How long can warmed breast milk be stored. Shelf life of breast milk in the refrigerator and at room temperature. Features of storage in the refrigerator

Every mother knows that breast milk most healthy diet for a baby, but not everyone knows how to store expressed breast milk so that it does not lose its properties.

Sometimes situations arise when a child involuntarily has to be given not a breast, but a bottle with pre-prepared breast milk. Here are just a few of them:

• The need to urgently leave the baby for a sufficiently long time. This situation may arise due to an urgent exit to work, a long trip, a business trip.
• Due to breast problems. Painful cracks may appear on the mammary glands, the child may bite through the chest. With such troubles, breastfeeding becomes problematic. Possible reason- Incorrect attachment of the baby to the breast.
• For the health of the child. A premature infant, or child, due to physiological reasons, unable to suckle at the breast. Feeding such a child with expressed milk can be both a temporary measure and the only way out.

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What to do in the situation?

If for any reason it is necessary to feed your baby with expressed milk, you need to know in advance all about how to store breast milk after pumping. The right diet is very important for the baby, and more important than ever when feeding a newborn baby. So, you need to express a sufficient amount of milk in advance.

This is where the question arises: how long can breast milk be stored after pumping?

There are a number of conditions under which milk is stored for different amounts of time. This is the storage of expressed milk indoors, in the refrigerator or frozen.

If you know exactly all the storage periods, you can prepare a sufficient supply of food for the crumbs and be calm, even if circumstances force you to leave the child for a while.

What scientists say, expert opinion

Studies on how long breast milk can be stored at room temperature or deep-frozen without losing its useful properties have been carried out by scientists from different countries for a long time. Summarizing numerous data, we can formulate the following conclusions:

1. The storage of breast milk indoors depends on the air temperature. Investigating the development of pathogenic bacteria in the external environment, experts gave an unequivocal answer: at a low room temperature, about 16-17 degrees Celsius, milk is completely usable for a whole day. An increase in temperature to 19-22 degrees leads to a reduction in the shelf life of milk by about half, and heat above 25 degrees reduces storage to only 5 hours, after which milk should not be given to the baby.
2. To the question of how long breast milk is stored in the refrigerator, the answer of scientists is unequivocal: subject to all the rules for the safety of the product, milk is edible for a whole week.
3. Well, freezing. Studies on the topic "is it possible to freeze breast milk", while preserving its properties, gave a positive result. Proper storage implies the safety of the product for about six months. Often, a frozen product is a real salvation for a nursing mother if illness or other circumstances have led to the fact that milk is gone, or an insufficient amount is produced. Do not give up, because you can always use proven methods to increase lactation.

Important: Expressed breast milk can be stored indoors, in a refrigerator or in a deep freeze, without losing the benefit for the baby, only if all storage rules are observed.

What else do you need to know about leaving milk at room temperature?

How much breast milk can be stored without a refrigerator was mentioned above, now it’s worth talking about containers for its safety.

Nowadays, the modern baby industry offers a huge range of breast milk storage containers made of plastic or glass. It does not matter what the dishes are made of, the main thing is that the container can be cooled and heated, without compromising the composition of the product. The main requirements that storage tanks must meet are:

• container sterility;
• tight-fitting lid;
• the presence of a measuring scale on the container.

In this package, expressed milk will not be exposed to harmful bacteria and will be suitable for feeding for a long time. For convenience, it is recommended to sign on the vessel the time when milk was placed in it, so it will be easier to monitor its suitability, given the temperature in the room.

Rules for storage in the refrigerator

There are several basic principles on how to store breast milk in the refrigerator, following them you can be calm for the baby's well-being.

1. The container for milk must be sterile, suitable for cooling, it is necessary to indicate the time of pumping on it. So, the shelf life of the product will be maximum.
2. Containers should not be placed in the refrigerator doors, it is better to remove them as far as possible deep into the unit, where fluctuations temperature regime less noticeable.
3. Having taken out the milk for feeding, it is worth shaking the container properly so that the stratified product mixes again.

It is also worth knowing about how to heat breast milk from the refrigerator. There are several ways to do this:

• water bath: place the extracted milk in a saucepan with cool water, put on fire and heat for a while, shaking the container until the contents reach the desired temperature;
• warming up hot water: keep the container under running water and, shaking, warm it up to body temperature, you can check this by dripping milk on your wrist;
• special heating device.

Important: breast milk must not be heated by pouring into a saucepan, or into microwave oven. open fire or the radiation of the oven can destroy useful material in the product and cause it to overheat.

How to freeze expressed milk?

When freezing milk, a number of instructions should also be followed for its best preservation.

The most important thing in this process is the choice of a container for freezing. A container or a jar is not the most convenient option, it is much more reasonable to purchase bags for storing breast milk in a pharmacy, such packaging is very convenient to use. What are its advantages?

Breast milk freezer bags are sterile, the product placed in them will be safe for the baby after defrosting and do not take up much space in the freezer, which means they can be placed there in large quantities.

Do not forget to sign each package before freezing, indicating the date of collection of milk, for full control over the expiration date. Having decided what to freeze breast milk in, you should also think about how to do it correctly:

• Breast milk expressed in a special bag should be cooled before freezing.
• Portions in packages should not be large, they should be dosed so that the entire product is consumed at a time after defrosting.
• Prepared bags should be stored in a separate section of the freezer, opening it only as needed, so milk can be stored there for about six months. If the packages are kept in a common compartment, the shelf life is drastically reduced, depending on how often the freezer needs to be opened.

Important: never refreeze breast milk! Secondary freezing leads to loss of nutritional and beneficial properties of the product.

