Whether you are a stay-at-home mom or not, having a cache of breast milk while you’re breastfeeding gives you freedom — even if you don’t choose to use it. This way, you aren’t always tethered to the baby and have options for a partner to use a bottle for a night feeding or a caregiver to watch them while you take a break.
Like all foods, breast milk requires proper handling and storage so that you retain as much of its nutritional value as possible and keep your milk from spoiling. “It’s important to keep in mind how long breast milk lasts because it varies based on whether breast milk is freshly pumped or previously frozen and being kept in a refrigerator or a freezer,” Pennsylvania pediatrician Dr. Steph Lee told Mom.com.
If you’re wondering how to store breast milk safely for use at home, work, or while traveling, here are some best practices for stockpiling your breast milk for a rainy day.
Best breast milk storage guidelines
The best way to store breast milk in freezer and other tips
With so many ways to store breast milk, it can be a bit confusing as well as a logistical nightmare to track. Below are a few practical tips that might help.
Lay your breast milk bags flat to freeze
This way, your frozen breast milk freezes flat and is easily stackable vertically like files, or horizontally on top of one another in containers or giant zip-lock bags.
Store your breast pump parts in the fridge
No, seriously. When you’re at work (or at home) and running short on time, place your rinsed or unrinsed pump parts in a large, resealable zip-lock bag and keep it along with your pumped milk in the fridge or a cooler filled with ice packs. Just remember to thoroughly wash them after a few uses.
If it smells like spoiled milk, it’s gone bad
Just because it hasn’t hit the maximum time breast milk can be stored, doesn’t mean it can’t spoil earlier. If it smells like spoiled milk, has clumps, doesn’t mix when swirled, or tastes sour, throw it out. It hurts, but better to be safe than sorry.
Donate excess milk to local human milk banks
Instead of tossing excess frozen breast milk, consider donating the breast milk to local breast milk banks.
