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October 2011 Moms
Breastmilk storage info from my pediatrician
Hey ladies! So my pediatrician and her husband (who is also a pediatrician) wrote a little info book all about newborn care that I found really helpful. In the booklet is a chart with info about how long you can store breastmilk in different ways. I thought it was really helpful, because it was something I had wondered about. So I thought I'd share, for those of you who have also been wondering. Hope you find it helpful too!
Form of Breastmilk Where Stored For How
Long
Fresh milk Room Temp <72* 10 hours
Fresh milk Insulated bag Up to 24 hrs
with cool pack
Fresh milk Refrigerator at 32*-39* Up to 8 days
Frozen and thawed Refrigerator at 32*-39* Up to 24 hrs
(never refreeze)
Frozen milk Freezer compartment Up to 2 weeks
inside refrigerator
Frozen milk Refrigerator freezer 3 to 4 months
with own door
Frozen milk Separate deep freeze at 0* 6 months
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Re: Breastmilk storage info from my pediatrician
My little CHD warrior. Born 9/29/11. Got his new heart 10/20/11
BLOG :] & Shaping Up
Snuggle.
BFP#1 2/10/11 EDD 10/21/11, Cora born 10/31/11
BFP #2 10/23/13 EDD 7/1/14, MC 11/18/13
BFP#3 4/14/14 EDD 12/26/14
We got a refrigerator magnet from Medela during our breastfeeding class that has other information. For instance, breast milk in a refrigerator should only be kept for 5 days - not 8. And in a deep freezer it can be kept for 12 months.
There are also separate guidelines for NICU or preterm babies.
interesting. i had a preemie and never heard that?
also just wanted to add that if you have a power outage and think your frozen milk is wasted b/c it's thawed, check the bags closely. even if there is only one crystalized area, it's still considered frozen and you can re-freeze it. there were a ton of posts about this on my local board after the Hurricane. losing your milk stash is scary business!!
We were taught the rule of "6"s:
1. Non-refrigerated = 6 hours
2. Refrigerated = 6 days
3. Frozen in conventional freezer attached to fridge = 6 months
4. Deep freeze (that does NOT go through a thaw cycle) = 12 months
I think it has to do with hospitals. I'm only allowed to leave my fresh milk at room temp for 1 hour, and they only leave my milk in the refrigerator for like 24 hours then they put it in the deep freeze.
This is what my info says, too. Also got info from my breastfeeding class
I'm a NICU nurse....there are no separate guidelines for storing milk for preterm babies. Although, you will find the number of days vary at different hospitals. The newer guidelines say 8 days. I work at the #1 pediatric hospital in the country and we used to only keep BM in the fridge for 48 hours, but just changed to 8 days.