Having learned how to freeze breast milk, you should remember how to prepare the product for consumption. You should not immediately warm up the bag taken out of the freezer, you need to gradually defrost it in the refrigerator and only then heat the milk.

By following these rules, you can always have a supply of breast milk, which will be used when you need it.

The most valuable and useful for your crumbs, of course, is breast milk. And no alternative food can match the benefits breastfeeding. Almost every mother knows about its benefits, but how to store expressed breast milk correctly in different conditions not everyone knows. During lactation, a young mother may experience different problems and situations, for example:

• the need to go to work;
• the child has bitten through the chest;
• the baby suddenly refuses to breastfeed;
• need to leave urgently;
• any other life circumstances when a child has to be left at home with a nanny, grandmother, with loved ones.

Proper storage of breast milk

And during these periods, in order to solve problems as accurately as possible, mothers try to express and leave milk so as not to disturb the child’s diet (How to express milk with your hands). And a natural question arises, in what way to store breast milk and how long can it be stored without losing its beneficial properties?

Important! There is no need to sterilize expressed breast milk! Do not use milk after the expiration date!

Containers for storing expressed breast milk

There are several types of storage containers: glass, plastic and plastic. It can be packages and various containers, cups, bottles.

Video instruction on how to use milk storage bags

The main criteria they must meet are:

• sterility;
• closing density;
• ease of use;
• it is desirable to have a measuring scale.

Before purchasing a container, you should decide for what purpose it will be intended.

If for freezing, it is better to buy special disposable plastic bags. Their advantage is that they are airtight and easy to seal, sterile, made of very dense polyethylene and ready to use. Also, they already have a measured scale and there is a place for inscription of the date and time. Such packages are sold in any pharmacy.

bag for storing expressed breast milk

Some mothers use disposable plastic bottle liners for freezing, but this is not reliable. They are not suitable for storage and when frozen, the seams may burst. When defrosting, all contents will simply flow out. But if you are forced to still use them, then for reliability, pour milk into a double bag. And don't keep it too long.

Containers for storing expressed breast milk

The most popular among solid containers is glass, in second place - plastic, and in third - plastic. But scientists have proven that milk can be stored both in plastic and in glass without compromising quality.

For convenience, choose a container that will only contain enough dose for one feeding. Be sure to indicate the date and time of pumping on the container.

How to store breast milk while walking

Thermos bag for bottles

Young mothers may face another problem - how to store expressed milk during a walk. For these purposes, there are several options for thermal bags on the market, as well as special thermoses for bottles. This is quite convenient, especially if you are on vacation for a long time and at the same time you can stock up on several servings of food.

Where to store breast milk

In the intervals between feedings and pumping, you need to adhere to certain conditions for the proper storage of breast milk.

1. If you plan to store milk for a long time, then The best way- it's freezing. Freeze only freshly expressed milk, but before freezing it must be left in the refrigerator for a period of 1.5 to 2 hours. And don't forget to write the date and time. A frozen product, of course, loses a number of its useful properties, but it is definitely better than artificial mixtures.
2. If the expressed portion of milk will be used within a few days, then it is better to store it in the refrigerator. Chilled milk will retain almost all useful substances. The main rule is not to store on the door.
3. If fresh milk will be drunk during the day, then it is better to store it in a room in a sterile container and tightly closed.

Rules for defrosting and heating milk

To defrost a portion of milk, first place it in the refrigerator so that there is no sharp temperature drop. Then pour the portion into a feeding bottle and heat it in a water bath. For the convenience of heating milk, you can purchase a bottle warmer.

Never heat nursing milk in the microwave, heat it in saucepans, or boil it - it will lose all its beneficial properties.

Never refreeze thawed breast milk again. In this case, too, all properties are lost.

How long to store breast milk

When leaving stocks of breast milk, you need to know where, how long and at what temperature it can be stored.

In a refrigerator:

In the refrigerator, expressed milk can be stored for up to 24 hours at a temperature of +4 + 6 degrees. At the same time, you need to place it as deep as possible. Fresh milk must be cooled before being placed in the refrigerator.

In the freezer:

In the freezer, expressed milk at a temperature of -13 to -18 degrees is stored for a month or even up to three months, and at a temperature of -18 to -20 degrees for no more than a year. Cool the milk in the refrigerator before freezing.

At room temperature:

At room temperature (from +19 to +22 degrees), a fresh product can be stored for no more than 10 hours. At a temperature not higher than + 25 °, milk can be stored for no more than 6 hours (4-6 hours). More than 25 ° - up to 3 hours. Scientists have studied that the substances that make up breast milk can counteract the multiplication of various microbes, so milk does not spoil.

Shelf life of breast milk (illustrative table)

Storing expressed breast milk is a great solution to many of your baby's feeding problems. Even if you are forced to be away for a period of time, your baby will not stop receiving your love, protection and everything. useful vitamins. The most important thing, of course, is to know the rules and conditions for storing this indispensable food for your crumbs.

On the topic of pumping:

• How to express milk with a breast pump?
• How to express with your hands?
• What you need to know about pumping

Breast milk is the most beneficial for a newborn. Before breastfeeding, any alternative artificial nutrition fades, and this is no secret. Almost all mothers have heard about this, but not everyone knows whether it is possible to store breast milk in the refrigerator and how to save the milk expressed from the breast. The answer to the question "is it possible" - of course yes! But how to do it right, let's talk in more detail.

• How to store breast milk in the refrigerator?
  • Refrigerator or freezer?
  • Storage tanks
• Shelf life of breast milk

When is breast milk storage required?

