How long can breast milk be stored

It is also important to store excess breast milk in time, especially for breastfeeding women who are already working. They need to learn how to store breast milk. Generally, it is stored in the refrigerator. If it is between 0 and 4 degrees, it can generally be stored for eight days. If it is placed in a freezer box in the refrigerator, it can be stored for about two weeks. Of course, if it is placed in the freezer, it can be stored for 3 to 4 months.

How long can breast milk be stored?

The first step is to prepare in advance. Adjust breastfeeding time and accumulate breast milk.

Adjust the time: 1-2 weeks before the mother goes to work, start giving the baby a psychological "vaccination". Adjust and arrange the baby's breastfeeding time according to the mother's work and rest schedule after work to give the baby an adaptation process. If your workplace is close to home, you can feed your baby before going to work, go home to breastfeed once during lunch break, and breastfeed again after get off work. Together with a few feedings at night, you can basically meet your baby's needs. If you are far from home, you can express and store breast milk in advance, ask your family to feed your baby 1-2 times, and then breastfeed when you get home at night.

To accumulate breast milk, you can express some breast milk 1-2 weeks in advance and store it for later use. Put the expressed breast milk into a container and freeze or refrigerate it.

The second step is the actual operation. Utensils, milk storage, thawing

1. Prepare utensils

Prepare a breast pump and milk storage utensils - it is best to use plastic products that are suitable for freezing and have good sealing, such as breast milk storage bags, followed by glass products. It is best not to use metal products, as the active factors in breast milk will adhere to glass or metal and reduce the nutrients in the breast milk.

2. Breastfeeding

You can express and store breast milk the day before or before going to work, and label the date and time of expression on the outside of the container. This way you will know the shelf life of the breast milk to avoid uncleanness and expiration that may lead to bacterial growth and digestive tract diseases. No matter how busy a mother is, she must ensure that she expresses milk every 3 hours. This can effectively prevent breast engorgement and a decrease in milk secretion, allowing breastfeeding to continue better. The expressed milk can also be stored so that the baby does not have to worry about not having breast milk. If the workplace does not have refrigeration equipment, the mother can prepare a mini refrigerator to store the food temporarily. When returning home, the baby should eat the food as soon as possible or put it in the refrigerator for refrigeration.

3. Storage

Leave some space in the container containing breast milk. Do not fill it too full or close the lid too tightly to prevent the container from freezing and bursting. It is best to divide breast milk into small portions (60-120ml) and freeze or refrigerate them to make it easier for family members or nannies to feed the baby according to the baby's appetite and avoid waste. The portions should be labeled and the date should be recorded.

4. Thawing

When thawing frozen breast milk, you should first rinse the sealed bag with cold water, then gradually add hot water until the breast milk is completely thawed and reaches a suitable temperature for feeding, or place it in the refrigerator to slowly thaw and defrost. Do not heat breast milk directly over a stove or microwave as this will destroy the nutrients in the breast milk. After thawing, pour it directly into the bottle and feed your baby. Thawed breast milk must be consumed within 24 hours and cannot be re-frozen. It is best not to feed your baby leftover milk. How long it can be stored depends on the specific situation. In summer, it will basically go bad in 2 hours at room temperature. It is best not to put the milk in the refrigerator, as this will destroy the ingredients of the milk during the subsequent heating process.