How do I Store Breast-Milk Safely?

How do I store my breast milk? ALWAYS TAKE DUE PRECAUTIONS, EXPRESS IN A STERILE TECHNIQUE AND USE STERILE CONTAINERS.

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You can either freeze and/or refrigerate your pumped(or expressed) breast milk depending on when you intend to use it. If planning to use in a day or two, refrigerate instead of freezing.

What do I use to store my breast-milk safely?

Store it in clean sterilized bottles with screw caps, hard BPA-free plastic cups that have tight caps, or nursing bags (pre-sterilized bags meant for breast milk).

Disposable bottle liners or plastic bags are not recommended. With these, the risk of contamination is greater. Bags are less durable and tend to leak, and some types of plastic may destroy nutrients in milk.

Tips to storing breast-milk:

It’s helpful to label each container with the date when the milk was pumped (and your baby’s name if the milk is to be sent to the daycare)
Store in aliquots of 60-80 ml as once thawed, it cannot be refrozen and will be wasted
If you want to freeze your milk, do it as soon after expressing as possible. Do not fill up the container to the brim while storing, leave some space at the top of each bottle or bag, as your milk will expand during freezing
If you want to add freshly expressed milk to milk already in the fridge, you can do so however do remember that the milk ‘expiry’ will depend on the milk first collected
You can add fresh cooled milk to milk that is already frozen, but add no more than is already in the container. For example, if you have 60 ml of frozen milk, then you can add up to 60 ml of cooled milk
Do not add warm milk directly to previously frozen milk
How long can I store my breast milk?
- You can store it at room temperature: for 6 hours (at no warmer than 25°C)
- Cool box lined with ice packs (useful during transport):24 hours
- You can store it in the refrigerator: for up to 3-5 days at 0°–4°C
- You can store it in the freezer (do leave space at the top of the container to allow for expansion of the milk when it freezes)
- For up to 2 weeks in a freezer compartment located inside the refrigerator (-15°C)
- For 3 to 6 months in a freezer that’s self-contained and is kept at –18°C. Store the milk in the back of the freezer, not in the door
- For 6-12 months in Deep freezers (-20°C)
How do I use the frozen milk for my baby?

To liquefy frozen milk, you can move it to the refrigerator (it takes12- 24 hours to liquefy), then warm by running warm water over the bag or bottle of milk or place it in a bowl of warm water and use it within the next 24 hours. If you need it immediately, then remove it from the freezer and run warm water over it until it’s at room temperature. Do not refreeze it. You should use it within 1 hour.

My frozen breast milk changed color. Is this OK?

Breast milk that’s been frozen or refrigerated may look a little different from fresh breast milk, but that doesn’t mean it’s gone bad. It’s normal for early breast milk to look kind of orange and the mature milk to look slightly blue, yellow, or brown when refrigerated or frozen. And it may separate into a creamy looking layer and a lighter, more milk-like layer. If this happens, just swirl it gently to mix it up again.

Liquefied milk may smell or taste soapy due to the breakdown of fats in the milk. The milk is still safe to drink, and most babies won’t have a problem with it.
Is it safe to microwave the stored breast-milk?

The microwave can create dangerous “hot spots” in bottles of formula or breast milk, so you should never microwave them. Instead, you can run the bottle or freezer bag under warm water for a little bit, swirl the bag or bottle around in a bowl of warm water, or thaw the milk in the refrigerator.

Always test the temperature by squirting a drop or two on the inside of your wrist before feeding your baby. And bottle warmers are available for use at home or in the car.

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