During lactation, different circumstances may necessitate the need to look for ways to preserve mother's milk:

• going to work;
• refusal of the baby to breastfeed;
• biting the breast of an infant;
• any circumstances in which the mother must temporarily leave the child, leaving him to the grandmother, nanny or relatives.

At such moments, in order to get out of the situation, mothers often express milk and leave it so that the children's diet is not disturbed. In these cases, the question arises of how long breast milk can be stored in the refrigerator so that it does not lose its beneficial qualities.

Conditions for expressing breast milk

In order for breast milk to be successfully stored in the refrigerator, it is necessary to express it correctly: using a breast pump or manually. Absolute purity is required here. Boil the milk collection vessel and pump and wash your hands thoroughly, especially if pumping will be done by hand.

Expressed milk, which does not have impurities, cannot be sterilized so that it does not lose most of the substances useful for the baby. And if it has exceeded its shelf life, then it is better not to use such milk.

How to store breast milk in the refrigerator?

Refrigerator or freezer?

If there are intervals between expressing milk and feeding, then it will be time to think about how to store breast milk in the refrigerator:

• If milk needs to be stored for a long time, freezing is the only option. Freshly expressed milk should be allowed to stand in the refrigerator for 1.5-2 hours, and only then it can be frozen. On the container you need to make a mark on the date of freezing. Naturally, frozen milk will lose some of its useful qualities, but it will still remain more useful than artificial mixtures.
• If expressed milk is to be used in a few days, then it is better to place it in a conventional refrigerator, where almost all useful components will be preserved in it.

Do not store expressed milk on the refrigerator door.

• How long can breast milk be stored without refrigeration? If it is fed on the same day, then you can do without a refrigerator, but you will need a tightly closed sterile container.

Storage tanks

These vessels can be made of either glass or plastic, and can be shaped like cups, containers, or bottles. They have certain requirements:

• tightness;
• sterility;
• the presence of a measuring scale;
• ease of use.

When buying such a container, the mother should imagine the future conditions for storing milk. If it will be frozen, then disposable plastic bags will be the most convenient. They are sterile, easy and hermetically closed, made of high density polyethylene and completely ready for use. The packages have a measuring scale and a place for notes. You can buy these packs at any pharmacy.

Sometimes mothers take disposable polyethylene liners into bottles for freezing, but they are less reliable, not suitable for storage, since their seams can burst during the freezing process, and after defrosting, the contents of the package will leak out. If you have to use such packages, then it is better to duplicate them, putting one package into another, and not store milk in them for a long time.

Traditionally, glass containers are more popular, which are ahead of plastic ones in this sense. However, science claims that both materials can preserve it without compromising the quality of milk. Most mothers (who know that the answer to the question of whether it is possible to store breast milk without a refrigerator is yes, of course, but not for long!), Try to keep it in a glass container.

It is most convenient to use containers that contain the dose required for one feeding.

You can’t put the half-eaten portion back into the refrigerator, it’s a pity to pour it out.

You should also not combine half-eaten leftovers with chilled milk from the refrigerator, since the shelf life of the resulting mixture will be indefinite.

Video on how and how much you can store breast milk in the refrigerator or without it:

Shelf life of breast milk

There are two answers to the question of how long breast milk can be stored in the refrigerator, depending on the specific storage conditions.

In the refrigerator breast milk can last up to 8 days.

In this case, it must be removed closer to the back wall. It is advisable to cool the milk before placing it in the refrigerator.

You can store expressed milk and in the freezer from six months to a year, depending on the temperature maintained in it.

Milk should be chilled in the refrigerator before freezing.

Much shorter time to store expressed milk without refrigerator. If this is room temperature (19-22 degrees), then mother's milk will not last more than 10 hours. In the heat (up to 26 degrees), he is given only 6 hours.

In fact, this is quite a long time due to the fact that milk contains natural antiseptics that inhibit the development of microorganisms.

If milk is stored in the refrigerator not occasionally, but regularly, then numerous jars must be signed so as not to confuse the expiration date of any of them. Even if mommy knows how long you can store expressed milk in the refrigerator, but forgets when she put it there, then there will be no benefit from such a product.

If breast milk has been thawed, then it cannot be refrozen, as it will lose the rest of its useful qualities.

How to understand the quality of breast milk from the refrigerator?

Breast milk may separate when removed from the refrigerator, which is completely normal and does not mean that it has gone bad. The fat fraction floats to the top, and the water remains from below. It is enough just to shake the container with milk a little, and it is homogenized again. Women's milk can vary in color: from creamy white to cream, in addition, the difference is present in the composition, density and fat content.

Even the same woman's milk expressed at different times of the day can have different characteristics.

Breast milk usually has a sweet smell. But if the mother, shortly before the pumping procedure, tasted garlic, onions, hot spices, herring and other spicy foods, then this will negatively affect the aroma of milk, although at the same time it nutritional properties will not change - however, it will be difficult to explain to a child. If you store milk in a refrigerator that has an automatic defrost function, it can acquire a strange soapy aroma. It should no longer be given to a child.

How do you warm up milk after storage in the refrigerator?

So that everything reaches the baby nutrients preserved after storage in the refrigerator, it should still be properly heated. There are two options:

• tightly closed container, substitute under the stream hot water and continue heating until the optimum temperature is reached;
• after pouring milk from a sealed container into a feeding bottle, put the latter in a container of hot water.

To determine the correct temperature of milk, you can simply drop it on the back of your wrist - if a drop is not felt, then the temperature is right.

Before offering milk to a child, mother should taste it herself - if it has become rancid or sour, then it will have to be thrown away.

Video on how to store expressed breast milk and what to do with it after storage:

Thawing breast milk

You also need to know how to thaw frozen milk. It should be removed from the freezer ahead of time and transferred to the top shelf of the refrigerator.

At 8 degrees, a container with 120 ml of frozen milk will defrost in about a day.

This time must be taken into account when counting on feeding. Thawed milk can already be heated and fed to the baby. It can be further stored in the refrigerator.

A defrosted and unused product can be stored near the back wall of the refrigerator for a day, but it cannot be re-frozen.

The importance of proper defrosting of milk stems from the desire to maximize the preservation of useful substances in it. The very low storage temperature allows the expressed milk to retain a maximum of these substances.

Storing breast milk while walking

Another one possible problem for young nursing mothers - how to store expressed milk while walking. Manufacturers have developed several types of thermal bags and thermoses designed specifically for bottles. With such equipment, it is very convenient to be on the street for a long time, having stocked up with several bottles of milk at once.

Do you store breast milk in the refrigerator? What are you doing and for how long? Share your experience or the experience of your friends - help other mothers with advice!

The Importance of Expressing and Preserving Yourself useful product for a newborn child, sooner or later almost every nursing woman realizes.

After all, sometimes you have to leave a crumb for dad or grandmother to go out for a few hours to study, workplace, or pause breastfeeding due to illness and medication. But it is one thing to be aware of the need, and another thing to know how to store expressed breast milk, how long, in what container and at what temperature.

Where can milk be stored?

Milk must first be expressed before it can be stored. This procedure is carried out either by hand or with the help of a special device - a breast pump. After decanting, the container with the product must be tightly closed and sent for storage.

Where can expressed milk be placed? The choice will depend on an important factor - how long you plan to store this product. There are only three main options:

1. If you need to preserve healthy nutrition indefinitely, freezing is ideal. Before being placed in the freezer, the newly expressed product is placed in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, and only then left in the freezer. Of course, in such a diet there are fewer important ingredients, but it is still more useful than dry mixes.
2. If mother's milk will be given to the child after a few days, you can leave it in the refrigerator. In the chilled form, milk nutrition remains more useful than placed in the freezer. An important condition is not to put the container on the door.
3. Do you plan to use the product during the day? Refrain from excessive refrigeration or freezing, you can keep the milk in an airtight container at room temperature. In a couple of hours, the expressed milk will remain fresh.

Manufacturers of products for young parents have also taken care of this issue by offering special bags or thermoses to nursing mothers. Milk in these cases is stored in a regular bottle.

Store at room temperature

Studying the storage of expressed breast milk indoors, scientists have found that within 10 hours the product can be stored without losing its beneficial qualities and without acquiring pathogenic microorganisms.

However, the duration of storage of milk nutrition indoors largely depends on the local microclimate. At room temperature:

• at 15 ° C, breast milk after the straining procedure can be stored for a whole day;
• at 22 °C, the expressed product can be left indoors for 10 hours;
• at 25 °C, the shelf life is significantly reduced to four to six hours.

How long mother's milk can be stored after straining, we have determined, now we need to understand what conditions the storage container should meet. Firstly, the dishes are sterile, secondly, the lid fits snugly on the neck, and thirdly, there is a measuring scale on the package.

In such a container, breast milk is not exposed to pathogenic microbes and will remain suitable for feeding for a certain amount of time.

It is also necessary to sign the exact time of pumping on the bottle.

Place in the refrigerator

If a nursing woman, for example, is forced to leave for a longer period, you can leave breast milk in the refrigerator.

The rules for storing mother's milk in the refrigerator after pumping are as follows:

1. Be sure to sign the container, as in the case of leaving it in the room, so that you remember exactly what time the milk was expressed.
2. Only sterilized containers should be used. How long the milk can be stored in this cool place will depend on the degree of processing of the dish. If the container is not quite properly prepared, the food will simply turn sour.
3. Jars with the product should be placed closer to the back wall refrigeration unit and away from the doors (in this area the temperature fluctuates constantly).

When stored in a refrigerator, breast milk changes texture and taste. The product can also delaminate, while a greasy film forms on the surface, and “water” remains below. Such stratification does not mean a poor quality of food; to return a homogeneous state, it is enough just to shake the container.

Sometimes, in a unit with a self-defrosting function, milk acquires an unpleasant soapy taste and smell. It is better to refuse such nutrition and choose another way to store expressed milk.

Leave in the freezer

After pumping, some women put the milk in the freezer. It's absolutely right move, especially if it is necessary to maintain natural feeding during a long separation from the child or long-term treatment with serious drugs.

Freezing mother's milk is a simple procedure, which, however, requires the following important rules:

1. Use special bags for storing breast milk. This is a disposable and sterile package, which is why pre-preparation of the container is not needed. The bags do not take up much space, so a fairly impressive amount is placed in the freezer.
2. Another convenience is that there is a special “tablet” on the packages, in which you should enter the day of straining and freezing healthy milk. This precaution will help you determine whether the product is appropriate for a child.
3. Avoid containers made of glass. Such containers may burst when frozen or removed from the freezer.
4. Do not freeze milk in large containers. On average, an infant in the first six months of life needs about 120 grams of nutrition for a single meal. If you prepare the product in large portions, the milk remaining after feeding will have to be thrown away.

The experts have installed exact dates during which you can leave the expressed product in the freezer. Max Time storage - 6 months.

However, such a duration is possible only if an important condition is observed - the containers are folded into an individual freezer compartment.

If the container with milk is placed in the general department, the storage time is significantly reduced. The milk supply will need to be spent in fourteen days.

