How to store Breast Milk
- Guidelines for storing milk: After pumping milk, you have excess milk and wish to store it then please follow the below guidelines. These guidelines are a recommendation. Contact your lactation consultant for more information.
- Breast milk is the best for the baby: Freshly expressed breast milk is best for your baby. If you refrigerate or freeze breast milk, it is still more nutritious and provides better immunity than formula.
- Breast milk can be stored in room temperature, fridge or freezer: As breast milk is best for your baby, it is essential to know how to store breast milk for later use, either at room temperature, in the fridge or in the freezer as per your needs.
- Storing ensures that baby gets breast milk at all times: Storing of breast milk ensures that baby gets the daily recommended supply of breast milk even when mother can’t express during the need of the hour, like she is on certain medication or isn’t around as maybe travelling, working, etc.
- How long can breast milk be stored?
These guidelines apply to freshly expressed milk which you have decided to store for future use.
| Storage place | Room temperature | Refrigerator | Freezer |
| Storage time | Up to 4 hours | Up to 3 days | Up to 6 months |
- Do not store any left-over milk of bottle: Do not store any left-over milk of the bottle as it may contain bacteria from baby’s mouth.
- Storing milk in refrigerator; expect to use the milk within 3 days
- Refrigerator: Refrigerator is the lower section of the fridge.
- Refrigerate as soon as possible After expressing breast milk, and if you have decided to store it, then refrigerate the breast milk as soon as possible.
- Milk storage bags or bottles: You may either store it in the baby milk bottles or milk storage bags.
- Cooled milk can be mixed: You may also add the newly expressed milk in the already refrigerated bottle or bag, provided the new milk added is cooled in the fridge before adding. Do not add body-temperature milk to the cooled milk.
- Store the milk in cooler parts of the fridge: Do not store the milk where you put your vegetables and fruits or in the fridge door as there the temperature maybe less consistent. You should store the breast milk either on the shelf above the vegetable compartment or at the back of other compartments, as those are the coldest part of the fridge.
- Storing the milk in the freezer, expect to use the milk within 6 months:
- Freezer: Freezer is the upper section of the fridge where you put ice-cream, ice, etc.
- Freeze as soon as possible: After expressing breast milk, and if you have decided to store it for longer duration, then freeze the breast milk as soon as possible.
- Milk storage bags: We recommend you store the milk in milk storage bags made from BPA-free materials. There are various companies selling milk storage bags in India. You may store in milk storage containers but ensure they do not crack if stored under the cold temperature for long duration.
- Tightly sealed: Ensure that the milk storage bags or the bottles are tightly fastened/sealed so that there is no air bubbles.
- Cooled milk can be mixed: You may also add the newly expressed milk in the already frozen milk, provided the new milk added is cooled in the fridge before adding. Do not add body-temperature milk to the frozen milk.
- Do not exceed ¾ of the storage capacity: We recommend that you freeze your milk in quantities of about 100 ml or lessor for easier thawing and minimal wastage. Do not exceed 3/4th of the bottle or bag size as breast milk expands during freezing.
- Melted milk can be mixed: The frozen milk can be combined with each other after its melted.
- Store in freezer: Store breast milk in the freezer and avoid storing it in the doors of the freezer as there the temperature may not be less consistent.
- Thawing the frozen milk and then using it:
- In order to start using the frozen milk you need to thaw it by following any of the below procedure:
- Run under warm water: Run the bag of frozen milk under warm water.
- Immerse in large pool of warm water: You may also immerse the breast milk bag or bottle into a large cup of lukewarm water till the milk is melted nicely.
- Do not microwave or run under boiling water: Do not try to melt the frozen milk by heating it in microwave or running the milk bag or bottle in the boiling water (40°C or more), as it would damage its nutritional value.
- Leave it in fridge: You may melt the frozen milk by moving it to fridge and leaving it there for around 12 hours.
- Do not defrost at room temperature: Do not let the frozen breast milk to melt (defrost) itself at room temperature.
- Once the previously frozen breast milk is fully melted (thawed):
- Use it within 2 hours: You may keep it under body temperature for a maximum of 2 hours, hence it should be fed to your baby within these two hours or thrown away.
- Refrigerate: Alternatively, you may refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- Do not refreeze: Do not re-freeze breast milk once it’s melted.
- Stored Milk Smell odd?
- It is perfectly fine to notice that refrigerated or melted (defrosted) breast milk smell different sometimes.
- That is usually due to an enzyme breaking down fats and releasing fatty acids to prevent growth of bad bacteria in the milk.
- The defrosted frozen milk is safe for consumption.
- Do not store left-over milk in the bottle:
When baby feeds from bottle then bacteria from the baby’s mouth goes into the milk and hence its best to throw away any extra left-over milk in the bottle within about 1 hour of initial feed.
- In order to start using the frozen milk you need to thaw it by following any of the below procedure:
