Keeping breast milk fresh?

Question

I was wondering. I don't have children yet, but hopefully soon. I plan on breast feeding my children.. but sometimes I probably will want a break. like let my husband get up in the middle of the night and what not. so I was thinking of pumping breast milk for those ocassions.. however i would want to pump enough for a while. So ehre is my question.

1. can you freeze breast milk?
2. If so, for how long?
3. How long is it good for in the regular fridge?
4. do you warm it up like normal, in the microwave or on the stove?

also, does it kill all the good nutrients in it if it is frozen? is it still as good for the baby?

Answer 1

You can freeze breast milk for up to four months. After you defrost it you need to use it with in 24 hours, do not microwave or boil breast milk to reheat it. swirl it around in some hot water instead. If you get breast milk too hot you can damage some of the valuable proteins. Also fresh breast milk can last in the back of your fridge 5-8 days and can sit out at room temp. 4-8 hours.

Answer 2

I know you can freeze it, not sure how long. In the fridge it's good for a couple days as long as you don't take it out and put it back in (say if your baby doesn't drink it all). I wouldn't recommend heating breast milk in the microwave or stove because the high heat can kill a lot of the enzymes and nutrients that are naturally in the milk. Try running it under warm tap water to warm it. I hope this helps!

Answer 3

I pumped from the minute she was born after every feeding that way I still had any colostrum that she didn't drink. Secondly I was going back to work and didn't want her on formula. You can freez breast milk in a deep freez for 6 months. in a fridge freezer combo it's good for 3 months. It doesn't deplete the nutrients when frozen. When warming in up, heat it up in warm water. to defrost it before heating in up leave in in cold water. once breast milk is heated it's only good a room temperature for 1 hour. if the breast milk is pumped fresh it's good for 8 hours a room temp.
word of advice always smell any milk that you will be giving to your child. if it has an odor throw it away.
because I pumped from the beginning I was able to give my daughter colostrum until 5 months

Answer 4

Hi--

Good to think of this way ahead of time. In response to one of the other comments, it is very rare for women to not be able to breastfeed if they've gotten the proper help from their care providers and lactation consultants. For most women and their babies there are about 4-6 weeks of learning how to breastfeed and that is normal. As for your question:

--Freshly pumped breastmilk (with clean equipment and clean hands) can be stored at room temperature for 6-8 hours because breastmilk actually kills bacteria.
--Refrigerated breastmilk can be stored for 8 days.
--Frozen breastmilk can be used within 1 month.
--Breastmilk in a deep freezer can be used within 6 months.

To warm breastmilk, it should be run under increasingly warmer water from the sink. Or put in a bowl of hot water and change the hot water as the water turns cold. Do not microwave or put on the stove, as these can result in uneven heating and possibly destroying some of the nutrients. After reheating, always shake the breastmilk so that the creamy portion gets reincorporated.

Freezing or refrigerating breastmilk can sometimes result in the loss of some of the fat if the milk is not shaken after reheating. Good luck!

Answer 5

The link below has good info on storage and handling.

If you will use the milk w/in 7 days, it is best to just keep it in the fridge, as freezing and thawing can break down some of the good components of the milk.

You can freeze it in the separate freezer part of your fridge for 3 to 6 mos. You can keep it in a deep freeze for 6 mos to a year. Make sure to store it away from the door where the freezer is coldest.

Answer 6

1. Yes you can. It does lose some of it's nutrients and it changes the taste but it is still healthy. Be prepared, it is possible that the baby will not like it.
2. If I can remember correctly, two months
3. a day or two (I never fed my son breastmilk that was more than a day old in the fridge).
4. boil a pot of hot water and place the bottle in the water after the heat has been turned off. Do not microwave formula or breastmilk. A microwave will heat the bottle unevenly and cause hot pocket which can burn the baby's little mouth.

Answer 7

Yes you can freeze breast milk. Don't worry, you will most likey use it up before it goes bad. It won't go bad before you need to use it as long as it is in the freezer. It isn't like cows milk. It will stay good until you need it. Only take what you need out of the freezer when you need it. Warm it up and voila, you are good to go. Discard what you do not use. You should warm it up in a bottle warmer or under the tap, or pump it straight from the titty to the bottle to the baby. Don't microwave because of hot spots, or so they say. I logically think that as long as you shake it up, it should be just fine.

Answer 8

Yes you can freeze breastmilk. It can last a couple of months, it varies on type of freezer. Regular fridge, it should be used within a week.
Never warm any milk in the microwave, it makes hot spots. Its especially bad for breast milk because it kills some of the good stuff in it. I would always warm mine by setting it in a bowl of hot water.
Below is a great website for storing milk!

Answer 9

Yes you can freeze milk and it lasts about 3 months in the freezer and 24-48 hours in the fridge. You should not warm the milk in the microwave. It will destroy the nutrients. You should warm it by putting it in warm water to bring it to the right temp. Good luck when you do have ababies. Breastfeeding is a wonderful experience and I hope you can enjoy it.

Answer 10

freezing is fine! it will last for up to 1 month though they recommend using it within a week. defrost in the fridge and heat in the microwave ( most people bottles are micro safe but check first . they say never to put any thing for baby in the micro but that's just because most people forget to mix after heating to even out the temp and get rid of hot spots!) in the fridge breast milk is good for up to 48 hours stored tightly! never mix breast milk from one sitting with another! finally the best part of pumping is if you know that you are going to need pain meds for something like dental work you can store a few days worth in the freezer. (because the baby can NOT have any milk from you while you are on pain meds and usually 2 days after you stop-- but keep pumping during that time just put it down the sink!) I know Gerber makes really good milk storage bags that you can right the time and date you pumped on the bag and it give you directions on storage on the box. good luck and remember that when you do have a baby your doctor will answer any questions you ask them and they always know whats right for you and you may want to talk to a pediatrician before giving birth to one pick one out and two to get some in site on what to do when and what to expect!!!