How to choose the right container?

The choice of dishes for the preservation of natural milk nutrition is an extremely responsible process. Before buying containers, it is necessary to determine for what purpose they will be used.

• If you often express milk, then you should prefer high-quality dishes that are designed to freeze or cool women's milk. If pumping happens quite rarely, the material of manufacture does not play a role - the container can be taken glass, plastic or polycarbonate.
• If the cooled milk is then heated in a container, you need to take glassware. The components of such a container are not released into the contents, but polycarbonate may contain bisphenol - a rather toxic element. Plastic bags are not at all suitable for heating, their seams burst.
• If the nutrient liquid is very greasy, grease can remain on the walls of the glassware, so the final product becomes less useful. In this case, it is worth buying plastic containers containing no harmful ingredients.

Another important nuance- Rational use of dishes. With a short absence of 2-3 hours, an ordinary glass cup is suitable, into which you can strain milk for one serving. If you are away for a long time, you should stock up on special bags for the freezer.

How to use correctly?

Regardless of the storage technique, experts distinguish only two ways to heat the expressed product:

1. under a hot faucet. The container must be placed under running hot water and shake the contents of the container regularly.
2. On a water bath. We put the bottle in heated water and shake it constantly to achieve the most uniform heating.

The optimum temperature for defrosted milk is 36.6°C (bodily). To determine it, you need to drop a few drops of milk nutrition on the skin of the wrist. If you do not feel anything, the temperature regime is observed.

Avoid heating expressed milk in a saucepan or microwave.

There is a high probability of overheating, which means that the product will lose important qualities. In addition, the microwave creates areas with different temperature conditions, and this is already fraught with a burn of the oral cavity.

How to defrost properly?

When storing food in the freezer, you need to have an idea how it is defrosted. stick important rule- Frozen milk is first placed in the refrigerator to avoid sudden temperature changes.

A compact container of about 120 milliliters is defrosted on the top shelf of the refrigerator per day. That's why you need to set the milk out of the freezer in advance to avoid a pause when feeding the baby.

The thawed product must be heated and given to the baby or left on the refrigerator shelf for the next feeding (if the food is not needed). Re-freezing is excluded, therefore, when heating, but not using milk, it can be left for a day at the back wall of the refrigerator.

With the observance of the defrosting technique, most of the nutrients and calorie content in milk are preserved, despite significant temperature changes.

Signs of spoiled milk

Every time she takes food out of the freezer or refrigerator, mom worries if it has gone bad. The product can disappear not only indoors, but even in the freezer, if the electricity suddenly turns off and the unit defrosts.

To prevent errors, you need to know the "symptoms" of spoiled breast milk.

The most important symptom is a sour and soapy smell. If that doesn't convince you, try the liquid. A slight bitterness confirms the initial suspicion - yes, the product has deteriorated, it is impossible to offer it to the baby.

Another common question is what to do with spoiled expressed milk? The answer is obvious: just pour it down the kitchen sink.

Storing breast milk is an excellent method of resolving the many difficulties that are associated with a disturbed natural feeding regimen for an infant.

However, you first need to find out how much to store the expressed product, how to cool and freeze it. Most importantly, remember that even chilled and reconstituted milk is still better than any mixes!

Long-term breastfeeding is a guarantee that your child will have strong immunity. However, it often happens that the mother cannot be with the baby all the time. Many are forced to go to work, someone goes to the hospital or leaves the house for several hours on business. What to do in order not to deprive the baby of precious mother's milk? There is a way out - this is its decantation and storage. After reading the article, you will learn how much you can store expressed and how to do it right.

Why express?

You don't have to stop breastfeeding when you're separated from your baby! Today your baby can get healthy mother's milk even in your absence. To help caring mothers - modern breast pumps and containers for freezing milk. A bottle of milk can be given by a grandmother or a nanny when you are not at home, or a caring husband while you sleep.

The second reason for pumping is the establishment of lactation. Milk in the breast is produced according to the principle of "supply - demand": pumping increases the stimulation of the mammary glands, which means that more milk will come.

The third reason is the persistence of breastfeeding. If you have been prescribed medications that are incompatible with breastfeeding, your baby will have to be formula fed. To maintain lactation, pump at your baby's usual feeding times. Milk in this case is poured out.

The fourth is the decantation of lactostasis, that is, most nursing mothers face this problem at least once - a lot of milk comes in, and a painful seal forms in the chest. In this case, they are expressed with their hands, gently massaging the chest.

Storing and freezing breast milk

Containers for storing mother's milk are usually plastic and glass bottles with caps. Modern breast pumps are often sold complete with milk storage containers. Freezer containers are also available. Fill them three-quarters full with liquid, because the milk will expand when frozen. And it will be better and more practical to store such a portion, which is enough for the baby for one feeding.

Do not forget to write the date of pumping on the freezer container, use the "oldest" milk.

How long can expressed breast milk be stored?

Mother's milk looks completely different from cow's milk, which is familiar to our eyes. A thick layer of fat will float on the surface, and the liquid itself may take on a blue tint. Do not shake the container, just stir gently. Milk should not have a smell, especially sour. The only exception is that thawed milk sometimes smells like soap: these are the fats that have reacted.

There are different opinions of experts on how long expressed breast milk can be stored. Let's consider them.

So, milk has left the limits of the female body. Experts say that when it can be stored up to 8 hours. However, if the house is very warm, it's not worth the risk - it's better to put it in the refrigerator, and not in the door! Such chilled milk must be used within 5 days. Haven't used it - throw it away!

