Storage and Handling of Breast Milk

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Wash your hands before pumping breasts or handling breast milk.

Storing

It’s best to store breast milk in glass or hard plastic bottles. Plastic bottle liners are not designed for long-term storage of breast milk. However, individually sterilized breast milk freezer bags are designed to store breast milk for freezing. Breast milk tends to lose some of its immune properties when stored in plastic bags, however this is not of great concern for a healthy baby who is getting only an occasional bottle of breast milk.

Fresh breast milk can be kept in the fridge for 3 days for healthy full term babies (these are very conservative guidelines based on current research – you may see other guidelines elsewhere).

For premature or hospitalized baby use a sterile container. Refrigerate milk within one hour after pumping Use or freeze the milk within 48 hours.

Freezing breast milk

Breast milk can be frozen in small amounts (2 to 4 oz./30 to 60 ml) and labeled with the date. Keep in upper shelf in separate refrigerator freezer for 2 to 3 months (bottom shelf warms during defrost cycle), and up to 6 months in a deep freezer.

Thawing breast milk

• Breast milk is best thawed under warm running water. Once frozen breast milk has come to room temperature, it must be used or discarded.
• Frozen breast milk can be thawed in the refrigerator and must be used within 24 hours of being taken from the freezer.
• Frozen breast milk separates into low and high fat layers. Gently swirl or shake to mix.
• Do not heat on the stove. There is a risk of mouth burns as well as loss of immune components.
• Do not microwave. There is a risk of causing severe burns to the baby’s mouth, because microwaves heat unevenly, and a bottle that feels cool can contain pockets of very hot liquid. Injured mouths can take months to heal. As well, microwaving causes loss of the germ-fighting benefit of breast milk.

Pumping at work

If you pump milk at work, fresh breast milk keeps well at room temperature, but when refrigeration is available, it is best to use it. Milk that is pumped at work can be kept in the fridge at work or stored with a freezer pack or on ice in an insulated bag. Some mothers drop this pumped milk off at the caregiver’s the day of pumping to be used the next day for the baby.

If you can wash your breast pump at work, you can do so by rinsing first with cool water, then washing with hot soapy water, rinsing and drying well. If you are unable to wash your breast pump well at work, at least rinse it after each use with cool water, and wash it well when you get home.

Sterilizing your breast pump once per day is advisable until your baby is 3 to 4 months of age. See directions that come with pump.