What are the LLLI guidelines for storing my pumped milk?

Your milk is a living substance so precious some call it "white blood". It is essential to store your expressed (pumped) milk properly to maximize its nutritional and anti-infective qualities. Human milk actually has anti-bacterial properties that help it to stay fresh. Giving your baby the freshest milk you have pumped ensures its high quality.

This information is based on current research and applies to mothers who:

have healthy, full-term babies;
are storing their milk for home use (as opposed to hospital use);
wash their hands before expressing;
use containers that have been washed in hot, soapy water and rinsed.
All milk should be dated before storing.

Storage Guidelines

Storing milk in 2-4 ounce amounts may reduce waste. Refrigerated milk has more anti-infective properties than frozen milk. Cool milk in refrigerator before adding to frozen milk.

Human milk can be stored

at room temperature (66-72°F, 19-22°C) for up to 10 hours
in a refrigerator (32-39°F, 0-4°C) for up to 8 days
in a freezer compartment inside a refrigerator (variable temperature due to the door opening frequently) for up to 2 weeks
in a freezer compartment with a separate door (variable temperature due to the door opening frequently) for up to 3 to 4 months.
in a separate deep freeze (0°F, -19°C) for up to 6 months or longer.

What Type of Container to Use

Refrigerated or frozen milk may be stored in:

hard-sided plastic or glass containers with well-fitting tops
freezer milk bags that are designed for storing human milk

Disposable bottle liners are not recommended.

How to Warm the Milk

Thaw and/or heat under warm, running water.

Do not bring temperature of milk to boiling point.

Gently swirl milk before testing the temperature. Swirling will also redistribute the cream into the milk. (It is normal for stored milk to separate into a cream and milk layer.)

Do not use a microwave oven to heat human milk.

Thawed Milk

If milk has been frozen and thawed, it can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours for later use. It should not be refrozen. It is not known whether milk that is left in the bottle after a feeding can be safely kept until the next feeding or if it should be discarded.

According to THE BREASTFEEDING ANSWER BOOK, page 228, research indicates that human milk has previously unrecognized properties that protect it from bacterial contamination. One study, Barger and Bull 1987, found that there was no statistically significant difference between the bacterial levels of milk stored for 10 hours at room temperature and milk that had been refrigerated for 10 hours. Another study, Pardou 1994, found that after 8 days of refrigeration some of the milk actually had lower bacterial levels than it did on the day it was expressed.

Expressed milk can be kept in a common refrigerator at the workplace or in a day care center. The US Centers for Disease Control and the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration agree that human milk is not among the body fluids that require special handling or storage in a separate container.

Resources

Attend a La Leche League Group meeting in your area for additional information and support. To find a Leader of a local Group, visit Finding a Local LLL Group.

the LLLI NEW BEGINNINGS article "Common Concerns when Storing Human Milk", by Cindy Scott Duke. Additional information on pumping and milk storage can be found on our milk storage and pumping resource pages.

These items may be available from the LLLI Online Store or from your local Leader:

THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, published by La Leche League International, is the most complete resource available for the breastfeeding mother.

Nursing Mother, Working Mother, by Gale Pryor: Mothers who have decided to combine breastfeeding with working will find this an immensely helpful and reassuring book. The author includes practical information about planning for and returning to employment, clear concise tips on breastfeeding, pumping, storing, and transporting milk, and possible alternatives to full time employment such as job sharing, working from home, and budgeting to stay home full time. The book suggests numerous ways that mothers can build and maintain closeness with their babies in spite of separation.

Storing Human Milk: Describes the procedures taken when storing human milk. (Pad of 50 tear-off sheets)

Expressing Your Milk: Includes two pamphlets helpful to mothers who need to pump or express their milk: "The Balancing Act" and "A Mother's Guide to Pumping Milk." Also contains two tear-off sheets: "Manual Expression of Breast Milk -- Marmet Technique" and "Working and Breastfeeding."

Our FAQs present information from La Leche League International on topics of interest to parents of breastfed children. Not all of the information may be pertinent to your family's lifestyle. This information is general in nature and not intended to be advice, medical or otherwise. If you have a serious breastfeeding problem or concern, you are strongly encouraged to talk directly to a La Leche League Leader. Please consult health care professionals on any medical issue, as La Leche League Leaders are not medical practitioners.

Last updated Friday, July 21, 2006 10:49 AM by sjs.

Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:29:18 UTC 2007.