You can store your breast milk to keep it fresh for your baby in a number of ways:
- At room temperature (maximum of 25 degrees C) for up to four hours.
- In a refrigerator (maximum of 4 degrees C) for 24 hours. In colder regions, breast milk kept in a fridge can stay fresh for three to five days. But in hotter parts of the country, fridge doors are opened and closed more frequently because there are many more fresh items that need to be kept cold. This is why it's best to store expressed breastmilk for no more than a day.
- In a freezer with a temperature of -18 degrees C, for three to six months (again, this takes into account the long hot summer months and more frequent use of the freezer). Always keep the milk in the back of the freezer away from the door, because items stored towards the front are more susceptible to changing temperatures when you open the freezer.
- In single-door refrigerators with a freezer compartment inside the fridge, for two weeks.
- In a cooler, Styrofoam or thermocol box filled with ice or ice packs for up to 24 hours.
You can place a thermometer in the fridge, freezer or cooler and keep track of the temperature during power cuts. Take special care in the summer or monsoon. The inside of the fridge could heat up faster at these times.
Expressing and storing breastmilk is a great way for your baby to get the benefits of your milk, even when you're not around. This can come in especially useful if you plan on returning to work.
How you store your breastmilk also depends on how soon you want to use it. If you plan to use it within a day, refrigerating is better than freezing. This is because freezing destroys some of the substances in your milk that fight infection. Frozen breastmilk is still a healthier choice for your baby than formula, though.
Whether you choose to refrigerate or freeze your milk, you should:
- Use sterilised containers. The best choices are plastic bottles, or plastic breastmilk bags which are available at some chemist and baby shops. Glass containers aren't recommended. It's thought the infection-fighting white blood cells in breastmilk may cling to glass.
- Not store or freeze breastmilk uncovered, for example, in ice trays.
- Label and date your bottles and bags. Our lactation expert, Sonali Shivlani says it's a good idea to use the most recent milk first. The logic behind this is that breastmilk changes according to your baby's needs. So if you use the most recent milk, it is best suited to your baby's current needs. If you need more milk, you can work your way backward. But do keep a track on the dates and use older milk before it crosses the expiry time.
- Keep your breast pump clean. Wash the parts in hot, soapy water and rinse them thoroughly before sterilising.
- Freeze your milk as soon as possible after expressing. Leave a gap at the top of each bottle or bag, as your milk will expand during freezing.
- Watch out for tears, if you're storing your milk in bags. You may not notice any until you start to thaw the milk. Keep in mind, too, that plastic bags tend to fall over when thawing.
To make thawing easier and quicker, you could store breastmilk in smaller bags or bottles. This may also help to avoid wasting breastmilk that your baby can't finish. You can add freshly expressed milk to older breastmilk once that has been warmed to room temperature. But remember that you can only keep the mixed milk until the older milk is a day old in the fridge.
If your milk has been stored for some time, you may notice that it separates. This is normal. Just give it a gentle shake.
You can add freshly expressed milk to frozen milk as long as the fresh milk is chilled for at least an hour first. Make sure the amount you're freezing is smaller than the frozen portion.
Frozen breastmilk should be defrosted in the fridge, and can be stored there for 12 hours. Once it has defrosted, though, it mustn't be refrozen.
Don't be tempted to defrost or warm your breastmilk in a microwave. You should never put breastmilk on the gas or in a microwave. If you need the milk in a hurry, defrost it under cool, then warm, running water. Or you can place the closed bottle in a container with hot water. Dry the outside of the container before you open it.