How long can expressed breast milk be stored in the freezer? At -15 C - no more than two weeks, at -18 C - from three to six months. In a powerful freezer at minus 20 degrees, milk can lie for a year, but at the end of the shelf life, its quality will decrease. Thawed milk is not recommended to be stored in the refrigerator for more than 4 hours. Therefore, if you need to transport it, keep it refrigerated or do not completely defrost. Re-freezing milk is not recommended.

With how much you can store expressed milk, we figured it out. But how to defrost it? Take a container and put it under running hot water. You can also do this with a water bath. Do not use the microwave - all vitamins will be destroyed.

Hello dear readers! For a newborn baby, breast milk is the most valuable source of nutrition, and no formula can replace it. But there are situations when mom has to leave home for a while. And then the question arises, how much breast milk is stored, and whether it is possible to prepare for the future. Let's help young women in labor and understand this problem.

One of the best options for mommy babies - express the liquid and leave it in a sterile, tightly closed container in a cool place. The material of the bottle does not matter. It can be made of plastic, plastic or glass.

The main condition is that foreign odors and substances should not get into the dishes. Pharmacies today sell special disposable bags that are tightly sealed and do not take up much space.

Before pumping, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. If you are using a breast pump, thoroughly rinse the parts that come into contact with the liquid. Wash off all creams or ointments from cracked breasts and nipples. Like bacteria, they shorten the shelf life.

If you are sure that foreign elements could get into the dishes, spend a short pasteurization for half an hour at 60 degrees, and after cooling, put in a cool place.

How long expressed milk is stored in the refrigerator, the well-known pediatrician, Dr. E. Komarovsky, explains in his books and programs. The shelf life directly depends on the condition of the room where the workpiece is located. The standard temperature in the refrigerator is from 0 to 5 degrees.

With it, you can save no more than a week (more precisely - 8 days), while using raw materials preferably before the specified period. Some pediatricians consider this generally accepted figure to be overestimated, since in reality at 4 degrees the food does not deteriorate for 2 days, and then the beneficial properties are lost. Notice how long it stays in the cold cow's milk? No more than 3 days!

The main rule is not to store on the door. By opening and closing it, you create a temperature difference for the workpiece, which speeds up the souring process.

By the way, if you look into the container after a few days, you will see that the workpiece has somewhat changed in appearance and consistency. Many women think that the raw material has deteriorated, so they immediately pour it out.

The fact is that under the influence of low temperatures, the fatty layer is at the top, and the more watery one is at the bottom. Hence the unusual appearance and the feeling that there was souring.

If you use thawed raw materials, it is undesirable to store it in the refrigerator for more than a day. We decided to defrost - use it. After the refrigerator, before feeding the baby, the liquid needs to be slightly warmed up. Do not leave it at room temperature for a long time. Let's look at how long a workpiece can spend without a refrigerator.

How long does breast milk keep at room temperature?

Again, a big role in how long the expressed GM is stored is played by external condition. As a rule, the term "room" means 20-22 degrees. In such conditions, it is undesirable to leave more than 10 hours.

If the liquid is without a refrigerator at 26 degrees, the storage time is reduced to 5-6 hours. It is easy to understand how many hours food for the crumbs will be stored if the room is a little cooler. But still: you can’t leave more than a day.

If you take bottled food with you on a walk, try to use it right away. It is highly undesirable, having come home, to leave for more than 3-4 hours. The temperature difference between the street and the room adversely affects the quality.

In general, room temperature is not the best choice for storage. Keep your baby warm after pumping only if you are sure you will need it within 1-2 hours. Otherwise, it is better to cool it so that the liquid does not lose its nutritional value.

Quite different rules apply for colostrum - the very first milk that a woman has on the first day after childbirth. It can stand at 32 degrees for 12 hours without losing its properties and without turning sour.

Storing breast milk in the freezer

You can stock up for a week or a month in advance if you are leaving for a long time, and leave the child with a grandmother or a nanny. To do this, you will need clean dishes for freezing and a freezer. Sealed bags are ideal for storage, on which you should write the date and time when the workpiece was decanted.

Freezing rules are simple:

1. Drain the liquid into a sterile container.
2. Pour it into a bag, close tightly.
3. Write when the food was prepared.
4. Leave in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to cool (do not put directly in the freezer!).
5. Place the bags in the freezer.

How many days frozen raw materials are stored depends on the quality of the freezer:

• In the common freezer, where other products are stored, up to 14 days.
• In a separate freezer, where there are no other food products, up to six months.
• In the chamber below -20 degrees - up to a year.

In no case do not neglect the rules of storage. They will provide quality nutrition for your baby. Frozen, it loses some of its beneficial properties, but it is still better than infant formula, to which the baby is unaccustomed.

If you need to defrost, just put the workpiece in a clean dish and heat to a warm state over low heat. Reheat the entire portion at once, without leaving it at room temperature. When food is ready, use immediately. You can not re-freeze, as well as store it for a long time after defrosting!

So, dear readers, we have discussed with you how to properly collect and store breast milk at room temperature or in the refrigerator. If you liked the article, recommend it to your friends in the social. networks. Looking forward to new discussions!

“Hello, Lyudmila!

Thanks for your feeding tips. The baby is already 3 months old and everything is fine with us. But soon I will need to leave the house for 4-5 hours for a couple of days and the child will have to leave the expressed milk. Tell me how to store expressed breast milk, and how long for it to be useful to the baby. I'm very worried.

Tatiana"

Thanks for the interesting question.

No matter how much we want to always be with the baby, sometimes situations arise when the child has to be given supplementary food, with pre-prepared breast milk.

