17
Guidelines for Storing Expressed Breast Milk
° Refrigerate breast milk immediately. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours in the back of the
refrigerator, not in the door.
° Freeze for up to 3 months, or 6 months in a zero-degree freezer.
° Frozen breast milk can be defrosted overnight in the refrigerator, thawed in warm
water or heated on the lowest setting of a bottle warmer or baby food warmer.
° NEVER refreeze breast milk.
° If you express small amounts of milk throughout the day, you can top up the milk container
by keeping it in the refrigerator and adding to it. Make sure the milk is used within 24 hours
of the first expression, or store it in the freezer.
° DO NOT add fresh breast milk to already frozen milk.
° ALWAYS discard any milk that is left over at the end of a feed.
Note: Only milk collected with a clean, sanitized pump should be stored to be fed to your baby. Sanitize Breast
Milk Containers before use or express milk directly into pre-sterilized
cups.
Never immerse a frozen bottle or liner in boiling water as this may cause it
to crack/split.
Storing Your Expressed Breast Milk
