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Most
mothers practice good personal hygiene
and express and store their breastmilk
in a place that is sanitary and safe.
Mothers who pump and store their breastmilk
at work in a shared refrigerator label
it with their name or put it in a bag
so it is not mistaken for cow's milk.
They transport cooled milk in a cool
bag with deep frozen ice packs. It is
a good idea to protect the milk from
the ice packs to prevent it from freezing.
If full term milk is to be used within
8 days it is more beneficial to keep
it in a fridge constantly below 4° C.
(Hands, UNICEF 2006, Pardou 1994)
There are several published variations on
storage times for human milk. If you
have any questions about proper storage of
breastmilk, talk to your health care provider,
lactation consultant or follow the guidelines
below. |
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Breastmilk
Storage Guidelines |
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Full term breastmilk for healthy babies can be left at room temperature (19-26 °C) for up to 6 hours (LLLI 2008)
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It
can be stored in a refrigerator (<4 °C)
for up to 72 hours (LLLI 2008)
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If
you have a single-door refrigerator with
freezer section, breastmilk can be stored
in the freezer for up to 2 weeks (due to
continuous open/closing of freezer door)
(Breastfeeding Answer Book, LLLI 2003)
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If
you have a two-door refrigerator/freezer,
breastmilk can be stored in the freezer section
for 3 to 4 months (Breastfeeding Answer
Book LLLI 2003)
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Deep
freeze at a constant 0°F (-18°C)
for 6 months (Lawrence and Lawrence Breastfeeding,
A Guide for the Medical Profession)
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If
you have any question or concern about
stored milk, discard and do not feed it
to your baby
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What
Type of Container to Use |
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Refrigerated
or frozen milk may be stored in: |
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Hard-sided
plastic or glass containers with well-fitting
tops
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Freezer
milk bags that are designed for storing
human milk
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Disposable
bottle liners are not recommended
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To
learn more about Lansinoh® Breastmilk
Storage Bags, click
here. |
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Ideally,
thaw in fridge
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If
heating is desired, heat under warm, running
water.
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Do
not bring temperature of milk to boiling
point. However, if you find your
milk smells rancid after freezing, breastmilk
can be scalded before freezing (Milk high
in Lipase can smell rancid after freezing.
Scalding prevents this.).
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Gently
swirl milk before testing the temperature.
Swirling will also redistribute the cream
into the milk. (It is normal for stored
milk to separate into a cream and milk
layer.) Do not shake vigorously as it could
damage some of the live components of human
milk.
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Do
not use a microwave oven to heat human
milk.
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If
milk has been frozen and thawed in the
fridge, it can be refrigerated unopened
for up to 24 hours for later use.
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If
defrosted out of the fridge use within
4 hours.
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Thawed
breastmilk should not be refrozen.
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It
is not known whether milk that is left
in a bottle can be safely kept until the
next feed or if it should be discarded.
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