Most often these are the following situations:

• The need to urgently leave the baby for a sufficiently long time. This situation may arise due to an urgent exit to work, a long trip, a business trip.
• Due to breast problems. Painful cracks may appear on the mammary glands, the child may bite through the chest. With such troubles, breastfeeding becomes problematic. A possible reason is improper attachment of the baby to the breast.
• For the health of the child. A premature infant, or child, due to physiological reasons, unable to suckle at the breast. Feeding such a baby with expressed milk may be a temporary measure.

What to do in the situation?

If for any reason you need to leave your baby for a long time, then you are doing the right thing by asking in advance how to store breast milk after pumping. A proper diet is very important for a baby, and more important than ever when feeding a newborn baby.

This is where the question arises: how long can breast milk be stored after pumping?

There are a number of conditions under which milk is stored for different amounts of time. This is the storage of expressed milk indoors, in the refrigerator or frozen.

How long can you store expressed milk?

There are tons of studies on how long breast milk can be stored at room temperature or deep-frozen without losing its beneficial properties.

In general, the situation looks like this:

1. The storage of breast milk indoors depends on the air temperature. At a room temperature of 23-25 ​​degrees Celsius, milk can be stored for 4 hours. At a lower air temperature, within 19-22 degrees, breast milk can be stored for 8 hours.
2. How long does breast milk keep in the refrigerator? at a temperature of 2-4 degrees, breast milk can be stored for 7 days.
3. Well, freezing. Studies on the topic "is it possible to freeze breast milk", while preserving its properties, gave a positive result. Proper storage means that the product will keep for approximately 6 months. Frozen milk is a real salvation for a nursing mother if illness or other circumstances have led to the fact that you can not breastfeed your baby for some time. If there is not enough milk produced, then this is not a reason to transfer it to the mixture. Watch the Breastfeeding Secrets course to increase your milk supply and switch to full breastfeeding >>>

Important: Expressed breast milk can be stored indoors, in a refrigerator or in a deep freeze, without losing the benefit for the baby, only if all storage rules are observed.

What else do you need to know about leaving milk at room temperature?

How much breast milk can be stored without a refrigerator was mentioned above, now it’s worth talking about containers for its safety.

Nowadays, the modern baby industry offers a huge range of breast milk storage containers made of plastic or glass. It does not matter what the dishes are made of, the main thing is that the container can be cooled and heated, without compromising the composition of the product. The main requirements that storage tanks must meet are:

• container sterility;
• tight-fitting lid;
• the presence of a measuring scale on the container.

In this package, expressed milk will not be exposed to harmful bacteria and will be suitable for feeding for a long time. For convenience, it is recommended to sign the time when milk was placed in it, so it will be easier to follow its suitability, given the temperature in the room.

Rules for storage in the refrigerator

There are several basic principles on how to store breast milk in the refrigerator, following them you can be calm for the baby's well-being.

1. The container for milk must be sterile, suitable for cooling, it is necessary to indicate the time of pumping on it. So, the shelf life of the product will be maximum.
2. Containers should not be placed in the refrigerator doors, it is better to remove them as far as possible deep into the unit, where temperature fluctuations are less noticeable.
3. Having taken out the milk for feeding, it is worth shaking the container properly so that the stratified product mixes again.

It is also worth knowing about how to heat breast milk from the refrigerator. There are several ways to do this:

• water bath: place the extracted milk in a saucepan with cool water, put on fire and heat for a while, shaking the container until the contents reach the desired temperature;
• warming up with hot water: keep the container under running water and, shaking, warm it up to body temperature, you can check this by dripping milk on your wrist;
• special heating device.

Important: breast milk should not be heated by pouring into a saucepan or in the microwave. Open fire or oven radiation can destroy the beneficial substances in the product and cause it to overheat.

How to freeze expressed milk?

When freezing milk, a number of instructions should also be followed for its best preservation.

The most important thing in this process is the choice of a container for freezing. A container or a jar is not the most convenient option, it is much more reasonable to purchase bags for storing breast milk in a pharmacy, such packaging is very convenient to use.

Breast milk freezer bags are sterile, the product placed in them will be safe for the baby after defrosting and do not take up much space in the freezer, which means they can be placed there in large quantities.

Do not forget to sign each package before freezing, indicating the date of collection of milk, for full control over the expiration date. Having decided what to freeze breast milk in, you should also think about how to do it correctly:

• Breast milk expressed in a special bag should be cooled before freezing.
• Portions in packages should not be large, they should be dosed so that the entire product is consumed at a time after defrosting.
• Prepared bags should be stored in a separate section of the freezer, opening it only as needed, so milk can be stored there for about six months. If the packages are kept in a common compartment, the shelf life is drastically reduced, depending on how often the freezer needs to be opened.

Important: never refreeze breast milk! Secondary freezing leads to loss of nutritional and beneficial properties of the product.

Having learned how to freeze breast milk, you should remember how to prepare the product for consumption. You should not immediately warm up the bag taken out of the freezer, you need to gradually defrost it in the refrigerator and only then heat the milk.

If you need to temporarily leave your child or are planning to go to work early, watch the webinar "How to Separate Your Child Properly?" to do everything right and not cause stress to the baby >>>

Time to interrupt. This is not at all a reason to switch to artificial ones, especially since the expressed secret of the mammary gland, extracted from the natural “capacity”, perfectly retains its useful qualities. You just need to know how to store breastfeeding after pumping, in a bottle or jar, at low or at room temperature, and how long it can be stored like that.

Rules for expressing milk

resort to pumping of mother's milk occurs in a number of cases, for example:

• mom needs to leave for a while;
• baby's weak lips do not allow full sucking;
• a situation arises in which it is impossible to physically breastfeed the baby for one reason or another (for example, during a long walk), and so on.

