Breast Milk Storage Tips
A few breast milk storage tips:
- Use only clean containers to store expressed milk. Screw top bottles work well as to hard plastic cups with tight caps. Stay away from ordinary plastic bags or formula bags for storing breast milk.
- Use sealed and chilled milk within 24 hours if possible.
- Do not refrigerate breast milk more than two days. Discard after 48 hours.
- If you are pumping milk for donation or for long term storage immediately place the bag inside your freezer, even if the bag is only partially filled. It is best to use a new bag for the next pumping.
- Labeling your breast milk containers with the date will help insure you use the oldest ones first.
- When you freeze your breast milk do so in amounts of 2 to 4 ounces as this it s average amount of a single feeding.
- Reminder: Do not add fresh milk to already frozen milk in a storage container.
- Thaw the breast milk in the refrigerator or by placing under warm running water. Do not use hot water to thaw breast milk for the heat can destroy important proteins and vitamins in the milk.
- Microwave ovens are a poor choice to heat bottles because they do not heat them evenly. The difference in milk temperatures can easily scald your baby or damage the milk.
- Do not re-freeze your milk.
- Do not save milk from used bottle for use at another feeding.
Here is a chart to summarize the breast milk storage tips time frame:
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Room Temperature at 77° F (25° C) or below
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Use within 3-4 hours
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In refrigerator at 40° F (4° C) or below
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Use within 2 days
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Frozen in a separate freezer compartment at -4° F (-20° C)
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Store up to 6 months
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Thawed from frozen and refrigerated at 40° F (4° C) or below
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Use within 24 hours
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