How to store expressed breast milk

Storing pumped/expressed breast milk is important to ensure proper nourishment of the newborn baby. Here are some simple guidelines:

• Room temperature (max. 26° C), freshly pumped/expressed milk: 4 hours, even 6 hours if it is colostrum
• Fridge:

– with constant temperature at 4° C: up to 5 days (the fridge must have a constant temperature indicator ≤ 4°C)
– if the exact temperature is not known: up to 3 days

Always store on the back of a shelf, never on the door.

• Freezer (temp ≤ -18° C): up to 6 months

Useful tips

• Always wash your hands well before pumping/expressing milk.
• Wash all objects with which milk has come into contact with warm soapy water, rinse well and let them dry.
• Thawing:

– Best to thaw milk in the fridge, once thawed use it within 24 hours. If thawed outside the fridge, use it immediately.
– Do not refreeze milk once thawed!

• Breast milk does not necessarily need to be heated, it can be offered at room temperature or cold if your baby tolerates it. NEVER heat it directly on the stove or in a microwave, it is best to do it by putting the bottle in a jug with warm water or by holding it under lukewarm, not hot, running water.
• Once your baby has drunk from the bottle, you can consume it all within a maximum of one hour otherwise the milk will have to be thrown away.
• You can combine the pumped/expressed breast milk within 24 hours only after first cooling it in the fridge.
• If you do not plan to use the milk immediately, put it directly into the fridge.
• For storage, rigid plastic (polypropylene) or glass containers are preferable to polyether plastic bags (avoid plastic bags that are not suitable for storing breast milk and plastic with the recycling symbol 7).