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How to Store Breast Milk
Storing Breast Milk
If my breast milk is stored... | At this temperature... | I can keep it for... |
At room temperature | 60 degrees F | 24 hours |
At room temperature | 66-72 degrees F | 10 hours |
At room temperature | 79 degrees F | 4-6 hours |
In a refrigerator | 32-39 degrees F | 4 days |
In a freezer compartment of a refrigerator | 2 weeks | |
In a self-contained freezer unit of refrigerator | 3-4 months | |
In a separate deep freeze with a constant temperature | 0 degrees F | 6 months or longer |
How do I know what to save or dump?
Type of milk | Save or dump? | Why? |
Milk that is left over in the bottle after you've given it to your baby | Dump | Bacteria from your baby's mouth gets in milk during feeding. Bacteria can lead to milk contamination. |
Milk that you've thawed | Keep in the refrigerator for 24 hours, then dump. Never refreeze milk. | Frozen milk loses some immune properties that inhibit bacterial growth. |
Milk that has been kept in the refrigerator for 4 days | Transfer to storage in the freezer, or dump | Bacterial growth is not a problem, but milk can pick up odors or flavors from the refrigerator or the container. |