store it? How long can breastmilk sit out? How long can breastmilk stay in the fridge? How long is considered safe to store breastmilk? I will do my best to answer those questions here, but if you don't find answers that satisfy you, or you have additional questions, please talk to a lactation consultant or visit some of the links to the right.

It is safe to store FRESH breastmilk. However, the temperature of the place you plan on storing your breastmilk is what makes all the difference. The cooler the environment, the longer you can store it, the warmer the environment, the shorter. Any breastmilk that has been stored and not used in the specified time frames should be disposed of. Please find the basic guidelines for storing breastmilk below...

After pumping or expressing, breastmilk can sit out or be stored at room temperature for about 6-10 hours, although the average recommendation is 8 hours. You should not let breastmilk sit out for longer than 6 hours in rooms that have a temperature higher than 79 degrees fahrenheit.

If you have thawed your breastmilk at room temperature or under running water, you should use the stored breastmilk within 4 hours.

Quick note: NEVER thaw breastmilk out in a microwave! Items heated in the microwave do not heat evenly. This could result in dangerous hot spots and may burn the baby's mouth. Also, the microwave destroys some of the valuable nutrients in breastmilk. It takes a little more discipline and dedication, but it is always safest to thaw breastmilk out (if you are needing to do it quickly) by putting the container in a pot of boiling or hot water. Then, just to be safe, make sure to shake the breastmilk to mix it and help to evenly distribute the temperature.

When refrigerating breastmilk, it is safe to store the breastmilk in the refrigerator for an average of 5-8 days. If you are using the refrigerator to thaw your breastmilk, you should use the stored breastmilk within 24 hours.

If you plan on freezing your breastmilk, you should know that the guidelines on storing the milk in the freezer vary depending on the type of freezer you have and the temperature. On average, frozen breastmilk can be stored for 3-12 months.

If you are storing your breastmilk in a fridge/freezer combo, stay within the shorter time span of 3 months. Also, be sure NOT to store the breastmilk on the freezer door because the temperature will vary too often on the door. And NEVER refreeze thawed breastmilk.

If you are storing the breastmilk in a deep freezer or chest freezer, you can pretty much feel safe with storing your breastmilk for the longer recommended time of 6-12 months. These types of freezers usually have a lower temperature and the temperature usually remains consistent. The temperature must be at 0 degrees fahrenheit or lower to store for the longer period of time of 12 months. For any temperatures above that, I do not recommend storing the breastmilk for longer than 6 months.

Final Notes

When storing your breastmilk, you do not need to collect all the milk at one time. If you are storing the breastmilk in a bottle or container, keep the bottle or container in the freezer and add to it until it has about 2-4 ounces in it. Be sure to cool the breastmilk before adding it to the frozen breastmilk. Even if you collect the milk on different days, you can still add it to the already frozen milk. It will freeze in layers and the layers may even be different colors. Don't worry about the different colors (the color of the milk varies according to what you eat). Simply shaking the bottle after thawing the breastmilk will mix it.

You should alway label the breastmilk with the date, and sometimes time. Be sure to use the oldest breastmilk first, saving the freshest breastmilk for last.

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