Storing, Warming and Transporting your Breast Milk Safely
There are a few tips that you need to know before storing your breast milk after expressing in public to keep your milk safe until you can get to a refrigerator or freezer. So many reasons that moms need to
pump away from home
weather it be at work, during a fun day at an amusement park or to enjoy a night on the town while a caregiver watches your little munchkin.
Milk Storage
- For breast milk that has just been expressed, it is safe to store at room temperature (66-78°F or 19-26°C) for about 4 hours so if you're going home sooner than later, keep the bottles/bags in a cooler and immediately put in the fridge.
- If you're at work or some place that gives you access to a refrigerator
or freezer, use that and put milk in a well insulated cooler
with ice packs to transport it home.
- Breast milk should be kept no longer than 5-8 days in the refrigerator to ensure most of the nutrients remain. Smell the milk if you're unsure if it's suitable to use. If the milk smells sour, it probably is. Discard immediately.
- Date your bottles
so you're not guessing as to when you put it in the fridge. You think you'll remember... trust me, you won't.
- If freezing, store milk in storage bags
made especially for human breastmilk. A lot of the plastics in bags can kill vital nutrients. Place the bags in the freezer flat so they take much less time to thaw. Don't fill to the top, leave some space to allow for expansion. Don't forget put the date on it!
- Freeze & refrigerate in 2 to 4 oz because that's about what your baby will probably eat in one sitting and there's no waste!
- Frozen (-.04 to 4°F or 18 to 20°C) the bags are safe for 6 months, which is perfect, but 12 months is okay.
Containers
What containers you use for storage is very important for the safety and preservation of that golden liquid.
- Use glass bottles
whenever possible with a very tight-fitting lid. Examine before every use for chips missing from the lid.
- Hard plastic bottles are okay to use but some types of plastics destroy the nutrients. Always choose bottles that are bisphenol A (BPA) free
(a dangerous chemical
- Wash all pieces of your bottles in hot soapy water and allow to air dry before each use. There are sterilizing kits
for bottles available on the market that work as well.
- Freezer: only use bags that are designed to storage bags
. Again, some plastics found in other bags can destroy vital nutrients.
- If on the go, using the freezer bags designed for breastmilk is great because it's much lighter than the bottles. You may want to store it in a zipper bag just in case of leakage.
Warming
Warming safely is very important to preserve as many nutrients as possible, avoid bacteria and for the safety of your child.
- Frozen: leave in fridge overnight or if you need it immediately, hold the bag under cool water gradually increasing the temperature to desired warmth. Remember to shake the bag once in a while to prevent hot or cold spots.
- Chilled: from the fridge, run under water, gradually increasing the temperature to desired warmth. Remember to shake once in a while to prevent hot or cold spots.
- If possible, test on your forearm to determine the temperature, if it needs to be warmed further or left to cool before giving to your baby.
- DO NOT MICROWAVE: Your little nuker loves to kill the nutrients. You may warm a container of water and then sit the bag or bottle in it, shaking periodically to mix the warm and cold spots. Or better yet, get yourself a bottle warmer
designed specifically for breast milk
- Make sure you sniff the milk (just to remind you) - if it smells sour, it probably is. Some mommy's milk goes sour faster than others.
Storage on the GO!
It's tricky when you're traveling or out somewhere for a while without your baby. You need to pump
but where do you put your milk until you get home?
- Luckily bacteria doesn't grow fast on human breast milk so room temperature storage is fine for about 4 hours at (66-78°F or 19-26°C).
- Whenever possible to be safe, store your expressed bottles or bags in a cooler
with ice packs
until you're able to reach a freezer or fridge.
- If the weather is very warm, keep the cooler with you out of the sunlight and in air conditioning whenever possible.
- Add another bag just in case of leakage.
Where would you like to visit next?
*** Learn how to
pump in public
*** Traveling? Learn how to breastfeed and pump
in an airport
*** Not comfortable pumping or nursing in public? Find a
nursing room near you!
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