The pumping process itself is also useful for a nursing woman, because an extra secret of the mammary gland in the breast can cause it. Pumping helps to get rid of excess food production for the baby in the future.

There are 2 ways to express breast milk:

Manual(on their own) - the method is suitable for those who rarely express:

1. Disinfect a jar or bottle for.
2. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap.
3. Take the breast with thumb and forefinger at a distance of a few cm from the areola.
4. Pressing the chest to the chest, gently but intensely squeeze it without touching it (reaching only the areola!).
5. When a milk trickle appears, rhythmically repeat the same movements, trying to capture all the ducts as much as possible. The farther from the nipple, the more milk ducts can be massaged.

Mechanical(with the help of modern devices - breast pumps) - for this method you need to buy a special device that will do everything for you.

Breast pumps are manual and electric. The difference is that the electric suction does not require any effort from the mother at all, and in the manual one, you need to pump the breast yourself with a small pump.

Breast pumps make a loud noise. But the modernity of the devices completely imitates breast sucking, so there should not be any painful sensations.

The total pumping time is about an hour.

How long does breast milk last

One of the most important points, the question is how long breast milk is stored after pumping and what conditions must be provided for this. After all, it is very important for the baby to eat only fresh food.

Store at room temperature

AT room conditions, at an average temperature of +20 degrees, the secret of the mammary gland can be stored only up to ten hours, provided that it stands in a secluded place not under direct sunlight and far from domestic heat sources.

Important!With each degree, the shelf life decreases by an hour.

Place in the refrigerator

When placing breast milk after pumping in the refrigerator, you need to know: how much and how to store it during the day.

It can be stored in the refrigerator for more than a week after pumping (at temperatures from 0 to +5 degrees). Before putting the milk in the refrigerator, let the container cool thoroughly, because breast milk is usually the same temperature as the human body.
It is also advisable to place containers deep into the refrigerator (the coldest and most inaccessible place) to maintain a constant temperature regime.

Leave in the freezer

Many mothers are interested in how much breast milk is stored in the freezer, and in what way it is better to store it - in bags or in glass jars.

In the freezer, at low negative temperatures, baby food can be stored up to half a year. Regarding capacity - of great importance does not have what exactly to leave the milk to freeze. The main thing to remember is that before freezing, baby food must be cooled first at room temperature, and then in the refrigerator.

AT glass jar breast milk in the freezer is stored as much as in any other container. Therefore, mommy can choose any container convenient for herself.

Important!Banks, when liquids are frozen in them, often explode due to the physical "expansion" of the substance.

We take for a walk

If there is a need to take expressed breast milk while walking with a baby in the summer, then the first thing you need to know is how to store it properly in order to avoid damage to such a valuable product.

It is best to purchase special bags for milk for this, which can be found in any children's store. They are made in such a way that excess heat, and even more so the sun's rays, will not allow the product to deteriorate. However, do not forget that even such a bag will not make the secret of the mammary gland eternal, and it is advisable to drink it as soon as possible.

The dependence of the shelf life of the product on temperature

Having figured out how to store expressed milk for babies at home, we can draw a simple conclusion: the higher the temperature, the shorter the shelf life. For longer storage, it is better to use a refrigerator, and if the prepared food is eaten by the baby in a day, it is enough to leave it in a clean container at room temperature in a secluded place.

How to choose the right container

When choosing a container, you need to pay attention to certain points: convenience, tightness of the lid, marking scale. With each pumping, the container must be sterile and marked with the time and date.

Before storing your expressed milk until the next, choose a container that you prefer to store in. These can be jars (made of glass and plastic), bottles, special bags.

Many mothers use exclusively glass containers.

Important! Storage in glass and plastic is equally harmless to the health of the crumbs.

Rules for heating and defrosting expressed milk

If the mother decides to use a refrigerator or freezer to store expressed breast milk, you should know not only how to store the product, but also how to warm it up or defrost it, since it is highly recommended not to give cold or overheated food.

Milk can only be heated in a water bath directly in the bottle for. The frozen liquid must first be moved to the refrigerator until completely defrosted, and then heated in a water bath. You can store milk in the refrigerator after defrosting for another day.

In order to find out if the milk is warm enough, use the well-known method - drop it on your wrist.

How to use

Expressed milk is used through a special feeding bottle. In fact, it is no different from breastfeeding. The temperature of the milk should be approximately +36 degrees. It is necessary to feed 2-3 times a day.

What Not to Do

There is a set of specific rules that must be observed:

• in no case should you freeze the product twice, it is better to pour out the unfinished food and use mixtures;
• you can’t heat milk directly in a saucepan, it will lose all the properties necessary for it;
• Do not use microwave oven for defrosting.
• do not leave containers in a hot place;
• It is not recommended to leave an unlabeled product in the refrigerator.

Signs of spoiled milk

Even with seemingly correct storage of breast milk, both in the refrigerator and after defrosting, its shelf life may come to an end, so you need to know how to identify a spoiled product.

The first indicator of spoilage of the product is always the smell. If it smells sour or rotten, then the milk is definitely gone. If you still have doubts, try it. Bitterness in taste will indicate the spoilage of the product.

It must be remembered that without a refrigerator in a bottle, breast milk cannot be stored as much as in a cooling device, so you should not give the product to the baby without first checking for taste.

When there is difficulty with breastfeeding, milk can always be expressed. This procedure is very common and most mothers have resorted to it at least once. The main thing is to follow all the rules, then feeding will pass without problems for the child.