Health Tip: Storing Breast Milk
February 18, 2009, 2:25 PM ET
• 1 min read
Feb. 19 -- (HealthDay News) -- If you want to store breast milk for when you're not available to breast-feed, the Nemours Foundation offers these suggestions for doing it safely:
Breast milk can be refrigerated for about two or three days, as long as the temperature is between 32 and 39 degrees Fahrenheit (0 C to 3.9 C).Breast milk can be frozen for three to four months in many freezers, as long as the temperature is 0 F (-18 C). But lengths may vary based on the type of freezer.Breast milk can be kept at room temperature for four to eight hours, as long as the room is kept at 77 F (25 C) or cooler.Always store breast milk in sterile bottles that have a screw cap, a sterilized nursing bag, or tightly-capped hard plastic cups. Always label the bottles with the date that the milk was pumped.You can let milk thaw in a refrigerator for up to 24 hours, but never refreeze milk that has been thawed.