8. Storing and thawing breast milk
8.1 Storage
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Storage guidelines for freshly expressed breast milk
Room temperature
16 to 26 ° C
( 60 to 78 ° F )
Healthy term
≤ 6 hours
infant
NICU infant
Use within 4 hours
l Use of a medical grade refrigerator with temperature uniformity and constant temperature
monitoring is recommended.
8.2 Freezing
l You can freeze expressed breast milk in milk bottles or "Pump & Save"* bags. Do not fill
the bottles or bags more than 3/4 full to allow space for possible expansion.
I Label the bottles or "Pump & Save" bags with the date of expression and volume of milk
expressed.
8.3 Thawing
Warning
Do not thaw frozen breast milk or do not warm breast milk in a microwave or a pan of
boiling water to avoid loss of vitamins, minerals and other important components and to
prevent burns.
I ln order to preserve the components of the breast milk, thaw the milk in the refrigerator
overnight. Alternatively, you can hold the bottle or "Pump & Save" bag under warm water
(max. 37 °C / 98.6 °F).
I Gently swirl the bottle or "Pump & Save" bag to mix any fat that has separated. Avoid
shaking or stirring the milk.
I With the Calesca* bottle warmer, it is possible to warm breast milk in a gentle way.
Note: These storing and thawing breast milk guidelines are a recommendation.
National and hospital internal guidelines and standards may deviate.
Refrigerator
Freezer
4 ° C ( 39 ° F )
–18 to – 20 °C
or lower
( 0 to -4 ° F )
≤ 5 days
≤ 6 months ideal,
maximum 12
months
Use within
Optimal: use
4 days
within 3 months
Thawed breast milk
Thawed to room tempe-
rature: use within max. 4h
Thawed to fridge tempe-
rature: use within 24h
Do not refreeze!
*More information at www.medela.com