This guide tells you the right way to store your breast milk.
Things You Will Need
If you are returning to work or school, you can
pump your milk while you are away from home. Store your freshly pumped or
expressed breast milk in a clean, sealed container. Your pumped or expressed
milk stored outside the refrigerator will keep for 4 hours if it is cooler than
100 degrees F. When possible, put the pumped or expressed milk in a
cooler with an ice pack until it can be refrigerated. Your pumped or
expressed milk may be kept in a cooler with an ice pack for up to 24 hours.
Frozen breast milk stored in a freezer compartment inside the refrigerator will
keep up to 2 weeks. The frozen breast milk stored in the freezer
compartment with a separate door will keep up to 3-4 months. If milk is stored
in a separate deep freezer at a constant temperature of 0 degrees F it will
keep for 6 months or longer. Store the
breast milk in the center of the refrigerator, not in the door. Use your
fresh pumped or expressed breast milk within 5-8 days. If you are not
going to use the expressed or pumped milk within 5 days you should freeze it.
Defrost your frozen milk in the refrigerator or under warm running water.
Do not defrost it in the microwave or boil it on the stove. Defrosted
milk stored in the refrigerator must be used within 24hrs and defrosted milk
kept at room temperature should be used within 1hr. Never refreeze
defrosted milk. Also, breast milk will
separate naturally, thatâs okay the milk is still good, just shake it to mix it
and throw away leftover breast milk after any feeding.