Storing Liquid Gold

Mamas, you want to take care of that precious liquid gold until next feeding, but how to store it? Today I’m going to give you the scoop on storage guidelines for expressed breast milk.

Okay, this can get a little gray but if you’re in a pinch and you want to do your best to protect your milk follow the 5-5-5 Rule. Breast milk is okay 5 hours at room temperature, 5 days in a refrigerator, and 5 months in a freezer.

So why is this subject gray? Shouldn’t it be black and white? Breast milk is a living substance. Every time your milk is expressed it has a slightly different composition. This means that there is some fluctuation to safe storage. The anti-bacterial properties to your milk will help to keep it fresh. Remember, a guideline is just that, to guide you. Also, please do keep in mind that the guidelines listed here are for healthy, full-term babies. If you’re pumping for a preemie baby, please touch bases with the hospital or your personal lactation consultant on how to safely pump and store your breast milk for your little one.

The range goes from ideal to allowable time frame. It is ideal to use expressed breast milk at room temperature within 4 hours but it is allowable to go up to 6 hours. However, please do keep in mind it is best practice to chill expressed milk immediately if a cooler or refrigerator is available.

(Notice the 5-5-5 Rule keeps you right in the middle.)

Room Temperature

4-6 Hours

Cooler

24 Hours

Refrigerator

3-8 Days

Freezer

3-6 Months

Deep Freezer

6-12 Months

Reference LLLI at http://www.llli.org/faq/milkstorage.html.