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Storing
Expressed Breast Milk
There are several containers available for storing
breast milk. These include specially designed
plastic bags, plastic bottles or glass containers.
There are advantages to each.
If you are going to freeze your breast milk,
leave some space at the top of the container.
Breast milk, like most liquids, expands as it
freezes.
When using plastic bags, use those designed
for breast milk collection. Before storing,
fold the top several times and seal with freezer
or masking tape. Place smaller bags in a larger
bag to help protect against punctures. Medela's
CSFTM bags come with twist ties for easy sealing
and don't need to be double bagged. Mark the
date and the amount on each container.
Freeze your milk in two ounce to four ounce
portions. Smaller amounts thaw quicker, and
you will waste less milk if your baby consumes
less than you anticipated.
You may continue to add small amounts of cooled
breast milk to the same container throughout
the day. Chill milk in the refrigerator until
evening. Then, freeze in appropriate amounts.
You may also add to already frozen milk. First
refrigerate all freshly expressed milk until
it's cold, and then add to the frozen milk.
The newly added milk must be of a lesser amount
than the already frozen milk.
If you carefully washed your hands before pumping
or expressing, your breast milk will be safe
for around 4-10 hours at room temperature, 66°-72°F.
Immediate refrigeration, however, is recommended.
Fresh milk may be stored in the refrigerator
for up to 5-7 days at 39°F. Frozen milk
 may
be stored in the back of the freezer portion
of a refrigerator-freezer for up to six months.
Frozen milk may be stored in a -20°C deep
freezer for up to 12 months. Defrosted milk
may be kept for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
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