How to properly store breast milk?

How to keep breast milk at room temperature

Do you express your milk but want to wait a bit before giving it to your baby? No problem, it is quite possible to leave it at room temperature. Thus, for four to six hours (maximum 8 hours), between 19°C and 22°C, the milk can be stored and then given to baby, without the risk of bacteria proliferating. If you want to leave it in the air for 24 hours, do so, but only at 15°C. If you have changed your mind and want to keep it for a while longer, you can (after two hours spent in the open air maximum), place it in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days or freeze your breast milk for 6 months. at most.

How to store your milk in the refrigerator

For short-term storage, it is also possible to place your breast milk in the refrigerator in plastic bags dedicated to storage (the Medela brand for example is a reference on the subject). On the other hand, before placing it in one of the compartments, make sure of the temperature of your appliance: it must be placed at a maximum temperature of 0 to 4°C. Be careful, the milk must be stored for a maximum of eight days! On the other hand, according to our expert lactation consultant, Lysiane Faure, "We must avoid placing breast milk in the refrigerator door, which can be open all the time...".

Why keep your milk in the freezer

For mums who plan to return to work, freezing breast milk is the ideal formula! "Mums can keep their milk for a maximum of 6 months in the freezer at a temperature of -18°C" assures our lactation expert Lysiane Faure. If it is preferable to fill a glass container to 2/3 to avoid explosion, it is essential to label it with a non-toxic marker, whether it is plastic or glass (date of freezing and volume) before the put in the cold. In particular, this allows you to check the expiration of breast milk as you go along. Lysiane Faure also reminds that it is possible to fill small ice cube trays with breast milk to avoid waste.

How to thaw breast milk

If the milk can be thawed for two to three days in the fridge, once it is taken out of the freezer, it is not possible to refreeze it, otherwise it will watch bacteria grow. On the other hand, our lactation specialist advises against the use of the microwave, in particular because the temperature is poorly controlled and it could alter the quality of the milk. On the other hand, it is quite possible to heat it gently in a bowl of hot water... or to alternate a trickle of cold water and a trickle of hot water on it. Finally, before giving it to baby, you can shake it so that all its nutritional qualities mix!

Tips for storing breast milk

- It is imperative to properly wash the containers and bottles that will receive breast milk in order to avoid the appearance of bacteria.- When you choose to freeze the breast milk, do not hesitate to put it well at the bottom of the freezer so that it does not suffer from the vagaries of the temperature if the door is often opened. - Be careful not to mix your freshly drawn milk with refrigerated one. The mixture of hot and cold is favorable to the development of bacteria in breast milk...- If you use a plastic bag, make sure to expel the air inside by rolling gently from the top of the bag towards the bottom before filling it with milk.- To limit waste, prefer small containers such as ice cube trays.