Human Milk Storage - Quick Reference Guide*
| Room Temperatures | |
| Warm room (79°F) | 4-6 hours |
| Normal room temp (66-72°F) | 10 hours |
| Insulated Cooler with ice pack (50-60°F) | 24 hours |
| Refrigerator Storage** | |
| Freshly pumped | 8 days |
| Thawed from frozen | 24 hours |
| Freezer (never refreeze!)** | |
| Typical freezer (30°F) | 3-6 months |
| Deep freezer (0°F) | 6-12 months |
*These guidelines are intended only for a healthy, full term baby!
**For best results, store milk in the back of the refrigerator or freezer, away from the door.
How do I know my milk is still good?
This one is simple, the same way you know that cow's milk is still good, by smell! Breastmilk that is too old or 'bad' will have a strong sour/spoiled smell and should be thrown away. If it smells fine, it's safe to use.
http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/recommendations/handling_breastmilk.htm
ReplyDeleteHow do you store your milk? Do you use storage bags? It seems weird to store the milk laying down in the bags when it is only 2 ounces.
I do - I use Gerber brand milk bags. I lay them down to freeze so that they're nice and thin, then store them vertically (like a file in a drawer) in a Tupperware bin. That way I can put new stuff in back, and use the old stuff from the front first so it doesn't expire. It does look a bit weird, but they thaw faster that way too.
ReplyDelete