Expressed milk needs to be stored if there are no
plans to use it immediately. Every mom stores expressed
milk differently. Storing expressed milk can be an
uncomplicated process but how you store them is essential.
Breast milk can be stored both on long term basis
and short term basis, depending on the storage space
you have and the milk quantity.
| Human
milk can be stored at room temperature
for several hours, refrigerated for up
to 8 days or frozen in the freezer compartment
for up to 6-12 months. |
|
Notes on Storing expressed
milk
• If you are planning to freeze milk, do so
within 24 hours of pumping.
• Pumped milk can be stored for future use in
glass or plastic containers with screw caps or tight
caps or even in the special nursing bags, or even
feeding bottles. Do not use ordinary storage bags
or formula bottle bags as these can tear and leak.
Preferably, do not store breast milk in ice-cube trays.
• The container has to be clean, sealable and
storage space in your refrigerator or freezer should
be available.
• Liquids tend to expand in the freezer so don't
totally fill up the containers.
• To prevent contamination do not add fresh
milk to already frozen milk.
• Do not store milk in the door of the refrigerator
because this area is warmer and more exposed. When
storing in the freezer it is a good idea to store
on the shelf rather than the door of the unit, as
well. In both instances it is better to store them
at the back of the unit where the temperature is the
lowest.
• Frozen milk is good for one month in a freezer
attached to a refrigerator or for up to 6-12 months
in a self-contained freezer.
• Label the milk with date and time it was expressed
and be sure to use the oldest milk first. Place the
newest milk at the bottom of the stack.
• Preferably use frozen milk within 3 months
since the fats in human milk has a tendency to break
down with storage.
• Defrosted or thawed milk can be stored for
up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
• To avoid wastage, freeze milk in single serving
portions of 2-4 oz per container or bag. Thaw an extra
bag if required. When your baby gets used to larger
feeds you can safely freeze in larger quantities.
(Keep in mind that larger quantities take longer to
thaw).
Notes on using Stored
Milk
• Frozen milk should be thawed in the refrigerator
and used within 24 hours. Milk that has been refrigerated
for more than 72 hours should be discarded.
• Avoid defrosting in the microwave to prevent
scalding your baby or damaging the milk. Uneven
heating can create hot spots which even shaking
may not fix.
• The heat treatment from a microwave oven
can also cause the loss of vitamins and antibodies.
• Warming the packet or bottle in a container
of hot water or under running warm water or using
a warmer is any day more practical and safer than
using a microwave.
| The
key to storing is milk can always go
colder but once you have warmed the
milk, you cannot chill it or heat it
again. You will have to discard the
unused portion. |
|
• Always
check the temperature on the inside of your wrist
before serving your baby.
• It is important to remember that unused
milk left in the bottle has to be discarded after
an hour and not be stored in the fridge or be used
as another meal. Once a baby has drunk from the
bottle, the milk in it must be used within an hour
or disposed.
The
Extras
• Breast milk separates into milk and fat
with the fat floating at the top, especially when
it has been sitting but it doesn't mean the milk
has gone off. A gentle shake or swirl will do.
• Be sure to swirl the bottle to mix it all
up once the milk is thawed. Thawed milk can smell
a little 'soapy' but it doesn't mean its sour or
gone bad. Defrosting can cause this.
